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Recycled Water Safety �°� 6 - I Z Page I of rwiveA 1ml CITY OF SAN JOSE - CAPITAL OF SILICON VALLEY L` W J Y`I Y11711 Services for. Residents awunesses schools LEnde ngered a r n b s Is Recycled Water Safe? The Santa Clara County Medical Association is officially endorsing South Bay Water Recycling, citing the safe reuse of highly - treated effluent from the San Jose /Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant for non - drinking purposes in Santa Clara County. "We strongly support and provide our endorsement for this very important project," stated Joseph E. Mason, Jr., MD, President of the Santa Clara County Medical Association. The quality and use of recycled water is regulated by the California Department of Health, which sets strict standards for the water's treatment and disinfection. Currently, Department of Health staff monitor over 400,000 acre feet of recycled water per year. "Chronic water shortages are projected to occur in the foreseeable future here, : and water recycling will be a significant drought -proof source of water to make up for these shortages," added Dr. Mason. "Recycled water is safe, practical and very necessary," stated Dr. Cindy Russell, s Chairperson of the Santa Clara County Medical Association Environmental Committee, which recommended the endorsement. "It's an idea whose time has come." Dr. Russell, who graduated from the University of San Diego and completed her residency at Stanford, has been a practicing physician and a member of the Environmental Committee for the past 10 years. The committee investigates and studies environmental and public health concerns and makes recommendations to the Santa Clara County Medical Association on whether to support or take action. South Bay Water Recycling received a clean bill of health from the committee. "I believe many physicians, including myself, were originally concerned about recycled water," said Dr. Russell. "But the data and research support the safety of recycled water. It goes through a multi -step filtering and disinfection process and is continuously monitored. Recycled water is extremely clean." See an examDle of what's in recvcled water. Dr. Russell views water recycling as another aspect of recycling. "It's just like recycling your garbage and the benefits are similar too." Benefits include protecting the ecosystem of wildlife in the South Bay, conserving precious water, and educating the public that water is a limited resource. "South Bay Water Recycling is a model for other cities throughout the nation. I was impressed with the thought and research that went into building this project," added Russell. "It's imperative that we start thinking about alternative ways to protect our resources. "In the long run South Bay Water Recycling will save resources and money. People will find it is much cleaner than they ever imagined it to be," added Russell. http://www.ei.san-jose.ca.us/sbwr/Safety.htm 7/22/2003