Peter Annin Purified

Using examples of communities saved and crises averted, journalist Peter Annin helps readers overcome the “yuck factor” and proves recycled sewage is the water of the future.

Water shortages are plaguing communities from coast to coast, and recycled water could help close that gap. In Purified: How Recycled Sewage Is Transforming Our Water , veteran journalist Peter Annin shows that wastewater has become a surprising weapon in America’s war against water scarcity. In five water-strapped states–California, Texas, Virginia, Nevada, and Florida–current filtration technology is transforming sewage into something akin to distilled water, free of chemicals and safe to drink. But sensationalist media coverage has repeatedly crippled water recycling efforts. Can public opinion turn in time to avoid the worst consequences?

Purified’s fast-paced narrative cuts through the fearmongering and misinformation to make the case that recycled water is direly needed in the climate-change era. Water cannot be taken for granted anymore–and that includes sewage.

Of related interest

The Great Lakes Water Wars

Peter Annin

Peter Annin is a veteran investigative journalist whose work the past twenty years has focused on water issues, most recently on the water crisis in the West. Before that, Annin spent more than a decade at Newsweek magazine where he specialized in breaking news stories. He is author of the award-winning The Great Lakes Water Wars and regularly publishes op-eds on water topics in outlets such as The Washington Post and The New York Times. He is the director of the Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation at Northland College.

Author’s residence: Cornucopia, Wisconsin

Bottled and Sold

Peter H. Gleick

Katherine Miller