Wastewater Swells Water Supplies
The Vail Trail features Cloudcroft, New Mexico’s new wastewater system that will be one of the first in the nation to have residents drinking water that is not too far removed from the sewage treatment facility.
While Cloudcroft only has a population of 750, the city is out of freshwater because of its altitude (8,500 feet) and years of drought. The wells are producing 150,000 gallons of water per day, but on Saturdays during the summer Cloudcroft can use up to 333,000 gallons with weekend visitors.
The article references several water conservation plans implemented by other cities, such as Los Angeles’ “toilet to tap” program and Las Vegas’ reverse osmosis system of filtering water through membranes. Wastewater is becoming a big issue because of its alternative uses, and to learn more about water conservation visit Earth 911’s Water page.
