In drought areas, treated wastewater is added back to the potable water stream. It's safe, and one study says it even tastes better.
Recycled wastewater is safe to drink, but the thought of drinking water that once ran through the kitchen sink or the toilet isn't appealing. However, a recent study conducted by researchers at University of California, Riverside and Santa Barbara City College found that, in a blind taste test, more people preferred the taste of recycled waste tap water over conventional tap water.
For the study, published in the journal Appetite, researchers gave bottled water, recycled wastewater from the tap, and conventional groundwater tap water to 143 participants and asked them to rate the waters without knowing where they came from. Read more>>>