Toilet-to-Tap Plant Opens in OC
8:13 AM January 25, 2008
A lot of people will have to get past the "ick factor" on this one.
The world's largest water purification plant is dedicated today in Fountain Valley, and it will turn sewer water into something you can drink.
Lots of people call it "toilet-to-tap", but really that's kind of a misnomer. What happens is a little more complicated. Raw sewage is treated twice, then brought to the Orange County Water District facility to be purified. That process involves microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and ultraviolet light with hydrogen peroxide.
What you end up with is what engineers swear is ultra-high quality drinking water that is about as pure as if it were distilled. 
That water is pumped into the ground, where it'll be stored for as long as a year. Then it eventually makes its way into your tap.
At today's ceremony, a group of politicians will demonstrate the safety of the system by sipping some of the water out of champagne glasses. That'll be a nice visual!
The folks at the water district say Orange County is the first community in the western hemisphere to use this kind of treatment plant. They claim it will provide water for up to 500,000 a year.
To see a recent story on it from reporter Jaime Chambers, click on the link below:
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Ick factor, indeed! Being an Earth Science teacher, though, I have to put on a brave face and tell the kids about things being done to help preserve our natural resources...
Posted by: Samantha | January 28, 2008 at 10:19 AM
Very good ideal. We live in a sepic-tank area and already send liquids to the earth to get into the water table eventually. That works - why not process it first - even better.
I think if people knew where the water comes from that we drink now they would not be all that pleased. Not for good reason though. Water gets filtered enough ane is drinkable naturally.
Posted by: Jeri Chatham | January 27, 2008 at 10:49 AM