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- California approved a measure allowing it to convert wastewater into drinking water.
- The measure comes as the region has battled severe drought over the past few years.
- Other states have already adopted measures that would purify wastewater.
Californians could soon have sewage waste coming out of their taps — purified, of course.
California's State Water Resources Control Board recently approved regulations allowing water systems to convert wastewater, like sewage and toilet water, into purified water that Californians can drink.
According to the board's December 19 press release, the measure would give California the "most advanced standards in the nation" to repurpose wastewater in a way that meets drinking standards. The process, known as direct potable reuse, would allow water systems to add millions of gallons of drinking water to their supplies while reducing the amount of waste that flows into oceans.
"This is an exciting development in the state's ongoing efforts to find innovative solutions to the challenges of extreme weather driven by climate change," E. Joaquin Esquivel, chair of the Water Resources Control Board, said in a statement.
"On top of helping us build drought-resilient water supplies, direct potable reuse offers energy savings and environmental benefits," he continued. "And most importantly, these regulations ensure that the water produced is not only safe, but purer than many drinking water sources we now rely on."
California has experienced the driest period in its history over the past few years. While heavy rainfall this year led the US Drought Monitor to declare most of the state drought-free in August, the ongoing climate crisis continues to exacerbate water scarcity concerns.
And while California's latest regulations are new, drinking converted wastewater isn't. Texas, for example, started employing the method in 2013, a brewery in California's Half Moon Bay switched to recycled wastewater to combat drought over the summer, and Colorado's water board approved the process last year.
California's water board wrote in its press release that once the new regulations are finalized by the Office of Administrative Law next year, water systems in the state can start submitting plans to begin purifying wastewater.
"We want to just use it as much as we can," Rebecca Kimitch, press office manager for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, told The Hill. "Using it once and then sending it to the ocean — that's not being as efficient and as sustainable as we can be."