As public officials devise ways to contend with future water shortages, they are increasingly eying treated wastewater as a possible solution, according to reports.

Lawmakers in the U.S. and other nations throughout the world have intensified efforts over the past decade to allay water supply concerns. Scientists forecast drinking water supplies will continue to decline over the coming decades, and they have warned that unless extreme actions are undertaken regions of the world could suffer through droughts and prolonged water supply constraints.

National Geographic reports that scientists and public policy experts are eying wastewater as a means of fighting water shortages. Still, while wastewater treatment technologies have evolved to such an extent that wastewater can be rendered safe for drinking, there are a number of obstacles lawmakers must overcome as they work to gain public support for such initiatives.

Wastewater treatment technologies have become exceedingly effective at removing pathogens and other toxins from sewage, according to scientists. Some states already rely on treated wastewater to supply water sources: Texas, for example, uses treated wastewater in the Trinity River. However, lawmakers must contend with negative attitudes toward wastewater treatment as they endeavor to expand the adoption of such systems.

Though the public may be wary of consuming treated wastewater, their negative sentiments are often rooted in misinformation. In fact, treated wastewater is actually quite common across the U.S., experts say.

"Expanding water reuse could significantly increase the nation's water resource, particularly in coastal communities," Trussell Technologies president Rhodes Trussell said. "De facto reuse takes place throughout the country."

The National Research Council recently asserted that advances in wastewater treatment technologies for municipal wastewater treatment plants have become so effective that water processed at such facilities is often as clean as drinking water. The organization commissioned a report on such systems, concluding that they could be a viable method for fighting water shortages.

"With recent advances in technology and treatment design, potable reuse can reduce the concentrations of chemical and microbial contaminants to levels comparable to or lower than those present in many drinking water supplies," according to the NRC study. "Municipal wastewater reuse offers the potential to significantly increase the nation’s total available water resources."

Nonetheless, convincing the public of the effectiveness of such wastewater treatment technologies is decidedly more difficult. Backers of such technologies are encouraging the government to do more to educate people about them, particularly in regions such as the U.S. Southwest that routinely experience droughts and water shortages.

 

Posted on January 31st, 2012 under Wastewater News, Water Conservation News, Water Regulations