Hollywood types usually drink bottled water originating from natural springs, exotic islands or, in the case of Perrier, a remote village in the south of France.
At noon on Wednesday, as part of a free bottled water giveaway on Hollywood Boulevard, they’ll have a chance to become the first in the world to chug purified wastewater sourced from home toilets, showers and sinks supplied by the Orange County Water District.
The award-winning water agency is the first in the nation to give away purified wastewater in bottles. The agency is embarking on a yearlong tour carrying about 16,000 commemorative bottles of highly treated wastewater to tourist spots, college campuses and local festivals to convince everyday Southern Californians that water originally flowing from sewage pipes instead of artesian springs is indeed safe to drink once treated — and maybe even cool.
“We are taking our water and our message to the public to alleviate any ‘yuck’ factor,” said OCWD President Denis Bilodeau in a statement.
For nearly 10 years, the OCWD and its partner, the Orange County Sanitation District, have developed a three-stage filtration and treatment process that passes inspection of health and water agencies. Today, it is recycling 100 million gallons per day or 36.5 billion gallons a year — enough water for 2.4 million people — and treating it to beyond state and federal drinking water standards. This water gets piped underground where it joins water stored in the vast Orange County water basin, which is drawn up through wells for drinking water.
The district puts initially treated wastewater through a three-step process: microfiltration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet light with hydrogen peroxide. The final product is similar to distilled water, the process resembling how space station astronauts reuse their water, the district says.
Other districts, such as the Water Replenishment District of Southern California in southeast Los Angeles County, run similar wastewater recycle projects on smaller scales. WRD has been using recycled water for ground-water replenishment and to stop salt water intrusion from the ocean for decades. A $107 million project being built will expand its use of treated wastewater next year by adding another 6.9 billion gallons per year to the San Gabriel Coastal Spreading Grounds where it percolates into the Central Basin.
Water managers have said using the natural sands of underground aquifers as a final filtration device was an important part of the process. Now, OCWD says their treatment is so advanced it can deliver the product directly to homes and businesses.
“The technology is such that we can take it to the tap,” said Denis Wolcott, OCWD spokesman. “We do not have to go into the ground water.”
A new law, Assembly Bill 2022, allows the district to move slowly in that direction, allowing 1,000 gallons a year to be bottled for public consumption, he said. However, recycled water cannot be used for direct potable use. State agencies are working on rules to allow direct use, he said.
About 2,000 bottles will be distributed free to passers-by at the Hollywood and Highland mall, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., as a way to allow people to taste the water and gauge their reactions, Wolcott said. The agency will hand out bottles of purified water on Saturday at the Orange County Food, Wine and Music Festival. Future tour stops include UC Irvine, Cal State Long Beach and Cal Poly Pomona, he said.
Reusing local water supplies is cost-effective, cheaper than desalination, the district says. It is being encouraged by state agencies as a reliable water source and thus, a way to fend off the effects of future droughts and stop taking water from Northern California or local springs.
