The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality published draft rules Monday for utilities and cities to filter sewage water into drinking water.
ADEQ Deputy Director Randall Matas says the technology has gotten to the point where that water is more pure than treated ground or surface water.
But a survey found that about 25% of people were somewhat or not at all likely to drink water from the so-called “advanced water purification” process.
Matas says it could also be more expensive, especially as facilities get up and running with the technology.
But Phoenix Water Services Director Troy Hayes says there would also be a cost to not expanding Arizona’s water sources, especially as its allocation from the Colorado River is reduced.
Final approval of the rules could be in by the end of the year.
-
The project to build three new dams comes as the state looks to a future where climate change threatens access to water in the desert state. -
The Lower Basin states of California, Arizona and Nevada are asking for a fresh look at proposals for sharing the shrinking water supply and changes to Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Dam. -
Homebuilders and Republican state lawmakers have filed a lawsuit seeking to void a rule requiring them to prove they have access to alternative water supplies in certain parts of the state. -
Some parts of the Mexican state of Sonora face the most extreme drought category, known as “exceptional” drought. -
Researchers have gotten a good and unique look at the country’s groundwater system. And it shows that system is more interconnected than scientists previously thought.
