Water Reuse & Recycling

Recycling Sewage Water for Drinking

When the going got tough due one of with worst droughts in a century, the parched Texas city of Wichita Falls got going with its program to recycle sewage water for drinking.

The city this month opened the spigots on a $13 million system that mixes 5 million gallons a day of treated waste water with area lake water to keep drinking water flowing for its 105,000 residents.

Convincing them to drink it is another matter.

Oil and Gas Leading In Water Conservation?

Amid continued drought-like conditions across much of Texas, the state’s oil and gas industry is turning out to be an unlikely leader in the area of water conservation.

Tucson Water has completed a master plan for the development of recycled water as a future drinking water resource. Additional planning and study will begin soon, including discussions with Tucson Water customers.

"We've been studying this for some time," said Tucson Water Director Alan Forrest. "The ongoing drought and dropping water levels in Lake Mead, and planning for the impacts of climate change are making it a higher priority than originally planned."