The bone heads might look at desalination of the ocean that is out their front door. Last I heard the Aussies were working on such using solar and had made some great progress.

Since all the water there is has, in an important sense, always been here, it's probably best not to think too hard about exactly where it's been.

The thought of drinking treated sewage is not pretty but truth is the technology is there to make it safe.

"truth is the technology is there to make it safe."

Really, how to they filter out trace drugs and things like synthetic hormones? I don't think you can de-chlorinate this out. Once this stuff gets in the water system, it does take a while to get out.

Steve, its not so much modern chemicals as modern chemistry. If you have enough money and electricity you can turn any source of water into very safe drinking water. The trick is that the dirtier the water the more expensive it tends to become. Also it is my understanding that these plants are multi step processes. There are several levels of filtration that get increasingly smaller and smaller particulates out. Then they may or may no chlorinate the water (if it is in the US they probably chlorinate, if it is in Europe they probably don't, some cultural aversion to a chemical that claimed millions of young lives in WWI)Then they may use either a form of osmosis or electrolysis to remove the water from whats left. They may also use carbon filters after that.

as Darrin said, there is technology that can make it safe, it just can get very expensive. But look around the world, clean water is becoming scarce, and people are coming up with ways of cleaning what they have to survive.

drinking (treated) sewage is common throughout the country.

but, as much as 80% of the water we use is never consumed--it's used in the bathroom, kitchen and the yard.

now, imagine Los Angeles in about ten years or so with another one million (projected) people.

but don't worry, folks--the free market will sort it all out.

but, as much as 80% of the water we use is never consumed--it's used in the bathroom, kitchen and the yard.

Maybe 80% of yours; not mine. We use greywater in the lawn and gardens.

Maybe 80% of yours; not mine. We use greywater in the lawn and gardens.

which is water you didn't (and don't) consume--falling in the 80% category, i think.

I think I saw something on the local news not all that long ago about using water from the Tualatin, which isn't exactly crystal clear, for human consumption, too. Nothing could be worse than what I've been seeing on the news since the cyclone in Myanmar...people getting containers of murky water out of rivers and waterholes with dead animals floating nearby. What kind of world do we live in, anyway? It is beyond my comprehension of what is decently human, the way that government is prohibiting aid to their people.