Toilet water, anyone?

• Author: Potenza, Alessandra
• Position: ENVIRONMENT - Brief article

The idea of drinking toilet water might make you want to gag But the city of Wichita Falls, Texas, recently began treating wastewater (water that's gone through the toilet or shower drain) and piping it back to the tap. Why? The city is facing one of its worst droughts. The toilet water is safe to drink, experts say, because it's filtered and treated with chemicals to kill germs--a technique also used by astronauts in space to turn urine into drinking water. Other drought-stricken cities in California, Florida, and New Mexico are considering the toilet-to-tap idea, and several Oregon brewers may soon use...