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Drought-Stricken Texas Town Taps Urine For Water

Posted by samzenpus on from the it's-important-to-stay-hydrated dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Texas is in the midst of a drought so severe that local water management teams have decided to distribute reclaimed wastewater (aka urine). The Colorado River Municipal Water District in West Texas has broken ground on a $13 million plant that will capture treated wastewater and ready it for redistribution. After being run through microfilters and undergoing reverse osmosis, slimy sewage is cleansed with peroxide and ultraviolet light. This intense process ensures that any pharmaceuticals and carcinogens are removed, and that the H2O stands up to drinking water regulations."

10 of 300 comments (clear)

  1. If your town gets its water from a river... by bmo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...then you're drinking filtered sewage anyway.

    Not news.

    --
    BMO

  2. Already used on space missions? by DJRumpy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I assume this is similar to recycling systems used for space missions? Don't they also recycle waste for H20?

    1. Re:Already used on space missions? by Duradin · · Score: 4, Insightful

      People would probably be rather suspicious of the sudden increase of its quality.

  3. Fish have been shitting in my water for years by elrous0 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Like your drinking water isn't already the toilet for fish, birds, and god-knows what other wildlife. Get over yourself, Sally.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  4. Lack of strategic planning by scarboni888 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It's amazing to me that this type of thing only gets implemented due to a crisis when it should be obvious from the get go that developing and improving the methods of recycling and reclamation should always be part of the way we do anything.

  5. more stupidity by NemoinSpace · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Drinking wastewater makes as much sense as watering your lawn with potable water.

  6. Re:About time. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Did you know that the outflow from the Los Angeles sewage treatment plant is actually cleaner than the water that they pump (at ridiculous cost) over the mountains to the potable water intake?

    I've just returned to Europe from the USA. The water quality in LA was awful. Quite easily the worst tasting "potable" water I've ever had, and that's my experience of numerous countries (1st to 3rd world) around the globe, across 5 continents. Congrats LA.

    Also, if you have such a water problem over there... how about replacing your heavily watered lawns with rock gardens or some other less water intensive feature? I couldn't get over the level of waste of good water. Then there's the energy usage, but let's not go there for now.

  7. Draining a Reservoir by CWCheese · · Score: 4, Insightful

    And in Portland, they drain an entire reservoir after one guy takes a leak
    http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2011/06/16/Reservoir-drained-due-to-urine/UPI-10781308249177/

    --
    Have a Day!
  8. Far from first... by __aazsst3756 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Chanute, KS was the first in the US, from October 14th 1956 to March 14th, 1957. The water met microbial standards of the time, but was discontinued as soon as possible due to public acceptance.

    Windhoek, the capital of the Republic of Namibia (Sahara desert) recycles about 30% of their water to supply a population of 300,000 residents. They started in 1968.

    Not common, but far from a new idea.

  9. Re:About time. by CannonballHead · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Just as a note, please don't judge the rest of the US based on LA. Or SF. Or NY.

    It'd be like us basing our view of Europe based on ... London.

    In fact, a lot of CA has pretty normal people. LA and SF are just weird, overpopulated... LA especially, there's tons of urban sprawl in the middle of basically a desert. I don't get it.