Can wastewater be treated to make it into drinking water?
Yes, it can be, although no one is using treated wastewater for drinking water at this time. A large test completed in Denver showed that good quality drinking water could be made from wastewater, but so far water shortages haven’t been so severe to warrant its use. To save water in some areas of the United States, partially-treated wastewater is used to irrigate golf courses and landscaped public areas. It’s even used to provide cooling water for industry, although this practice is sometimes questioned due to limited research on its long-term effects. In the Miami Valley area, water supplies are generally abundant, reducing the likelihood that this method of obtaining drinking water will be necessary in the near future.
Related Questions
- Which is the best quality drinking water: bottled water, water from a vending machine or water treated with a filtration system?
- If a wastewater requires treatment, does it have to be treated using the treatment technologies listed in Table 10?
- Is there any risk from accidentally drinking water treated with rotenone?
