SoylentNews

CoolHand [soylentnews.org] writes:

Phys.org has an article [phys.org] on the need for developing a new revolution in water supply and treatment to address micro contaminants.

In his 2014 book, Water 4.0, UC Berkeley environmental engineer David Sedlak identifies four "revolutions" in the development of urban water systems. The first revolution—Water 1.0—was the Roman innovation of piping potable water in and sewage out of population centers, an advance adopted throughout European and North American cities. The second revolution—treating drinking water to kill infectious microbes—protected millions of urban dwellers from cholera, typhoid and other diseases transmitted through the very success of Water 1.0.

Water 3.0 saw widespread adoption of sewage treatment plants. Now, half a century later, Sedlak says we need a fourth revolution. Soaring urban populations and a changing climate create chronic water shortages in some cities and too much water in others. Some contaminants may pose hazards in extraordinarily small concentrations. And aging pipe networks threaten the health of entire communities, as seen this year in Flint, Michigan.

"The current system that we rely upon to manage water in our cities is not up to the challenges of the twenty-first century. The technologies to make urban water systems more secure already exist. It's up to us to build the next version of the water system."

---

Original Submission