Plant to Make Sewer Water Drinkable

Experts say the new water treatment plant in Orange County, Calif., will be the largest in the world dedicated to transforming sewage into drinking water.

The plant, which is scheduled to begin operations Friday, will use filters, screens, chemicals, ultraviolet light and ultimately the passage of time underground to transform the county’s sewer water into water that district managers said will exceed drinking standards, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

Similar systems are being considered by officials in San Diego, South Florida and Texas. Proponents of the Orange County system said they hope it inspires other locations to explore the idea.

These types of projects you will see springing up all over the place where there are severe water shortages, said Michael Markus, general manager of the Orange County Water District.

The plant is expected to process 70 million gallons of sewer water every day.