California's Water: Facts on "Water Recycling Imitates Nature"
What is Water Recycling?
- Water recycling is defined as the planned reuse of treated wastewater for purposes such as landscape irrigation or toilet flushing. It is sometimes called water reuse or water reclamation.
- Though many people associate the word “recycling” with glass bottles and aluminum cans, the fact is California water agencies and communities have been recycling water for decades with great success. With scores of new recycling projects in the planning stages, the amount of water recycled in California is expected to double in the near future.
- Water recycling has many benefits. It reduces demands for freshwater supplies, and cuts down on pollution and wastewater discharges into sensitive rivers, bays and estuaries. It also allows communities to stretch existing water supplies and reduce their reliance on water imported from other areas.
- Recycled water can also be used to create or enhance wetlands and riparian habitats.
- As California’s population continues to grow, water recycling will play a key role in meeting water needs. It will be one component of a diverse mix of strategies that include water use efficiency, desalination, groundwater management, water transfers and more.
Facts and Statistics about Water Recycling
- Over 525,000 acre-feet of wastewater is recycled annually in California. That frees up enough freshwater to meet the needs of more than 1 million typical households.
- There are more than 250 water recycling projects in operation today. More are coming online each year.
- In the coming years, experts say water recycling efforts will greatly expand with a goal of generating over 1 million acre-feet of water each year. That level of recycling will go a long way toward meeting the needs of the 17 million additional residents California will have by 2030.
- Today, recycled water is used for a variety of purposes. It is used to irrigate lawns, landscaping, golf courses, crops and freeway medians, replenish groundwater basins and act as a barrier to seawater intrusion. In office buildings, it is used to flush toilets and urinals.
- Recycled water is also increasingly being used by industry in cooling processes and for other purposes such as carpet dyeing, recycled newspaper processing and laundries.
- Nearly one-half (48%) of the state’s recycled water is used for agricultural irrigation. Another 20% is used for landscape irrigation, and about 12% is for groundwater recharge.
- At least 20 varieties of food crops are grown with recycled water, including vegetables such as lettuce and celery. Eleven non-food crops, such as pasture and alfalfa for animals, as well as flowers and nursery products are irrigated with recycled water.
- Over 125 golf courses in California are irrigated with recycled water today, as well as numerous parks, schoolyards, and freeway medians.
- In many areas long the coast, recycled water is injected into groundwater aquifers to create barriers to prevent seawater from intruding into inland.
The History of Water Recycling
- Water recycling in California dates back to as early as 1890, when wastewater was used for agricultural irrigation in the Central Valley.
- By 1910, at least 35 communities were using wastewater to irrigate farmland.
- Landscape irrigation with treated wastewater began in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco in 1912.
- By 1952, there were 107 communities using recycled water to irrigate farms and landscape.
- Over time, wastewater treatment and recycling processes have greatly improved to protect public health.
- Through the natural water cycle, the earth has recycled and reused water for millions of years.