Toilet to Tap Water

I drove passed a new storefront a couple of weeks ago, which caught my eye; it was called ‘The Water Brewery.’  It made me smile, only in California.  I could see tubes and water bottles and was intrigued to know more about it.

Last week, a friend and I paid The Water Brewery a visit.  I was expecting it to be full of all different types of water with flavours or vitamins added, rather like a microbrewery, when you try lots of different beers.  There was just one big machine and lots of large plastic and glass bottles.  The machine produces oxygenated, ph alkalized, revitalized, remineralized and energized water.  I have to say, after the sales guy told me that Newport Beach does ‘toilet to tap’ water, in other words, they recycle the water going down the toilet and then we drink it, I wanted to sign up for a few gallons right away.  It’s hard to believe that the pharmaceuticals that everyone takes can possible get cleaned up.  So, even if I live a healthy life and treat my body like a temple, the guy next door who’s hooked on heroin is peeing into his toilet and I’m drinking it!

The owner of the business was also telling us about how bad it is to drink from plastic water bottles, apparently you shouldn’t buy them unless they are higher than a number 7, you’ll see the number next to the recycling symbol.  Otherwise, the water is absorbing the plastic.

We currently have our water set up to come out of our fridge, it’s nice and cold and immediate.  Much as I like the idea of revitalized, crap free water, I’m taking the easy route and sticking with my fridge water, I’m afraid.  I know that even if I bought the plastic 5 gallon bottle, it would take me a couple of weeks to get around to re-filling it every time we ran out.

California is such a world of extremes.  There are people here who worship their bodies, go to the gym religiously and have had so much plastic surgery, it’s laughable.  As we cycle along the boardwalk, very obvious boob jobs come towards us.  Really, if your boobs are pointing skywards, I’m not falling for it, you paid for them.  I’ve even seen a couple of people with bandages wrapped around their heads, tentatively walking along the beach as they recuperate.  These people have been nipped, tucked and are now perfect.

The other extreme is that the supermarket is loaded with processesed food.  We live in this amazing climate and have the Central Valley, which is the main farming area; you’d sort of expect everyone to be living off amazing produce.  However, there are fast food chains everywhere offering $1 burgers and fries.  It’s too easy and cheap to eat poorly.

I’m not convinced the Water Brewery is going to last.  I hope it does, but everyone wants things immediately these days.  It would be nice to get rid of the mass of plastic bottles you see outside the supermarket.  It’s a shame to think those bottles are either going to landfill or will use energy to be recycled.

So we’ll be drinking ‘toilet to tap’ from now on.  Or as a friend of mine called it Eau Du Toilette.