Britain needs to use more recycled effluent as drinking water if it is to deal with a long-term shortage crisis, a report said today.
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) said using treated sewage was one radical suggestion that needed to be pursued if the country was deal with the growing problem.
Many UK water companies were forced to impose tough restrictions on water usage this summer, banning the use of hosepipes and sprinklers, because of low reservoir levels.
The Environment Agency said southeast England had endured its worst drought for a century.
"Parts of the UK are experiencing long term water shortages, so we need a range of solutions to keep the water running," said John Lawson, the ICE's Water Board chairman.
"Effluent water reuse is still a relatively untapped way of providing drinking water to meet growing long term needs."
AdvertisementAdvertisementSewage can be turned into drinking water by processes which sieve and then chemically clean the water so it can be put back into rivers to be re-treated for human consumption.
We all drink some form of wastewater. Whether it goes through a man-made water treatment facility before returning to nature, or it passes directly into nature, it all gets back to the water we have supplied to us. That's why I drink Dasani. :)
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