California to Convert Wastewater to Drinking Water

SACRAMENTO – Further advancing the Administration’s all-of-the-above Water Supply
Strategy to make California more resilient to hotter, drier conditions, the State Water
Resources Control Board approved regulations today that will allow water systems to
develop treatment protocols to convert wastewater into high quality drinking water.
The board’s unanimous vote gives California the most advanced standards in the
nation for treating wastewater to such an extent that the finished product meets or
exceeds current drinking water standards. Known as direct potable reuse, the process
will enable water systems throughout the state to generate a climate-resilient water
source while reducing the amount of wastewater discharged to rivers and the ocean. In
fact, recycling water allows water systems to add millions of gallons of additional
drinking water to their supplies over time while avoiding costlier and more energy
intensive water supplies.
“This is an exciting development in the state’s ongoing efforts to find innovative
solutions to the challenges of extreme weather driven by climate change,” said E.
Joaquin Esquivel, chair of the State Water Board. “On top of helping us build drought resilient water supplies, direct potable reuse offers energy savings and environmental
benefits. And most importantly, these regulations ensure that the water produced is not
only safe, but purer than many drinking water sources we now rely on.”
The final version of the regulations came together over many years and after an expert
panel of 12 scientists and engineers evaluated work by the board’s Division of Drinking
Water and determined the standards are protective of public health. Proposed
regulations were released to the public in July; board staff gathered public comment and
made adjustments based on that input. These revisions include added flexibility for
alternative treatment techniques and clarifications about the collaboration among
partner agencies on reuse projects.
Direct potable reuse relies entirely on immediate, multi-barrier treatment that can
recycle wastewater to drinking water standards in a matter of hours. This contrasts with
the method currently being deployed in major projects launched throughout the state,
called indirect potable reuse, which further improves treated wastewater over time
through groundwater recharge or dilution with surface water. While no formal direct
potable reuse projects could be initiated in California until the regulations were adopted,
water agencies in Santa Clara, San Diego and the city of Los Angeles have launched
pilot projects in recent years.
The newly adopted regulations comply with California’s Safe Drinking Water Act, which
ensures that the water delivered by public water systems in California shall at all times
be pure, wholesome, and safe to drink.
Once the new regulations are finalized through the Office of Administrative Law in 2024,
water systems will be able to submit plans for direct potable use projects to the board
for approval.