Chapter Introduction

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CHAPTER 14

FRESHWATER RESOURCES

TOILET TO TAP

A California county is tapping controversial sources for drinking water

Clean drinking water is a rare thing in many places on Earth.
ConstantinosZ/iStock/360/Getty Images

CORE MESSAGE

Freshwater is a precious but limited resource, and it is essential to life. Some regions consume water faster than it is replenished. And, unfortunately, water is not evenly distributed across the globe; many people worldwide lack access to enough clean water. Methods are available to recover and purify otherwise dirty water, but we also need to use water more wisely.

AFTER READING THIS CHAPTER, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING GUIDING QUESTIONS

1
How is water distributed on Earth, and what are the sources of freshwater? How does water cycle through the environment?
2
What are the causes and consequences of water scarcity?
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3
What is an aquifer, how does it receive water, and what problems emerge when too much water is removed?
4
What are some of the ways that our wastewater is treated to make it potable or safe to release into the environment?
5
What can be done to address water scarcity issues?
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One of the most exciting moments in Shivaji Deshmukh’s career as a water engineer came one bright, sunny day in January 2008. He had gathered with staff from the Orange County Water District (OCWD) in Anaheim, California, to watch for the first time as former sewage water, cleaned using state-of-the-art techniques, was pumped into underground drinking water sources. It was the beginning of a groundbreaking project designed to help save the region from ongoing, and frightening, water shortages.

“It’s basically this drought-proof supply of water,” says Deshmukh. “Nobody else has done it. Nobody thought a community could support it, because they would be too grossed out by it.”

The water that Deshmukh and other engineers watched seep into the region’s underground water stores that day in 2008 was purified wastewater—including sewage and used water from homes and industrial sites. Understandably, when many residents first heard about the project, they were concerned.

wastewater

Used and contaminated water that is released after use by households, industry, or agriculture.

But that same month, Deshmukh and other OCWD staff attended a dedication ceremony for the Orange County Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS), at the water treatment plant in Fountain Valley, California, along with hundreds of other people, including various community groups, to honor the massive project. Having that support from the community was key to the project’s success, says Deshmukh—but getting it hadn’t been easy.