Sewage Water Used by Firefighters Against Blazes After Drought for the First Time

Sewage is wastewater as a result of discharges from residential, commercial, and public establishments.

In particular, sewage water comes from sinks, showers, dishwashers, and even flushed toilets containing human waste and urine.

In the past 6,000 years, both ancient and modern civilizations have developed a form of sewage system at some point in history. This system allows for the collective extraction and passage of wastewater coming from the mentioned sources.

Although wastewater has long been thought to be toxic and dangerous to one's health when consumed, advances in sanitary engineering in previous decades have allowed the recycling of this "dirty water" into something usable again.

It can be drunk only if it went through the rigorous process of purification under sewage-treatment plants. Once purified, it becomes a reclaimed wastewater.

Now, firefighters in Wales will use treated sewage water against blazes after a drought for the first time.

Extreme weather event threatens the fire crew's ability to respond to emergencies, mainly due to prolonged dry conditions that affect existing water supplies from natural and artificial reservoirs in the country.

Aside from tackling wildfires and other fire-related incidents, the treated wastewater can also be consumed by residents, according to reports.

Reclaimed Wastewater

Reclaimed wastewater, as mentioned before, is the renewed version of water after treatment plants remove its toxic substances, as well as bacteria and other pathogens potentially present.

With this, treated sewage water can be used in the following areas, as stated by the United States Geological Survey (USGS):

• Urban uses
• Agricultural uses
• Recreational uses
• Environmental uses
• Potable drinking uses

Citing California, where drought and wildfires are common, the USGS said the state is the right place to see how reclaimed wastewater is used.

For instance, the East Bay Municipal Utility District operations on a working water reclamation project that provides benefits to the local community such as; conservation of drinking water, reduction of pollution to the San Francisco Bay, and providing water supply for irrigation and other industrial purposes, the said U.S. seismic monitoring government agency adds.

UK Drought

Drought is a growing threat across the United Kingdom marked by an unprecedented temperature increase, which is among the several extreme weather events in the country and across Europe, according to the British Red Cross.

In the context of Wales water shortage, the threat posed by drought is making natural water resources unreliable or may not guarantee its absolute availability in the future, according to local reporting.

Due to the need for an alternate option, treated sewage water to be used by the mentioned Welsh firefighters is promising.

The Welsh reclaimed wastewater was made possible using conventional treatment methods, as well as cleaning with ultraviolet light.

This comes after local authorities in September 2022 declared all parts of Wales under drought status.