Yum, Toilet Water! Bay Area to Recycle More H2O
Billions of gallons a year will be saved through re-use of wastewater
By JACKSON WEST
Updated 1:15 PM PST, Fri, Oct 16, 2009
While lawmakers in Sacramento continue to debate the issue of how water distribution in California will be managed, lawmakers in Washington, D.C. passed a bill that would provide federal funds for water recycling projects in the Bay Area.
The state is currently in the grip of a long drought with no end in sight, and environmental protections for fish limit how much water can be drawn from the delta, leaving rural Californians at odds with urban areas of the state.
Yet Republican opponents of the bill are arguing that dealing with the problems of irrigation in suburban Palo Alto while neglecting farmers in the Central Valley might doom Democrats like the bill's sponsor, George Miller, who represents the area around Martinez.
However, Democrats were quick to point out that saving an estimated 2.6 billion gallons of water per year will mean the region will be less dependent on water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and therefore more will be available for the Central Valley.
Photo by Sharon Mollerus.
Jackson West would rather have water growing produce than lawns, but wonders why farmers wouldn't want the suburbs recycling water.
Copyright NBC Local Media
First Published: Oct 16, 2009 12:58 PM PST
You Might Like
You have 2000 characters left
