Words by Tess Becker
California has been going through a historic drought for what feels like a decade at this point and to address it people are beginning to get creative.
Buzz Boettcher didn’t want to see any water go to waste and started planning on how to recycle water.
“I've done a lot of offshore sailing and racing over the years, and it didn't make sense that ten people could live on a boat for 15 days out in the ocean and survive on 200 gallons of water, and you come ashore, and you use 20,000 gallons a month,” Buzz said.
So he started building a device that would collect rainwater and convert it into grey water. That water, which would most likely end up washing down the gutter then could be used to do things like flushing toilets.
After starting his first one at the Santa Monica Pico branch library he’s started opening water collection systems around Southern California even making it to an Eately restaurant.
The systems are expanding outside California as well like one where they’re working out how to recycle truck wash water for much of the same purpose.
“It doesn't make sense to use nice, clean, potable water to flush toilets,” Buzz said. “Talk about good water going after bad.”
This article aligns with the UN SDG Climate Action among others.
