$72M Silicon Valley recycling plant will water region, irrigate 49ers' field

摘要

San Jose, Calif.-area water officials are set to open a $72 million water plant tomorrow that will produce billions of gallons of highly purified recycled water for the region. The plant in Alviso, Calif., will produce recycled water -- filtered, cleaned and disinfected sewage -- that will be used, among other things, to water and irrigate the field at the new San Francisco 49ers football stadium, as well as flush the facility's many toilets. "It's a drought-proof supply," said Jim Fiedler, the chief operating officer of the Santa Clara Valley Water District, which owns and operates the plant. Recycled water makes up about 5 percent of San Jose's water supply, although it's used only for nonpotable uses like watering grass. The city wants to double its use of recycled water over the next 10 years.