North OC's toilet to tap water (San Diego, Long Beach: 2014, homes, school)

[LuvSouthOC]

Yes, you can drink it - and you probably are: O.C. toilet-to-tap recycled water program is expanding - The Orange County Register
Get used to toilet-to-tap water, Californians told | Environment | The Guardian

I understand that North OC uses the most technologically advanced system to filter everything out, and that the water tastes good, and that should be commended as cutting edge, but what about very tiny particulates such as hormones and dissolved pharmaceuticals?

[Electrician4you]

What's wrong? Afraid you'll get a nice set of double D's.

[cotocatmom]

This makes me never want to touch water again.

[LuvSouthOC]

Let's protest and ensure we do not have to drink this or demand that they demonstrate their ability to filter it all out.

[RudyOD]

Well the filtration system works so well, that they then inject the water with certain minerals afterwards to make up for what they take out.

[russlancea]

I thought all of OC is toilet to tap? When I heard of this years ago, I was shocked that the affluent wouldn't protest.

They are thinking of doing this in parts of San Diego also. It does have that puke factor, but it's amazing what all the filtering and cleaning can do.

I had water from Long Beach's Desalination plant--polluted ocean water to bottled drinking water--and the filtered water was refreshing!

[Teckeeee]

From memory as a kid in 80's I believe they were doing it back then. I was going to school in CM and the water folks at smelly FV plant came over and told us toilet to tap.

[Teckeeee]

I run my water through another filtration system but that just removes chlorine and some minerals.

Most people I know don't drink tap water they may use it for cooking, pets, etc.

[CTC]

Soylent Green did it too

[DriveNotCommute]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

Yes, you can drink it - and you probably are: O.C. toilet-to-tap recycled water program is expanding - The Orange County Register
Get used to toilet-to-tap water, Californians told | Environment | The Guardian

I understand that North OC uses the most technologically advanced system to filter everything out, and that the water tastes good, and that should be commended as cutting edge, but what about very tiny particulates such as hormones and dissolved pharmaceuticals?

The article mentions reverse osmosis as being part of the process so pharmaceuticals should be filtered out at this stage. My knowledge of active pharmaceutical compounds is not comprehensive at all but every molecular diagram that I remember seeing were significantly larger and more complex than H2O, so they're not getting through the RO membrane. Even salts won't make it through, never mind microorganisms.

The OC Register article mentions UV treatment as the 3rd step but neglected to mention the addition of hydrogen peroxide as part of that overall 3rd step, which as a strong oxidizer will definitely take apart any remaining particulates that somehow finds its way into the post RO water. Unused hydrogen peroxide will degrade on its own, especially after exposure to air and light.

Furthermore, this purified ex-sewage is not going to be directly mixed into the tap water that's delivered to homes. It is going to be used to recharge aquifers and they will let the water seep through sand and rock to reach the underground aquifers that they are recharging.

It should be safe to assume that the water pulled back up from the aquifer would then go through the usual round of processing (filters, chlorine, etc.) by the water distributors that pump to our taps.

I'm feeling the ick factor a little bit but rationally I have no complaint with their system, based just on the basic overview presented.

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