Imagine the scene in “Waterworld” where Kevin Costner’s character urinates in a contraption that then distills the water. He pours the water into a plant, which then provides drinkable water for him. Sure, there was a collective “Ewwww!” worldwide during that scene because of the gross factor, but was that idea so far fetched? Everyday, water is wasted through baths, showers, doing the dishes and flushing the toilet. But what if that water could be treated and reused? In the world, there is about one percent of water available for drinking. (Integrated Water Strategies, 2007) That same water is not just used for drinking; it is also used for all household functions. Recycling water is not new in nature, but has come to the forefront again as countries are re-evaluating their water needs. While some countries already participate in water recycling, other countries are unsure about trying it because the thought of drinking wastewater is unappealing. “Wastewater has been treated to a level that is fit for drinking, consumers, especially the public, do not have a complete understanding of the treatment techniques for reusing waste water and find these ‘toilet to tap’ projects unacceptable.” (Membrane Technology, 2007) Right now, consumers are wary of recycling waste water because they have a hartime with the image of drinking water originally from the toilet. Unfortunately the environment is in a tailspin towards global warming, so every effort should be made towards recycling. Although initially expensive to create and still somewhat controversial, water treatment facilities are important because they recycle already used water, save millions of gallons each day, and protect the environment from further harm.
There are at least two different types of treatment facilities. In the most common type of facility, the wastewater goes through a series of vats in the chemical process until at last it comes out clean. The water is tested before being sent out for reuse. The more the water is going to come into contact with a person, the more chemically treated it is to prevent sickness and disease from affecting any individual. A newer type of treatment facility is a human made “natural wetland”. Gravel and rock are put down with dirt. The wastewater is placed on top and plants that are chosen because they help out the environment are planted. As the soil begins to break down, water trickles into pipes laid in the ground. The plants help by breaking down the waste quicker through sunlight and the natural oxygen they produce. Integrated Water Systems in North Carolina uses the natural technique when creating their water treatment facilities. They say that their facilities are “designed for nature by nature”. (Integrated water strategies, 2007) This means that they have designed their systems around nature’s model. The chemical process is the most popular process to use, but people are starting to realize that recycling naturally is not only better for the environment but it is the natural process. The earth already recycles water naturally, so we should as well. Both of these water treatment processes only send out water to be used for watering lawns, washing cars, and anything else that could use non-potable water. This treated water is not used for drinking water. Besides those two major treatment facilities, there are now at home water treatment units that can be installed to recycle what is called “grey water”. According to Grey Water Central, grey water is washing machine, dishwasher, and shower water. Pipes can be re-routed to go to this unit so that the water can be treated and reused. (Grey Water Central, 2007) One example of grey water reuse is the Melbourne Linen Services in Australia. This linen company was given a grant to pay for their AquaRecycle Laundry Water Recycling System. Water that the launderer uses will be sent through this system to recycle over 80 percent of their water usage. According to the Ecos article, Melbourne Linen Services is estimating that they will stop using up to 50 million liters of used water per year due to this new recycling system. (Clayton, 2007) Using grey water in businesses such as launderers is very cost effective considering the amount of water used per day.
“Going Green”, which seems to be the new slogan for saving the environment, includes water recycling as well. It is pricey at first but worth the efforts that pay off in the future. Gary Christensen is the owner of the Banner Bank building in Boise, Idaho, feels that a business that goes all the way green will save more money later even though they put more money out up front. (Gunther, 2007) And his building isn’t the only one to go green. Many other major corporations such as Bank of America are using grey water as part of their green endeavors. People are definitely becoming more conscience of the fact that we should be recycling our water. According an article in Industry News, by 2010, water recycling in the United States will have increased by 11.1 percent. They also say “the growth rate reflects the fact that significant innovation is still occurring, making technologies more accessible to a greater number of potential buyers.” (Pollution Engineering, 2007) This means that water recycling has greatly come down in price so that more people and not just businesses can afford to recycle. According to an article in Australian Geographic, the financial benefits of water recycling are really good in some of the areas in Australia. For personal use, small diversion systems run $40 to $200 and more extensive systems range from $6,000 to $10,000. The smaller systems allow for the water to be used on lawn and flowers outside while the larger systems allow for the water to be used to flush the toilets inside the home. There is also the expense of having a plumber re-route the system for the home. This can be up to an additional $1500. While this might seem like a large cost up front, this article estimates that the people would save about 30 percent of their water usage. (McGhee, 2007) For those who pay for water, 30 percent is a huge savings. The initial cost of the equipment would be offset by the savings on their monthly bill.
