Bottoms Up is an insightful and entertaining article that presents the advantages of drinking filtered sewage water. Written by Olive Heffernan, Bottoms Up focuses on the City of San Diego Public Utilities Department and its battle for public and governmental approval on reusing sewage water. In the article, Heffernan interviews many officials and experts on the subject to assess the risk of using sewage water. She also expresses the concerns of those who oppose it. But, with the collected data and irrefutable evidence, Heffernan convinces the reader to reconsider their disposition and grab a glass. Bottoms Up is an extremely well written and thought-provoking article. It sheds light on a new and interesting topic and delivers it in a comprehensive
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After her tour of the facilities, she’s presented with three water-filled glass containers and challenged to assign each container to a selection of choices: tap water, traditionally treated wastewater, and purified sewage water. This test is obviously to prove the quality of the facility’s purification process because the purified sewage water is aesthetically the cleanest and purist. After this demonstration, Heffernan was immediately engaged and supportive of The San Diego AWPF’s mission and project. She also explains that because of the reoccurring droughts, many residents of California are starting to favor the idea of reusing sewage water, with the stipulation that all purified sewage water be released into reservoirs before use, a process known as indirect potable reuse. The San Diego Public Utilities Department also recommends this procedure but suggested an extra step. Known as direct potable reuse, this method would intensify the purification process and skip the reservoir, sending it straight to the tap. No one knows which technique will be implemented, but, Heffernan explains that whichever process does succeed will persuade California regulators in the …show more content…
Windhoek, Namibia, which is among the most successful examples, created its potable reuse purification facilities in 1968 after much of its usable water was depleted by drought. Heffernan explains that Windhoek’s success can be partly attributed to the time this implementation took place. Then, society was more willing to trust science and because of this, had more faith in the water’s quality. Spring, TX and Cloudcroft, NM are also two prime examples of potable reuse being effectively implemented. Spring, TX, like Windhoek, was faced with drought and the increasing need for a sustainable water source. In Cloudcroft, NM, the community had been importing water over great distances for years before introducing potable wastewater into its water system. Though neither one of these towns had the success of Namibia, potable reuse has been incorporated the into both the communities water supply. But widespread acceptance of sewage water use is far from being mainstream. Cost is major hesitation many people have with moving forward. In the article, Heffernan provides several estimated figures of the cost-per-acre-foot production of purified wastewater in California. Though there are some conflicting estimates, direct use prevails to be the most cost-effective option, especially with the money saved from reduced wastewater dumping and nullifying the need for upgrades in wastewater
After her tour of the facilities, she’s presented with three water-filled glass containers and challenged to assign each container to a selection of choices: tap water, traditionally treated wastewater, and purified sewage water. This test is obviously to prove the quality of the facility’s purification process because the purified sewage water is aesthetically the cleanest and purist. After this demonstration, Heffernan was immediately engaged and supportive of The San Diego AWPF’s mission and project. She also explains that because of the reoccurring droughts, many residents of California are starting to favor the idea of reusing sewage water, with the stipulation that all purified sewage water be released into reservoirs before use, a process known as indirect potable reuse. The San Diego Public Utilities Department also recommends this procedure but suggested an extra step. Known as direct potable reuse, this method would intensify the purification process and skip the reservoir, sending it straight to the tap. No one knows which technique will be implemented, but, Heffernan explains that whichever process does succeed will persuade California regulators in the …show more content…
Windhoek, Namibia, which is among the most successful examples, created its potable reuse purification facilities in 1968 after much of its usable water was depleted by drought. Heffernan explains that Windhoek’s success can be partly attributed to the time this implementation took place. Then, society was more willing to trust science and because of this, had more faith in the water’s quality. Spring, TX and Cloudcroft, NM are also two prime examples of potable reuse being effectively implemented. Spring, TX, like Windhoek, was faced with drought and the increasing need for a sustainable water source. In Cloudcroft, NM, the community had been importing water over great distances for years before introducing potable wastewater into its water system. Though neither one of these towns had the success of Namibia, potable reuse has been incorporated the into both the communities water supply. But widespread acceptance of sewage water use is far from being mainstream. Cost is major hesitation many people have with moving forward. In the article, Heffernan provides several estimated figures of the cost-per-acre-foot production of purified wastewater in California. Though there are some conflicting estimates, direct use prevails to be the most cost-effective option, especially with the money saved from reduced wastewater dumping and nullifying the need for upgrades in wastewater