Visitors sample beverages at a Scottsdale event demonstrating the city’s small-scale ability to purify wastewater to drinking-water standards. (Courtesy City of Scottsdale)
By Jason W. Brooks | YourValley
Scottsdale can do it. Phoenix is studying it. But no water provider in Arizona is actively cleaning up wastewater to include in drinking water it is supplying to homeowners and businesses.
The reason is because there is not a set of government guidelines in place for the setup and process. However, that could soon change.
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is undergoing a rulemaking process that will create a set of guidelines for the state’s water providers. This process, with a staff-stated goal of having rules in place by June 30 of next year, will guide providers through the process of purifying wastewater for drinking.
In 2018, according to the ADEQ Water Quality Division deputy director Randy Matas, a major rule change took effect. That rule ended the prohibition of purifying wastewater to create direct potable reuse water, known in the industry as DPR.
“So DPR was allowed, but there wasn’t anything out there showing providers how to go about doing it,” Matas said. “We just recently rulemaking to get regulations for DPR codified so that it could be more broadly adopted across the state. It’s a proven technology that could really be a tool for water providers across the state.”
