Potable reuse: Developing a new source of water for San Diego

摘要

San Diego is renowned for its sunny skies and ideal climate, but because of the region's semi-arid climate, the city has limited local water sources and imports approximately 85% of its water supply each year. The last time local water sources could supply San Diego's population was in the 1940s. Since then, the city has relied on imported water supplies to support its economy and quality of life. Unlike neighboring cities to the north, San Diego does not overlay large groundwa- ter basins, so it has examined whether purifying recycled water and adding it to a local reservoir is a feasible option for supplementing local water supplies. In April 2013, the San Diego City Council unanimously adopted the report on the Water Purification Demonstration Project, and San Diego is now exploring the next steps toward making potable reuse a reality.