Solutions

Would You Drink Wastewater? What if It Was Beer?

In an era of drought, turning treated wastewater into drinking water may be the future. Utility companies are working with breweries to get people past the “ick factor.”

Epic OneWater Brew looks like your classic hipster craft beer.

The can has a sleek design with the silhouette of a city skyline, and it cracks open with a satisfying hiss. The beer, a Kölsch, has a crisp golden hue and a signature fruity taste.

But there is one big difference: It is made with recycled wastewater.

Epic OneWater Brew, the product of a partnership between a wastewater technology start-up and a Bay Area craft brewery, is made with treated shower and laundry water collected from a luxury high-rise apartment building in San Francisco. And it’s not the only beer of its kind.

As water sources, particularly in the western United States, dry up from overuse, drought and climate change, supporters of direct potable reuse — the use of treated wastewater in the drinking water supply — are pitching it as part of the solution. Increasingly, they are turning to beer as a way of getting people […]

Full article: www.nytimes.com

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