CALIFORNIA – New rules regulating direct distribution of sewage water treated for drinking – Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) – went into effect on October 1 for California residents.
Recycled water can now be distributed directly to businesses and households across the state.
According to the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) recycled water has been widely used for non-drinking (non-potable) uses, such as agricultural and landscape irrigation in California.
The Orange County Water District (OCWD) provides recycled drinking water to the public through indirect potable reuse (IPR). After treating the water it is placed in an underground aquifer for natural filtration – an environmental buffer, prior to putting it in the drinking water supply.
With the new DPR rule, public water systems can now choose to directly distribute the treated water without the environmental buffer. This eliminates the need for storage space prior to water distribution.
500,000 SoCal homes to get recycled drinking water directly
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) a public water agency that serves 19 million people in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties recently received $99.2 million in funding for Pure Water Southern California.
MWD says the Pure Water Southern California DPR project will take wastewater that is currently sent to the ocean and purify it to produce drinking water.
They say the program will produce 150 million gallons of water each day – enough to meet the demands of 500,000 homes.
The district says construction for the water treatment plant could begin as soon as 2026 and the first water could be delivered in 2032.
Must notify public of direct recycled water distribution
SWRCB says the rules don’t force any public water agency to start a DPR project.
“Public water systems and water recycling agencies are not required to engage in DPR. Prior to being allowed to engage in DPR, the public water system must first obtain a permit by the State Water Board’s Division of Drinking Water,” says a statement on SWRCB FAQ sheet.
The waterboard goes on to say that before moving forward with DPR, a public water system is required to participate in at least one public meeting.
They must also provide notice to customers of the public meeting, and make information available to customers regarding how the public water system plans to engage in DPR.
According to SWRCB water produced by a DPR project is safe for consumption if it meets all criteria in the DPR regulations.
For more information visit https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/drinkingwater/direct_potable_reuse.html
