The San Diego City Council has approved a 3 point 5 billion dollar plan to recycle sewage water into drinking water for the city.
The San Diego City Council has approved a 3 point 5 billion dollar plan to recycle sewage water into drinking water for the city.
In a unanimous nine to zero vote, the decision was made to implement the purification system in the long term to provide a better way of supplying water for the people of San Diego.
85 percent of the water supply in San Diego is imported, and while the new system might cost more initially, experts say that over time, it will be better both economically and environmentally.
Less sewage will be dumped into the ocean, because it will be treated and recycled back into the water supply.
Sean Karafin, a policy analyst for the San Diego County Taxpayers Association: “I can assure you we have done a thorough analysis and concluded that it’s an investment we can’t afford not to make. It will save ratepayer dollars down the road.”
Twenty years from now, the Pure Water system is expected to process 83 million gallons of water a day, that exceeds current water quality standards.
Critics of the plan say that the city hasn’t considered enough options, and refer to the water recycling system as ‘toilet to tap.’
