Water

In Orange County, California, wastewater from people’s homes is not considered waste. Instead of treating it and sending it to the ocean, Orange County purifies its wastewater with an additional three-step process. Each day, the county treats about 130 million gallons until it’s safe enough to drink.

Mehul Patel is with the Orange County Water District. He says the aquifer is a key source of water for people who live in the area. Replenishing it this way helps buffer water supplies as climate change makes droughts more frequent and severe.

Orange County has now been recycling its wastewater for more than a decade. And Patel says the approach could help other drought-prone regions, too.