Sacramento Union, December 7, 2007

On Nov. 30, the Orange County Water District opened what is arguably the world's first facility for purifying sewer water to increase water supplies. The district hopes it serves as a worldwide model for areas facing persistent drought, water shortages and projected growth-like almost all of California.

For millions of people in Orange County, the facility marked the start of a large, intense process to purify sewage into drinking water. This requires a hard scrubbing with filters, screens, chemicals and ultraviolet light, and the passage of time underground. The only other choices are to import more water, which is increasingly difficult, or to turn to desalinization.

All three options require huge amounts of energy to pump, disinfect and remove impurities. Historically, about 12-14 percent of all electricity used in California has been for pumping water--either from local wells or in canals over longer distances.

"These types of [reclamation] projects you will see springing up all over the place where there are severe water shortages," said Michael R. Markus, the general manager of the Orange County district. The plant, which will process 70 million gallons a day, has already been visited by water managers from across the globe.

The finished product, which district managers say exceeds drinking water standards, will not flow directly into kitchen and bathroom taps; state regulations forbid that. Instead it will be injected underground, with half of it helping to form a barrier against seawater intruding on fresh waters ~ and the other half gradually filtering into aquifers that feed wells that supply more than two million people.

The Groundwater Replenishment System, as the $481 million plant is called, is a labyrinth of tubing and tanks that treats sewer water the color of dark beer from a sanitation plant next door, and first runs it through micro filters to remove solids.

TIle water then undergoes reverse osmosis, forcing it through thin, porous membranes at high pressure, before it is further cleansed with peroxide and ultraviolet light to break down any remaining pharmaceuticals and carcinogens.

Recycled water, also called reclaimed or gray water, has been used for decades in agriculture, landscaping and by industrial plants. And for years, treated sewage, known as effluent, has been discharged into oceans and rivers, including the Colorado, which supply drinking water for millions, including those same Southern California residents in Orange County. The projects are costly and often face health concerns from opponents.

Mayor Jerry Sanders of San Diego, in vetoing a City Council plan similar to the Orange County effort, said it "is not a silver bullet for the regions water needs" and the public has never taken to the idea in the 15 years it has been discussed. San Diego, which imports about 86 percent of its water because of a lack of aquifers, asked residents this year to curtail water use. Of course, they also are asking residents to "just say no" to using their air conditioners during heat waves, because of a shortage of electricity.

State leaders, at all levels, should be in no doubt that California needs more water. This can be accomplished by reclaiming used water as in Orange County, increased water storage and transfers, more efficient use, or desalination. California's water woes will likely require all four ways to supply an ever creasing population-and perhaps other methods yet to be conceived.

Policy makers need to keep an open mind to all options, otherwise the Golden State may go thirsty. Equally important, California needs adequate and reliable sources of cheap energy to clean that water and move it to where it is needed.