Orange County, California and Las Vegas are leaders in water recycling in the United States.
In an interview with Reasons to be Cheerful founder David Byrne, Mark Gold, former director of water scarcity solutions at the Natural Resources Defense Council, describes how some cities are preparing for a future with less water. According to Gold, Las Vegas and Orange County, California are leading the way on water recycling.
"In Vegas, they really had no choice, in that they [Nevada] get so little water allocated from the Colorado River — about 300,000 acre-feet a year, which is less than the city of L.A. uses per year." In Orange County, investment in water recycling was driven largely by a desire to support growth and become more water independent.
Internationally, Middle Eastern countries and Singapore lead the way on water recycling. Gold explains that while new infrastructure and facilities come at a cost, "the reality is, we haven’t really been paying what water is really worth. [Water recycling] is a long-term investment that is going to keep paying dividends, and now’s the time to do it."
Read the full story: How the West Could Turn a Trickle of Water Into an Endless Supply
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