California approves ‘toilet-to-tap’ water program for households

Officials say that this will help the drought-prone state with its dwindling water supply.

Water agencies will take wastewater from households and treat it for pathogens and viruses. Once treated, the water will be recycled and pumped back into the water supply for households.

Minerals will be added to the human wastewater to improve taste, the outlet reports.

Darrin Polhemus, director of the Division of Drinking Water and the State Water Resources Control Board, boasted about the new development and said: "It will truly be the highest quality water delivered in the state when it's done."

"If one fails, there's still two remaining in its place as backups to make sure nothing goes untreated," Polhemus said, according to the outlet.

California's largest cities, such as San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area, will be the first to make the transition, due to the high cost of the investment. By 2035, officials say that nearly half of San Diego's water supply will be recycled.

Cal Matters reports that the "tap-to-toilet" water is more expensive than imported water, but the benefit will reportedly outweigh the cost due to the system's renewability and reliability.

The state of California currently imports its water supply from other states through the Colorado River.

This would be the first time the technology has been implemented directly for drinking water in California. Recycled water has been utilized for decades to water vegetable and fruit harvests and cover lawns, the NY Post reports.

Kirsten Struve with the Santa Clara Valley Water District expressed excitement about the innovation to ABC News, saying that "Drought happens all the time and with climate change, it will only get worse."

"This is a drought-resistant supply that we will need in the future to meet the demands of our communities," said Struve.

While the Golden State might be prone to droughts, the Los Angeles Times reported that California had significant rainfall this year which resulted in the state being 99 percent drought-free.