Most Americans are familiar by now with the concept of recycled wastewater. We all may not be completely comfortable with the concept of reusing treated sewage, but most of us have at least heard about it, and in some communities we know that it helps parks and street landscaping thrive. A handful of communities practice what is known as indirect potable reuse, which means using highly refined treated wastewater to recharge groundwater or a reservoir. This water is processed again in a conventional drinking water treatment plant before being delivered to customers.

If you imagine the San Francisco Bay as a bathtub, sea level rise means the bathwater is rising. A new study published today in Science Advances finds the tub is sinking too, and in some places, more than others. Where Bay Area cities have built on landfill or newer mud, that land is compacting, and sinking faster than other places. This subsidence is a problem for, among others, Foster City, Union City, San Rafael, and the land around San Francisco Airport.

As the clock winds down on Gov. Jerry Brown’s time in office, pressure appears to be mounting on state agencies to move the California WaterFix project forward. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) surprised many during a Bay-Delta Special Committee meeting on Feb. 27 when it was disclosed that the agency was examining the opportunity to finance the $11 billion cost of  building the first of two tunnels in accordance with the Department of Water Resource’s (DWR) revised construction plan.