All the water we have is all the water we have. In other words, our precious water supply is… limited. That’s why finding new ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle water is in the best interest of the entire planet. 

Recycling wastewater is nothing new. However, drinking recycled wastewater, in many cases, is. 

So let’s break down the good, the bad, and the downright ugly about recycled wastewater—from what it is and why it matters to how it affects you.

Wastewater is any water that has been used—whether for flushing toilets, washing dishes, or running industrial processes. When it is recycled, this water gets treated and released into natural bodies of water or underground reservoirs to eventually be reused for, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notes, “beneficial purposes, such as agricultural and landscape irrigation, industrial processes, toilet flushing, and groundwater replenishing."

But what about drinking water? 

Using recycled wastewater as drinking water, sometimes referred to as "toilet-to-tap," takes things a step further: Instead of releasing treated wastewater back into the environment, it undergoes multiple advanced purification steps to be reused as home drinking water.

For better and for worse, when used as safe drinking water, recycled wastewater must meet the same safety standards as tap water. Thus, you can think of it as tap water… from an unusual source. 

To meet said standards, the purification process typically includes multiple filtration methods, such as microfiltration, reverse osmosis (RO), and ultraviolet (UV) disinfection. 

While the thought of swallowing the same water that’s been flushed down the toilet, dribbled through the shower drain, and soaked up the dirt, stains, and smells from your dirty clothes, might make your stomach turn, the reality is drinking recycled wastewater is becoming the new normal in certain areas of the United States.

Before we dive into states already using recycled drinking water, let’s get clear on the difference between Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) and Indirect Potable Reuse (IPR).

1. Indirect Potable Reuse: Treated wastewater is introduced into natural systems, such as rivers, lakes, or aquifers to undergo natural filtration before being extracted, treated again, and distributed to homes as tap water. 

2. Direct Potable Reuse : Treated wastewater is sent directly to a drinking water treatment facility or distribution system without first being released into an environmental buffer (such as a river, lake, or aquifer) for additional natural filtration. 

While IPR may sound more appealing than DPR, both methods are already in use in the United States.

As of today, about a half-dozen states are already using recycled water as drinking water or are preparing to do so. Meanwhile, other states are exploring the idea—and will likely follow suit at some point in time. 

• Colorado: In 2022, Colorado became the first state to adopt DPR regulations, setting a precedent for others to follow. 

• California: A frontrunner in wastewater recycling, with significant initiatives in Orange County and San Diego. In August 2024, California became the second state to adopt DPR regulations, effective October 1, 2024. Los Angeles has set an ambitious goal to recycle all of its wastewater by 2035, while San Diego's Pure Water project is projected to convert 42 million gallons of wastewater into 34 million gallons of drinking water daily by 2027.

• Texas: Cities like Wichita Falls and Big Spring have implemented DPR systems. The state evaluates water reuse projects on a case-by-case basis, providing guidance for both direct and indirect potable reuse (IPR). Notably, in July 2014, Wichita Falls began blending up to 5 million gallons per day of treated wastewater directly into its potable water supply to combat severe drought conditions.

• Arizona: The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is formulating DPR guidelines, with cities like Tucson spearheading efforts. In January 2025, the Bureau of Reclamation allocated $86.7 million towards Tucson's new water treatment plant to treat wastewater to drinking standards.

• Florida: The state currently has 13 potable reuse water projects, with three located in the St. Johns River Water Management District, supported with nearly $2.5 million in total District cost-share funding. For instance, Polk County's Direct Potable Reuse Pilot Facility treats 14,400 gallons per day of reclaimed water from the Northwest Wastewater Treatment Facility, turning it into drinking water. 

• Wisconsin, Oklahoma & Others: Even water-rich states like Wisconsin are exploring water reuse strategies to address potential future shortages. As for Oklahoma, it has passed legislation to promote the treatment and reuse of wastewater, aiming to maximize its water resources over time.

Water is running out faster than we can replace it. Think of freshwater like a savings account—if we keep withdrawing without making deposits, we’ll eventually hit zero. 

A 2014 report.) predicted that 40 out of 50 U.S. states would experience water shortages by 2024. 

Many of those anticipated shortages have materialized—and in many cases, the situation has been even worse than what was projected.

Recycling wastewater helps address this continuing crisis by transforming used water into a renewed supply. The key benefits include: 

• Drought Resilience: Areas with limited rainfall need a backup plan for drinking water.

