Good morning. It's Tuesday, Dec. 19. I'm Laura Blasey, the Essential California editor emerging from behind the scenes. Here's what you need to know to start your day.
There's plenty of materials we recycle — cardboard, glass, air, to name a few. Drinking water could soon be another.
California's State Water Resources Control Board is set to approve new regulations today that would allow suppliers to begin treating wastewater and providing it to households across the state. The state's Office of Administrative Law will also need to approve them, likely next year.
"The new rules represent a major milestone in California's efforts to stretch supplies by recycling more of the water that flows down drains," my colleague Ian James wrote.
With the board's go-ahead, suppliers can plan to build sophisticated treatment plants that will send wastewater through activated carbon filters and reverse-osmosis membranes. The process will also use UV lights, among other treatments, to disinfect the water.
But first, a little nuance before we turn on the taps.
Experts say the water is indeed safe to drink
It's not "toilet to tap," as critics have called similar efforts in the past. Advocates and experts say the treatment process is complex and backed up by science.
It's also highly regulated. The state spent more than a decade crafting the rules, which include monitoring and "triple redundancy."
It will likely be years before these purification plants are up and running, but Ian reports that Los Angeles, San Diego and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California are all planning to make use of the new rules.
One final asterisk: The use of recycled wastewater isn't new in California — it's just new to home taps. Parts of the state have sent purified water through outdoor irrigation systems and distributed it through "indirect potable reuse," which is when treated water replenishes groundwater supplies, then is pumped out and treated again as drinking water.
It will make California better at withstanding drought
The new regulations come as drought and climate change pose questions about the state's water supply. Experts say there are plenty of benefits to recycling water: greater supply, greater variety of sources, less waste.
As Heather Cooley, director of research at the Pacific Institute, a water think tank in Oakland, told Ian:
"We're creating a new source of supply that we were previously discharging or thinking of as waste. ... As we look to make our communities more resilient to drought, to climate change, this is really going to be an important part of that solution."
You can read Ian's full story here.
Today's top stories
Pope Francis meets with a group of American Catholics at the Vatican in May 2019. Among them was Tim Busch, waving fourth from left, a lawyer and hotelier from Irvine who has become a powerful voice in rallying conservative Catholics distrustful of Francis' leftward tilt. (Handout)
Religion:
Jonathan Majors:
Housing and homelessness:
More big stories:
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Today's great reads
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Dead mall, live Santa: A rookie St. Nick steps in at shopping center from 'Back to the Future.' Christmas was coming, and Santa Claus was trying to pump some life into a dying American mall.
- Celebrity chef Chris Bianco's father painted a masterpiece. Then it vanished. What happened?
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For your downtime
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And finally ... a great photo
Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they're important to you.
(Joelle Grace Taylor / For The Times)
Today's great photo is from freelancer Joelle Grace Taylor of Josh Landau wearing Bootzy Couture choker, ERL top and bottom, and Vans shoes at the beach.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Elvia Limón, multiplatform editor
Laura Blasey, assistant editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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