May 2016, Vol. 71 No. 5
Newsline
Survey: 89% Of Californians Willing To Use Recycled Water to Help Achieve Water Security
The historic, severe drought remains a hot topic in California; residents are willing and eager to consider long-term solutions in helping the state achieve water security. A new survey released by Xylem Inc. found California residents overwhelmingly supportive of the use of treated wastewater in their everyday lives.
As originally reported by Business Wire, Xylem commissioned research firm Edelman Intelligence to conduct an online survey among 3,000 randomly selected California voters in January 2016.
The survey reported 76 percent of respondents believe recycled water is a viable option, and should be used as a long-term solution for managing water resources. In addition, 49 percent of survey respondents are supportive of using recycled water as an additional local water supply, and 38 percent responded as somewhat supportive. The survey defined recycled water as former wastewater treated and purified for reuse as potable water. The findings confirm the overpowering support of Californians in the use of recycled water.
“With overwhelming support from the public, California is well-positioned to lead the U.S. in accelerating the availability and acceptance of recycled water,” said Joseph Vesey, senior vice president at Xylem.
“The state has the opportunity to champion a flexible framework that recognizes the unique needs of local communities as they work to establish water resource strategies that include sustainable solutions, such as recycled water.”
The survey found 89 percent of residents are more willing to use recycled water after reading an educational statement explaining the treatment processes that recycled wastewater goes through to become safe and potable, and 88 percent of respondents agree seeing a demonstration of the wastewater’s purification process would up their comfort levels when drinking recycled wastewater. According to Xylem, these findings suggest that education is a key factor in gaining a stronger support among Californians.
Interestingly, the survey also found terminology plays a major role in the level of public acceptance in the recycled wastewater initiative. When the term “purified water” was used over “recycled water” or “reclaimed water,” greater support was garnered – 90 percent were supportive when the former was used.
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