Do You have Purple Pipes?
Based on the American Public Works Association’s color guide, public utilities across the U.S. rely on important pipe color designations to indicate to those touching the infrastructure systems what they are working with — for example,
- BLUE: potable water, fit for human consumption
- GREEN: sewers, wastewater
- YELLOW: natural gas, oil, petroleum, or potentially flammable
- ORANGE: telecommunications
- RED: power lines
- WHITE: marks where excavations & new pipe routes are to be laid
PURPLE: not for potable use, reclaimed, recycled water
With the drought defining water supply conditions throughout the Southwest, purple may be the most important color to remember. As aging infrastructure and population growth are exacerbated by drought, the impact on more and more American cities is driving innovative engineering solutions to supplement water supply.
Wasn’t it cool when Jesus chose — with a gentle nudge from his mother — to display his miraculous abilities for the first time by changing water into wine during a family wedding that experienced a beverage shortage (John 2:1–11)?
Ever since 4 B.C. society has had to rely less on miracles and more on science to innovate and deliver the Aha! moments. The affect of the drought has been positive in this way. As more areas of the country tackle depleting water supplies, the reuse of reclaimed water is becoming less of a psychological hurdle and is driving mainstream acceptance of recycled water for use by farms and cities that had the foresight to install “purple pipes.”
In addition, commercial property owners like cemeteries and golf courses are among those who can use recycled water. This special pipe, the “purple pipes” conveying sewage water that’s been filtered for solids and cleaned of impurities to irrigate landscaping, cool equipment in industrial uses, and support restrooms in office buildings or hotels. This is all happening through designated pipelines that have a distinctive purple (kinda mauve) color.
Cities that pioneered the concept include the Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD), Colorado Springs and St. Petersburg when they incorporated recycled water in their urban plans back in the 1980s. In fact, IRWD is credited with selecting the color for recycled-water pipe. As an early adapter, back in 1967, IRWD delivered 2 million gallons a day of tertiary-treated water to agricultural users. The district was also the first in California to legally use recycled water for any acceptable use — not just agriculture — including industrial and irrigation uses, and some plumbing.
Today, notable water suppliers include the Vallecitos Water District (VWD) and their award winning Meadowlark Water Reclamation Facility, which is capable of recycling up to 74% of the wastewater generated from over 21,000 connections. VWD has created a revenue model by selling their recycled water to neighboring water districts where the water is used for irrigation at Legoland, the Carlsbad Flower Fields, and the Aviara Golf Course, to name a few. In addition, wastewater that is not recycled at the Meadowlark Facility is pumped to and treated by neighboring Encina Wastewater Authority and re-purposed into an environmentally friendly biofuel or fertilizer branded as PureGreen Organic Nitrogen Fertilizer.
Nowadays, we have crafty breweries and viable vineyards like Oregon Brew Crew and Green Island Vineyards turning water into beer and wine for the thirsty masses.
Divine intervention? Nah, we’re simply blessed with engineering innovationdriven by a different type of drought.
