Air Date: August 30, 1991

SEGMENTS

Recycling Water / Kitty Felde

Suffering from a five-year drought and a long-term squeeze on water supplies, some California communities are looking to recycled waste water to ease some of the pressure. Kitty Felde of member station KLON in Long Beach reports. (06:10)

Making the Most out of Wastewater / Betsy Bayha

Betsy Bayha of member station KQED in San Francisco visits the northern California town of Arcata, where conventional secondary sewage treatment has been replaced by a specially designed marsh. Arcata officials say the new wetland area cleans the wastewater more cheaply than a conventional system, with the added benefit of being a wildlife sanctuary and park. (06:05)

Still a Few Bugs in the System / George Homsy

Living on Earth's George Homsy reports from Boston on the problems of Combined Sewer Overflows, which plague 1200 communities around the country. Remnants of the days before sewage treatment plants, CSOs allow sewers to overflow into local waterways during heavy rainstorms. Municipalities are appealing to Washington for help in meeting the estimated $200 billion cost of upgrading the systems. (04:40)

The No-Flush Solution

Steve visits the bathroom of Abby Rockefeller, promoter of a water-free, composting toilet system. (03:50)

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Recycling Water

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Making the Most out of Wastewater

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Still a Few Bugs in the System

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The No-Flush Solution

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