California Permits Turning Wastewater to Drinking Water

California Permits Turning Wastewater to Drinking Water

加利福尼亚允许将废水转化为饮用水

【听力音频】

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　　By Gregory Stachel

　　26 December 2023

　　California officials recently approved new rules to let water agencies recycle wastewater and put it right back into the pipes that carry drinking water to homes, schools, and businesses.

　　It is a big step for California. The state has struggled for many years to secure drinking water for more than 39 million people. It shows a change in public opinion on a subject that as recently as twenty years ago was met with criticism and ended similar projects.

　　Since then, California has been through several extreme droughts. That includes the most recent one that scientists say was the driest three-year period on record. And it left the state's water supply at dangerously low levels.

　　"Water is so precious in California. It is important that we use it more than once," said Jennifer West. She is director of WateReuse California, a group that supports recycled water.

　　California has been using recycled wastewater for many years. A team has used it to make ice surfaces for the game of hockey. It has been used to make snow for the sport of skiing. And farmers use it to water their crops.

　　But it has not been used directly for drinking water. Orange County, a suburban area of Los Angeles, operates a water cleaning system that recycles wastewater and then uses it to refill underground aquifers. That water then mixes with the groundwater for months before being pumped up and used for drinking water again.

　　California's new rules would let – but not require – water agencies to take wastewater, treat it, and then put it right back into the drinking water system. California would be just the second U.S. state to permit this, following Colorado.

　　It has taken officials more than 10 years to develop these rules, a process that included several studies by independent groups of scientists. A state law required the California Water Resources Control Board to approve these rules by December 31. It was met with just a few days left.

　　The vote was met with approval by some of the state's biggest water agencies. All of which have plans to build huge water recycling plants in the coming years.

　　A project in San Diego is aiming to produce nearly half of the city's water through recycling water by 2035. And the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California aims to produce up to nearly 570 million liters a day for its 19 million people. Adel Hagekhalil is with Metropolitan Water. He said the new rules will permit new projects that have not yet been considered.

　　Water agencies will need public support to complete these projects. That means proving to people that recycled water is not only safe to drink but also not dirty.

　　California's new rules require the wastewater be treated for all bacteria and viruses, even if they are not present in the wastewater. That is different from regular water treatment rules, which only require treatment for known diseases, said Darrin Polhemus. He is a director of the drinking water group for the California Water Resources Control Board.

　　In fact, the treatment is so intense it removes all of the minerals that make fresh drinking water taste good. That means the minerals need to be added back at the end of the process.

　　"It's at the same drinking water quality, and probably better in many instances," Polhemus said.

　　Polhemus added that it takes time and money to build these treatment centers. So, they will only be available for bigger cities at first.

　　I'm Gregory Stachel.

　　Carla K. Johnson reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English.

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　　作者：Gregory Stachel

　　2023年12月26日

　　近期，加利福尼亚官员批准了新的规定，允许水务机构回收废水，并直接将其输送到向住宅、学校和商业机构供应饮用水的管道中。

　　这对加利福尼亚来说是一个重大的步骤。这个州多年来一直在努力为超过3900万人口提供饮用水。这表明了公众对于这个主题的观点的改变，就在二十年前，这个主题还遭到了批评，并结束了类似的项目。

　　自那时以来，加利福尼亚经历了几次极端的干旱。其中包括科学家称之为有记录以来最干燥的三年期。这使得该州的水供应降到了危险的低水平。

　　"水在加利福尼亚是非常宝贵的。我们需要多次利用它，"加利福尼亚水资源再利用协会的主任詹妮弗·韦斯特说。这个协会支持水的回收利用。

　　加利福尼亚已经使用回收废水多年。有的团队用它来制作冰球比赛的冰面。它也被用来制作滑雪运动的雪。农民们用它来灌溉他们的农作物。

　　但是，它还没有直接用于饮用水。洛杉矶的郊区橙县，运营着一个水清洁系统，该系统回收废水，然后用它来补充地下水。那些水然后与地下水混合几个月，再被抽出来用作饮用水。

　　加利福尼亚的新规定将允许——但不强制——水务机构接收废水，处理它，然后直接将其重新输送到饮用水系统中。加利福尼亚将成为继科罗拉多州之后，第二个允许这样做的美国州。

　　这些规定的制定过程花费了官员们超过10年的时间，包括了几项由独立科学家团队进行的研究。一项州法律要求加利福尼亚水资源控制委员会在12月31日前批准这些规定，而这个目标在最后几天内得以实现。

　　这项投票得到了该州最大的一些水务机构的赞同。所有这些机构都计划在未来几年内建设大型水回收设施。

　　圣地亚哥的一个项目计划到2035年通过水回收提供该市近一半的水源。而南加利福尼亚大都会水务区计划为其1900万人口提供每天近5.7亿升的水。大都会水务的阿德尔·哈格哈利尔表示，新的规定将允许实施尚未考虑的新项目。

　　水务机构需要公众的支持来完成这些项目。这意味着需要向人们证明，回收水不仅可以安全饮用，而且并不脏。

　　加利福尼亚的新规定要求对废水进行全面的细菌和病毒处理，即使这些细菌和病毒并未存在于废水中。这与常规的水处理规定不同，后者只要求对已知疾病进行处理，加利福尼亚水资源控制委员会的饮用水组主任达林·波尔赫默斯说。

　　实际上，这种处理方式非常强烈，以至于它会去除所有使饮用水味道好的矿物质。这意味着在处理过程的最后，需要再次添加这些矿物质。

　　"它的水质与饮用水一样，甚至在许多情况下可能更好，"波尔赫默斯说。

　　波尔赫默斯补充说，建设这些处理中心需要时间和金钱。因此，它们一开始只会在较大的城市中使用。

　　我是Gregory Stachel。

　　Carla K. Johnson为美联社报道了这个故事。Gregory Stachel为美国之音学习英语改编了它。

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　　故事中的词汇

　　recycle – v. 从（已经使用过的东西）制造新的东西

　　drought – n. 长时间内几乎没有或没有雨水的时期

　　precious – adj. 非常有价值或重要：太有价值或重要，不能被浪费或随意使用

　　aquifer – n. 可吸收和储存水的岩石或沙子层

　　instances – n.特定类型的行动或情况的例子：某事发生的场合