FAQs About Water Reuse

History of water reuse in Southern California

Recycled water first appeared in Southern California in the 1960’s when Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) began providing its water consumers with 2 million gallons a day (mgd) of tertiary treated water for agricultural uses. The 1969 Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act became the framework for the standards that led to the regulations for recycled water, commonly referred to as ‘Title 22’ water. Learn More →

Why do we need potable reuse in San Diego?

San Diego’s water supply relies heavily on importing water from hundreds of miles away, making the region vulnerable to a water shortage in the event of natural disasters and drought. By recycling and reusing wastewater, the region has a locally controlled source of drinking water on hand at all times. Learn More →

Is purified wastewater safe?

Yes. Wastewater recycling does not have any more known adverse health effects than conventional water treatment methods. Learn More →

Why do we continually do testing if you say the water is safe?

Testing is conducted to ensure the public agency is capable of handling additional treatment systems. Learn More →

Are there pharmaceuticals in the water?

Many people are concerned with traces of pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) left in the filtered wastewater. Drinking water supplied to the residents will have undergone micro-filtration, reverse osmosis, UV, and peroxide treatments to remove pharmaceuticals and EDCs. Learn More →

Does Advanced Water Treatment (AWT) remove PFAS and PFOA?

Yes, Reverse Osmosis (RO) is effective in removing both PFAS and PFOA from recycled water supplies. Learn More →

Where else are they utilizing potable reuse?

In Southern California, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego Counties have water reuse projects to address their limited local and imported supplies of fresh water. Desalination, recycled water and advanced water purification are all utilized and recognized as necessary for water supply reliability in an area heavily reliant on water being conveyed hundreds of miles to reach its taps.. Learn More →