A third successive year of California\'s worst drought in a century has the Gold

Question

A third successive year of California's worst drought in a century has the Golden State's reservoirs at record lows. Agriculture has been affected, hitting the local economy, while some small communities risk running out of water.

But business is booming in California's Orange County Water District (OCWD), through a pioneering wastewater treatment facility that recycles used water -- or sewage -- and returns it to the drinking supply. The plant is expanding production from 70 to 100 million gallons per day, enough for 850,000 people, around one-third of the county population. As the OWCD output is mixed with the main groundwater supply it reaches over 70% of residents.

Discuss the following: The pros and cons of using treated waste water for drinking water and agriculture The process by which waste water is treated Alternative solutions for areas heavily hit by drought Where else waste water is treated and how the local population reacted Make sure to: Write a short essay or paragraph of at least 300 words.

Explanation / Answer

Water recycling is the process of taking wastewater and sewage and treating ur so that it could be reused for various purposes. For drinking water the recycled water has to be treated properly so that it is suitable for the human consumption.Reclaimed water or the recycled water is highly treated sewage wastewater that is often used as a replacement for drinking water for the industrial needs. Though it is clear and odorless people feel it is safe for drinking. In some parts of the world the wastewater that is taken from drains including the toilet flushes is now filtered and treated as a pure water but it sounds strange but the recycled water is safe and tastes like any other drinking water or a tap water. Pros of using waster water for drinking and agriculture - it is conserving portable water, better for vegetation, wastewater contains nitrogen or phosphorus which is actually the plant nutrients, reusing wastewater keep it out if the sewer and reduces the chance to end up in streams and ponds. It also increases the life Nad capacity of the septic system and saves money as well. Cons of a waste waster - some systems which carry the recycled water are very expensive and requires a complex and a costly system.,it requires more maintenence than a regular septic system.,soils become more permeable.

Alternative solution for areas heavily hit by drought -

* Desalination

* groundwater drilling

* fog catchers

* atmospheric water generation

* Geo engineering Rain

* massive pipeline to pump the water

* making smarter choices for consumption of crop better to grow crops which requires less amount of water.

* by preserving the water by reducing the state's water usage.

In Windhoek, the capital of Namibia here wastewater is recycled and turned back into the drinking water. The Goreangab waste treatment plant utilizes the waste of local 30,000 residents, everything is done biologically the bacteria digest the human waste and pull it out of the water. People of this area never complained about drinking recycled water. It is 100% purified sewage water. Local residents are proud to have led in water recycling.

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