In the United States, we often talk about increased concerns about water shortages, but we are not alone in this predicament.  According to the World Health Organization, in 2017, “Over two billion people worldwide lack[ed] access to safe drinking water.”[1]  Many countries live with circumstances much more dire than the United States.  Israel, a country whose landscape is 70 percent desert, has found a way to successfully navigate the challenges of living in such conditions by treating and reusing 90 percent of its wastewater. Of course, Israel’s situation is very different from that of the U.S. politically, geographically and socially.  […]

In recent years as concerns over water shortages have consistently persisted, Californians have often pinned their hopes on higher levels of rain or snowfall to “to fill the reservoirs and replenish the groundwater basins that serve as the water supply for cities and farms.”[1] This reality has increased awareness and conservation efforts throughout the state; however, many have long felt that conservation, alone, cannot adequately address the water scarcity.  Water recycling programs have not been an option, though, “due to a lack of state standards on how to permit on-site water reuse systems.”[2] To address the lacking standards, Senator Scott […]

If you’re looking for a city committed to sustainability, it would be hard to find one more committed than Santa Monica, California.  Since 1994 with the adoption of the first Sustainable City Plan, laws and programs enacted must meet the requirements of the city’s goals, with more recent aggressive goals being, “to achieve water self-sufficiency by 2020, zero waste production by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.”[1]  Toward that end, “all new construction, residential and commercial, must include rooftop solar systems and be “net zero” energy.”[2]  New developments must also meet a “water neutrality ordinance that sets limits for water […]

Earlier this month, Senator Wiener announced a new bill, SB 966, intended to expand water recycling throughout the state by developing regulations to encourage on-site water recycling that occurs in individual buildings. The bill is designed to alleviate permitting challenges that has been a struggle due to the lack of state permitting standards.[1] The proposed bill will require the state water board to issue more comprehensive permitting regulations. According to Senator Wiener’s website, local jurisdictions can develop their own permitting process, but the lack of a state permitting standard creates inconsistencies.[2] The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) has remained one […]