gunplumber700
gunplumber700 t1_iwgzwv4 wrote
Reply to comment by IBeDumbAndSlow in Recycled wastewater is not only as safe to drink as conventional potable water, it may even be less toxic than many sources of water we already drink daily by giuliomagnifico
Im sure it’s there, but not something that’s measured on a daily basis. It’s usually university researchers doing that type thing. It’s not really in the realm of day to day operations.
Most of it is pretty dilute. I don’t have any numbers for you, so I can’t give you an answer other than I don’t know and my speculating that it’s pretty dilute. I would be carful of apply research from specific cases and instances to the industry as a whole.
gunplumber700 t1_iwgw5oo wrote
Reply to Recycled wastewater is not only as safe to drink as conventional potable water, it may even be less toxic than many sources of water we already drink daily by giuliomagnifico
I’ve spent several years as a potable water and wastewater treatment plant operator. This is super misleading.
For example the average wastewater plant does not produce an effluent turbidity low enough to meet federal drinking water requirements. It’s not unattainable but the first thing water system owners will cry about is cost. The first thing people will say is gross. With the trend of plants moving toward liquid instead of gas chlorine cost will go up quite a bit there too.
Also, if we’re worried about water conservation how about fixing water loss in potable water (essentially tap) systems. The amount of water loss in US potable water distribution systems is insane.
gunplumber700 t1_iwh284l wrote
Reply to comment by [deleted] in Recycled wastewater is not only as safe to drink as conventional potable water, it may even be less toxic than many sources of water we already drink daily by giuliomagnifico
There are lots of very specific very unique processes out there. I’m sure there’s somewhere that has particularly high constituents of interest and a process for it that works for them.
Whether it’s widespread and needed I don’t know.
I do know that cost is a relative term. A manager of a half million gallon a day plant will cry about spending 15 grand on a broken pump. A 20 million gallon a day plant usually has spares on the shelf and considers it part is maintenance.