The mismanagement of water contributed greatly to California’s current scarcity of H₂O, such as when the government flushed 2.6 million acre-feet of water downstream because of an endangered species of smelt. But look at the solutions the drought brings! An Orange County water treatment plant is considering ways to speed up the environment’s natural water cycle, and the plan is touted by the California governor’s office. CBS News reports, “Waste water that would normally drain into the Pacific Ocean goes through a rigorous three-step purification process that includes microfiltration, exposure to UV light and hydrogen peroxide, which kills everything left behind. Officials say the water treated at the Orange County plant exceeds state and federal standards. It’s so clean, some people complain the water actually has no taste. The purified water is pumped into underground reservoirs before it makes it to household taps.” It’s not too different than households that have a well in the front yard and a septic system in the back. Still, there’s a joke somewhere in here about “there’s something in the water in California.” More…