We’re wise with our water use, but we could be doing even more

Re “Who is using our rivers and draining our aquifers? It’s you” (Page 1B, July 15): I agree with the comments that farmers have been using water much more efficiently – though some farms could still stand improvement. Our own family farm has taken advantage of these improvements.

As you pointed out in the column, a significant amount of water is used domestically. We’ve been great at promoting solar power, yet we haven’t been very smart about water recycling. Let’s use 21st century technology to solve the water problems:

▪ Start programs to bring “gray water” from waste-water treatment plants to be used as domestic irrigation (parks, homes, businesses);

▪ Have all new construction and major remodels plumb to reuse domestic gray water (shower and bath water);

▪ Treat sewer water to make it potable. Sewer water is tertiary treated (three times). We need to add two more steps to make it potable. This is already being done in Australia, Singapore and other countries. Why not here? According to the Columbia University Earth Institute, in Singapore the treated water “surpasses World Health Organization drinking water standards, is clean enough to be used for the electronics industry and to be bottled as drinking water.”

For a state that leads the world in technology and in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we certainly are not leading in water efficiency.