• Keeping Up With Demand: The U.S. population is expected to grow by 79 million people by 2060, increasing the demand for clean water. 

• Protecting Natural Sources: Relying too much on rivers, lakes, and underground water can cause long-term damage to ecosystems. 

• Water Independence: Cities can reduce dependence on imported water, saving money and avoiding political disputes over water rights.

Here are just a few of the key cons to consider:

• Public Perception ("Yuck Factor"): Just the thought of consuming recycled wastewater is a nasty non-starter for many. Of course, nicknames like “toilet-to-tap” and “flush-to-fountain” don’t make the idea of drinking recycled sewage any more appealing.

• Implementation Costs: Establishing and maintaining advanced purification facilities is not cheap. For instance, San Diego's Pure Water project is estimated at $5 billion (San Diego Public Utilities Department). 

• Unregulated Contaminants: Of the 320+ contaminants detected in U.S. tap water, less than 100 are regulated by the EPA. For example, nearly half of the nation’s tap water is already contaminated with cancer-linked PFAS (also known as “forever chemicals”). Could recycled wastewater create new opportunities for emerging contaminants to enter public water supplies? 

• Outdated Safety Standards: Recycled wastewater must meet the same safety standards as tap water—but those standards are already failing us: That’s why millions of Americans are exposed to brain-damaging lead, cancer-linked arsenic, thyroid-disrupting fluoride, and hundreds of other dangers, year after year. 

• Infrastructure Issues: Numerous U.S. cities operate with outdated water distribution systems that require modernization to even accommodate recycled water.

While potable reuse facilities often use more rigorous purification processes than what is done to treat standard tap water, the water is still governed by nothing more than the usual federal drinking water standards: Standards that are already linked to all kinds of alarming health-related challenges, from cancer and bone disease to thyroid issues, reproductive issues, and more… 

Saying recycled wastewater is safe because it meets current drinking water standards is like treating an infected wound with a dirty bandage: It might cover the wound, but it won’t stop the infection.

Even though recycled wastewater is treated thoroughly, dozens of dangerous contaminants can still slip through. That’s where we come in.  

• Affinity® Filtration Technology: Powered by the world’s most advanced filtration technology, our breakthrough filters protect you from up to 365+ dangerous contaminants that ordinary filters miss. 

• Proven Protection From Unregulated Contaminants: 220+ known contaminants—from prescription drugs and hormones to rocket fuel—are legally allowed in our tap water: That’s why our filtration systems target a range of contaminants that EPA standards don’t even require testing for, including PFAS, pharmaceuticals, hormones, and more. 

• Safety That Exceeds Dated EPA Standards: Even when standards exist, the most recent data shows two key things:

• 1) In many cases, current standards are not nearly strong enough to protect public health. For example, the national limit for total Chromium is up to 5,000x the level of Chromium-6 deemed “safe” by the California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Plus, a laundry list of common dangers like arsenic, fluoride, and radium are in a similar boat. 

• 2) Safety standards are breached all the time. That’s why 7.2 million Americans get sick every year just from drinking tap water at home. In fact, a study highlighted by the EWG found that between 1984 and 2018, up to 28% of the American population received water from systems that violated health-based quality standards in any given year 

To guarantee superior safety, our filters are tested by third-party labs to ensure they meet and exceed existing safety standards. 

• No Remineralizing Necessary: Unlike typical RO systems, our advanced filtration systems never strip your water of healthy minerals. That means you don’t have to worry about remineralizing your water after filtration, nor the tasteless, “dead,” or flat water often associated with RO filtration and other purification processes. 

• The Cleanest, Safest Water—At Your Convenience: Pour a glass from our best-selling filtered water pitcher, bring clean, safe water everywhere you go with our filtered water bottles, transform any fridge into the world’s most powerful water filter with our universal inline fridge filter, or let filtered water flow from any faucet with our 3-stage under-the-sink system.

With climate change, population growth, and shrinking water reserves, recycled wastewater is on track for widespread usage as drinking water over time. 

On one hand, it’s reassuring that recycled wastewater is at least as regulated as tap water. On the other hand, that means it will continue to be just as problematic as tap water, too. 

With Clearly Filtered, you can feel confident that no matter where your water comes from, it’s clean, safe, and healthy. Tap here to shop our full line of advanced filtration systems, so you never have to wonder what’s in your water again.