REPORT22

Water recycling and management is a big issue all around the world. Clearly we do not have an endless supply of water, so water needs to be conserved and managed well so that we do not run out of water. Especially in California with its growing population, more and more water is needed. The way to approach this problem is to have a huge recycling plan to reuse as much water as possible. In 2003 half a million acre-feet of water was recycled but California is trying to increase this to 2 million acre-feet a year. California has some really good recycling plans, although this state has had some issues with the states near it regarding water. California is a great example to follow in the use and recycling of the water that we need daily.

Recycled water in California is a big industry and the water is used for many different purposes. Although lots of water is recycled it does not mean that people can start wasting water because non-recycled water is still needed for drinking. The recycled water is used mainly for agricultural irrigation (46%), landscape irrigation (21%), groundwater recharge (14%) and the other 19% is used for various other things. The recycled water comes from places like showers, sinks, bathtubs, and washing machines. All this water is treated with chemicals and then used for the uses above. In order for the recycled water to not mix with the non-recycled water a piping system named [|Purple Pipe] is used. This is just a normal system but it separates drinking water from recycled water so that the water that is recycled does not come into people’s homes. One huge benefit of recycling water is that it saves many animals because the fresh water can then be left in rivers and streams. Using recycled water can sub in for potable (non-recycled) water and then it will be less of a pressure to find a new water source when water supplies run low. In Southern California the population is a lot greater then the amount of water that is needed to supply that amount of people. Two centers have started to recycle water for irrigation and other purposes. These are the Irvine Ranch Water District in Orange County and the Metropolitan Water District of southern California.

California and the other states near the Colorado River Basin would all take water from there until 2003 where a deal was signed that gave California the right to take water from an “Imperial District” because the state was taking more than what they were supposed to be taking from the Colorado river Basin. This deal was a drastic improvement because it helped Nevada and the other states that needed water would now get more. Since California has such a great population but not enough water, this plan would help the state to receive closer to the amount of water that they need. This does not mean that California can start wasting water because water is still in need of being recycled for use again.

In 2003 in east San Francisco the Central Contra Costa District was working on their filter plant to produce high qualities of recycled water. The knowledge and improvement of recycling water is making a huge amount of progress and more and more water is being recycled. “At full capacity, Central San’s secondary facilities can treat about 54 million gallons per day (mgd)”. In 2003 this plant was only using around 10 percent of its capacity for self and customer purposes. “The District’s 2000 Recycled Water Master Plan envisions four components of a program that would use virtually all the recycled water that the filter plant can produce” (Wastewater recycling advances). The plant is trying to create a ten mile pipeline through urbanized areas but it would not serve the residents, only industries and large buildings. One really useful and amazing thing is that “Central San’s recycled water is currently less expensive than potable water.” This was a couple years ago however I believe that this water plan in California is one of the best ones that I have ever heard of. Water recycling and management are huge deals on our Earth. Every bit of water we use could be going to people who really need it and while we take water for granted there are so many people that have so little water that it is extremely unhealthy. I feel that California is setting a really good example for the rest of the world. This one state is telling making it clear that water is an issue and needs to be recycled, managed, and used properly.

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