TREATED SEWAGE ENHANCED DRINKING WATER

Our Opinion: Waste water can enhance long-term local supply … TUCSON CITIZEN – excerpted - Published: 04.30.2008 One school of thought about why the ancient Hohokam people disappeared from our desert is that drought drove them away. It's a lesson to be considered as usage increasingly strains our water supply and projected growth only makes the picture worse. Other lessons also must be considered, especially the success that Orange County, Calif., is having with treated waste water for household use. On the face of it, using recycled waste water strikes one as unpleasant, at best. But as it turns out, it is clean and safe, if expensive. Tucson Citizen staff writer B. Poole reported Monday that Orange County uses a multistep process to purify water from its sewage system, with excellent results. "It's the cleanest source of water we have," Orange County water official. That includes comparison with Orange County's allotment of water from the Colorado River, which also supplies Tucson via the Central Arizona project. There are measurable but allowable levels of arsenic, two kinds of radium, uranium and trichloroethylene in Tucson's current water supply - but all are undetectable in Orange County's treated waste water. Half of Tucson's treated sewage water now is dumped into the Santa Cruz River bed and flows downstream, away from our water supply.

Unless “we” – that’s you and I – have the most prominent seat at the table for all discussions on this topic my personal skepticism is heightened.

There is no question there are many very efficient and effective “uses” for treated sewage effluent, human consumption at this point in time remains problematic.

Problematic because “we” do not honestly have long term data on the long term health implications of consuming treated sewage containing pharmaceuticals, pesticides, herbicides, cosmetics, chemicals, plastic’s, etc.

Treated sewage effluent can be an excellent source of flushing of toilets, watering of plants, etc. while “we” perform those necessary honest evaluations on the long term health implications of consuming treated sewage. There is no question that Arizona should be a leader in “re-use” of sewage effluent, though when one looks behinds the scene, you find the handiwork of lobbyists, attorneys, engineers, practioneers for SRP and APS at work the nullify reasonable rules and regulations promoting “re-use” on the part of the individual. And not without some justification as “we” are unwilling to hold the ultimate user – that’s you and me – feet to the fire. “We” do not want to assume any form of personal accountability or responsibility, blame it on the other guy, point the finger.

Treated sewage effluent for human consumption is not a panacea, it is froth with many layers of questions which demand that “we” – that’s you and me – are NOT ever excluded from any discussion. But, then that means “we” – that’s you and me – must become aware of the need to accept accountability and responsibility for our actions.

There’s no free lunch … !