San Diego, California, USA
#00201
Case study of
#00185 Potable reuse of treated wastewater behind multi-barrier treatment and long acceptance-building
Implementer
City of San Diego Public Utilities (Pure Water San Diego)
Timeline
Since Jan 1, 1999
Location
Description
San Diego's 1990s water repurification project was killed in 1999 by 'toilet to tap' talk-radio framing after failing to secure public acceptance. From ~2011, the city rebuilt the case using a demonstration facility, thousands of public tours, and patient coalition-building. Pure Water San Diego Phase 1 (30 MGD) is now under construction with ~$1.7bn total cost, including a $614M federal WIFIA loan, with completion expected ~2027-28 and a target of ~50% of city supply from purified water by 2035.
Metrics
3Funding
Lessons learned
- A hostile media frame ('toilet to tap') can kill a technically sound project for a decade — pre-empting that framing before launch is a prerequisite, not an afterthought.
- Recovery required a physical demonstration facility plus thousands of public tours; this moved measured support from ~26% to over 70% over roughly a decade.
- The cost of the 1999 failure is measured in lost decades: first water is now expected ~2027-28, nearly 30 years after the original project was cancelled.
Documented Jul 24, 2026