Every time we use water there is a natural tendency for new contaminants to be added to the water that would most likely need to be removed prior to subsequent reuse. Already we reuse effluent from our wastewater treatment facilities for irrigating golf courses and cooling the Palo Verde nuclear power plant, but significant potential exists for human consumption of reclaimed water through the use of advanced treatment technologies.
However, the use of these technologies in this manner is often impacted by a lack of public acceptance of this concept.
This is where the next phase of the Arizona Prize Competition comes in.
In November, the sponsors of this competition awarded its $250,000 phase II prize money to a consortium of mostly public-sector organizations to allow them to demonstrate how reclaimed wastewater can be used in the production of craft beers for human consumption.