With an ongoing drought in several countries including America, the idea of saving water is becoming more attractive not only to residents but also to lawmakers and politicians. Right now Denver, Colorado, is struggling to integrate a new system in which to recycle wastewater. The price tag for a new system is right around one billion dollars, however, they expect to welcome another three million people into the state within the next five years. In order to meet future water needs, they need to make a decision now regarding their water use. With installing a new system, they hope to double the amount of treated water they currently use.(Smith, 2007) Cheyenne, Wyoming uses their treated water to water the parks. They estimate that they save over one million gallons of water each day by using treated water. (Local News 8, 2007) Australia is at the forefront of the debate right now as two cities fight over whether they really want to drink recycled water. The politicians are ready to implement the 68 million dollar facility to treat the water but residents are not ready yet. They are unsure about the idea of drinking purified wastewater or as science.org put it, “thinking that the water in the glass in your hand might have started off in someone’s toilet bowl”. (Nova – Science.org.au, 2007) The idea of drinking water coming from the toilet bowl does sound unappealing; but with the proper treatment and chemicals, any water can be safe for consumption. San Jose, California is already looking ahead to the future by thinking of recycling sewer water into drinking water. While recycling sewer water is still a future dream, they are working on a recycling center to open in November to recycle all other wastewater. The Orange County Water District is planning on opening a water recycling plant in November that they are hoping will recycle around 70 million gallons of used water each day. (San Jose, 2007) Georgia is the state that is making the news lately. According to the Tampa Tribune, “Lake Lanier in North Georgia supplies drinking water for metro Atlanta’s 4 million residents”. (Salinero, 2007) Lake Lanier is way below normal levels and although the Army Corp of engineers says that there is no emergency, the governor says there is. He is fighting with the state of Florida and the state of Alabama to stop water drainage to their states in hopes of preserving the water for Georgia. The water drainage from the lake helps many things such as endangered species or the seafood industry in Florida. (Salinero, 2007) Many of the counties are now under very strict water rations and there is speculation that the lake only has about three months of water left for consumption. One of the reasons why Georgia is hurting so badly is because they never put a water conservation plan into place. Now that the worst has happened, there is a struggle to scramble and find a way to quickly conserve what should have been taken care of a long time ago. (Bluestein, 2007) If Georgia would put into place a good water recycling system, they would not be in the mess they are in right now. They would not be struggling with water rations and fines against people who use too much of their water. All is not lost in Georgia though. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Sandy Springs area will be including recycling requirements for grey water recycling systems in many of the new homes in an effort to begin conserving water if approved by the City Council. (MacDonald, 2007) By making it a requirement to place grey water systems in all new homes, the water savings would be tremendous not only for the Atlanta area but also for other areas that might adopt the same policy.
When thinking of recycling, one does not readily think of water conservation. In fact, it would probably be last on the list with paper, glass, and aluminum first. (epa, 2007) However, water is very important to a healthy environment and planet. Without water, our planet cannot survive. It is important to put up with the expense of saving water now, than spending more in the future trying to save what was lost. We should quit being selfish and start thinking about our children and even grandchildren’s future. What legacy are we leaving them? Are we leaving them a beautiful environment or a desert wasteland? There are so many different environmental benefits in water recycling such as giving an additional source of water with out depleting what little we have left, it helps our ecosystem and keeps balance, it also helps prevent pollution. (Kruszelnicki, 2007) With so many benefits to water recycling, more people should get on board and do their part to recycle. Even saving the smallest drop of water is huge and could ultimately be the drop that saves the planet.
With only approximately one percent of water available for consumption on the earth, measures should be taken to protect our environment. (Integrated Water Strategies, 2007) With global warming as a huge threat in the future and our water supply slowly dwindling as glaciers continue to melt at an ever-quickening pace; we need to turn towards water recycling as a means for protecting not only the environment but our water supplies as well. The rapid decline of glaciers and drying riverbeds should be a clue and a wake up call that global warming is here and water recycling will keep the global warming at bay. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, “Mr. Roberts estimates that 1.1 Billion people world-wide lack access to clean drinking water.” (Batson, 2007) With water recycling resources available, there should be no problem providing fresh water to anyone needing it. Using treated recycled water is a great way to save the environment and help the earth last a little longer.
References
Batson, A. (2007) Coke aims to improve water recycling; proposal marks a bid to address criticism in developing nations. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on October 24, 2007 from Ebsco Host
Bluestein, G. (2007) Georgia has no plan for drought. Associated Press. Retrieved from http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/071029/drought.shtml on October 31, 2007
Clayton, S. (2007). Desalination: OPTION OR DISTRACTION? Ecos. 138, 33. Retrieved on October 11, 2007 from Ebsco Host.
Grey Water Central (2007) Retrieved October 11, 2007 from http://www.oasisdesign.net
Gunther, M. (2007). Who's the greenest bank of all? Fortune. 156,32. Retrieved on November 21, 2007 from Ebsco Host.
Integrated Water Strategies (2007) Retrieved October 11, 2007 from http://waterrecycling.com
Kruszelnicki, K. (2006) Water Recycling. Great Moments in Science. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au on September 26, 2007.
MacDonald, M. (2007). Sandy Springs delays cote on building code changes. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved on the web November 21, 2007 from www.ajc.com/ metro/content/metro/northfulton/stories/ 2007/ 1120 /sandybrief _ 1121_web.html
Making Every Drop Count (2007) Retrieved from http://www.science.org.au/nova/095/095print.htm on September 26, 2007
Membrane Technology. (2007) Rising demand for fresh water drives recycling systems market. Retrieved on October 19, 2007 from Ebsco Host.
Salinero, M. (2007) Georgia’s answer to drought riles neighboring governors. The Tampa Tribune. Retrieved from http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/nov/01/na-georgias-answer-to-drought-riles-neighboring-go/?news-nationworld on October 31, 2007.
San Jose looks to turning sewage water into drinking water. News Fuze. Retrieved from http://www.mercurynews.com on September 26, 2007.
Smith, J. (2007) Sticker shock: $1 billion for water. Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved from http://www.rockymountainnews.com on September 26, 2007.
Water Recycling in Cheyenne Saves 1 Million Gallons a Day. Associated Press. Retrieved from http://www.localnews8.com on September 26, 2007.
Water Recycling and Reuse: The Environmental Benefits, Region 9: Water Program (2007) Retrieved September 36, 2007 from www.epa.gov
