TUCSON, Ariz. -- Using treated sewage for drinking water could help sustain
the supply here, said the director of the city's water company.
The sewage now trickles into groundwater outside Tucson's water supply,
putting it below Tucson Water wells Tucson Water Director David Modeer said.
Tucson also should raise the allowable mineral content in drinking water to
avoid costly treatment of the Colorado River water the city receives, Modeer
said.
"The era of relatively inexpensive water has passed in this community, and it
has passed in many western communities as well," Modeer said.
Inaction is not an option, and the city must chart a course by 2006 to keep
water flowing through 2050, he said.