[ti:Colorado Could Become First US State to Reuse Water] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:01.12]Colorado's water quality agency recently gave [00:04.88]early approval to rules about direct potable reuse. [00:09.88]It is a process of treating sewage and sending it directly [00:14.40]for use without first putting it in a large water body. [00:19.60]Should the move be approved in a final vote in November, [00:23.24]the western state would become the first in the United States [00:27.56]to adopt direct potable reuse rules, state and federal officials say. [00:34.28]Kevin Reidy of the Colorado Water Conservation Board [00:38.56]said that as Colorado's population increases, [00:42.32]drinking water reuse is an important way [00:45.88]to deal with reduced water supplies. [00:48.72]The water reuse treatment process usually [00:52.56]involves disinfecting wastewater with ozone gas [00:56.48]or ultraviolet light to remove viruses and bacteria. [01:01.64]Then the water is put through barriers [01:03.96]with very small openings, or pores, that remove solids [01:08.36]and dangerous materials known as contaminants. [01:12.96]The process is gaining interest as communities [01:16.08]deal with long periods without enough rain. [01:19.36]While many U.S. states do not directly forbid this kind of water reuse, [01:25.32]statewide rules could bring quicker adoption, said Reidy. [01:30.48]There are no exact federal rules for direct potable reuse. [01:35.32]However, reuse projects must meet federal health rules for drinking water. [01:42.88]Florida, California and Arizona are now working on rules [01:47.44]for direct potable water reuse. [01:50.16]And several other states are beginning the process [01:53.44]or have existing projects. [01:55.84]As the water level of the Colorado River continues to drop, [02:00.52]Arizona faces deep water cuts, [02:03.28]while pressure grows for California to give up more of its share. [02:08.96]Denver and Colorado Springs — Colorado's most populous cities [02:13.88]— already recycle most of their water through exchanges [02:17.96]with other cities and for non-drinking uses, such as watering parks. [02:23.76]Both cities expect to someday reuse water for drinking purposes, [02:29.36]but officials are concerned their reusable supplies [02:33.24]from the stressed Colorado River soon could face cuts. [02:37.80]Greg Fisher of Denver Water was concerned about [02:41.08]the time it takes to build a large direct potable reuse system. [02:47.00]"If you've built a big direct potable reuse system [02:50.64]and you don't have it even for a few years, [02:53.36]that causes some problems," he said. [02:56.32]"If we are relying on those reusable drinking water supplies [03:01.28]to meet our customers' needs, [03:03.36]our ability to meet their needs is put at risk," Fisher added. [03:08.92]Still, some people in Colorado [03:11.48]are already making creative use of recycled water. [03:15.32]When Eric Seufert brewed a test batch of beer in 2017 [03:20.32]with water from recycled sewage, [03:23.00]he was not too concerned about the outcome. [03:25.96]The engineering company that contacted him about the test [03:30.36]explained the process, [03:32.00]and together they drank samples of recycled water. [03:36.24]Seufert quickly understood the process [03:39.32]was not too different from how water is normally treated. [03:44.12]"Every ... river in this country has someone [03:46.64]putting in their wastewater after they've treated it," he said. [03:50.72]After opening the beer and having a taste, [03:53.96]the owner of 105 West Brewing Co. in Castle Rock, Colorado [03:59.40]now served it to others. [04:01.96]Seufert already knows he can make good beer from recycled water. [04:06.60]He is more worried about keeping the cost of business down. [04:10.76]"I'm concerned that the resources will be there [04:14.16]for the planned growth in an affordable way for this region," Seufert said. [04:19.44]"But, as of now, I trust that" state officials "are working on it." [04:24.32]I'm John Russell. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM