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Politics

San Diego Recycled Water Project Moves Ahead

The San Diego City Council voted to continue a $12 million recycled water project. The pilot project was reconsidered Tuesday because one councilmember raised concerns about the plan.

The one-year demonstration project would take purified sewage water and pump it into the San Vincente Reservoir to augment drinking water supplies.

City Councilwoman Shari Lightner questioned the cost of the pilot study and the quality of the water.

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The city of San Diego's own study says there are no health concerns linked to the purification process.

The council voted 5-to-3 to continue the study.

Bruce Reznik is Executive Director of San Diego Coastkeeper.

"Now is the time to act and to move forward on the pilot project and these studies," Reznki says. "And that's when we'll get the answers that we need whether this kind of project is going to be safe for the public and healthy for our environment as well as our economy."

San Diego city water officials say Fairfax Virginia has been filling a reservoir with purified sewage for more than 30 years.

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But San Diego's project would be a first for California.