News

Actions

Reclaimed wastewater could soon be coming to Valley households

Posted at 9:06 PM, Oct 23, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-24 11:37:09-04

Reclaimed water could soon be reaching your kitchen sink.

Reclaimed water, or wastewater, has been used in Arizona for agriculture and irrigation, but never for human consumption.

Earlier this month, the Governor's Regulatory Review Council approved new regulations that will allow approved facilities to purify reclaimed water for drinking water.

Trevor Baggiore, the Water Quality Division Manager for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, said there is no need for people to worry.

"State of the Art technology can take any type of water and purify it to any standard," Baggiore explained.

That technology will be up to cities to purchase and implement. No one in Arizona has it yet.

When a city is ready, it will have to apply and get approval from ADEQ. The reclaimed water will have to meet national and state standards before it ever makes it to consumers.

Baggiore said the dry, desert environment is the major reason for taking this step.

The new regulations go into effect on Jan. 1, 2018, but Baggiore does not think cities will be prepared to process reclaimed water for at least a year.