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The short answer is – no. We aren’t currently having to drink sewage water. The water coming out of our kitchen and bathroom taps hasn’t previously been flushed down the lavatory.

But this could all be about to change…

It might not whet your appetite to learn this, but our water companies are seriously assessing the idea of “toilet-to-tap” systems. They propose to treat lavatory sewage and transform it into drinking water.

The plans are for toilet water to be collected from rivers running close to treatment plants and then process it, so that it’s safe to consume.
In light of the recent front-page headlines that many of our contaminant-ridden rivers pose life-threatening health risks, might toilet water simply be putting undue pressure on our already under-threat waterways?

Quite possibly.

Even so, the “toilet-to-tap” process could be widely in place by 2030. More imminently, Thames Water is aiming to implement a wastewater recycling scheme by next year, which will include toilet waste in tap water.

The head of the Environment Agency, Sir James Bevan, has admitted that the “toilet-to-tap” idea will be “unpopular.” But he has been quoted as saying that it would help protect the country’s water supply, especially in the face of climate change and increased threat of drought.

Toilet water is not what “people fancy”

Admitting that drinking reprocessed toilet water wasn’t “something many people fancy”, Sir James wrote that people need to “change the way they think about water”, and “treat it as a precious resource, not a free good”.
He stated: “We need to remember where it comes from: when we turn on the tap, what comes out started in a river, lake or aquifer. The more we take, the more we drain those sources and put stress on nature and wildlife.

“If we are going to get there, we are all going to have to think differently. Some of these measures will be unpopular, so future governments will need to show political will,” he wrote.

In sharp contrast to these comments, just last month, the UK papers were full of stories about the dreadful state of Britain’s rivers, following an investigation by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Across the country, the Agency uncovered a series of shocking examples of waterways containing toxic, life- threatening substances. These included traces of e.coli bacteria, viruses, toxic chemicals and even radioactive substances.

If the UK is going down the road of turning sewage into drinking water, however, there is a precedent to what is potentially coming our way. We can always turn to Singapore for reassurance.

The south-east Asian island country’s water agency has recently launched a new type of beer – called NEWbrew – which is made from liquid recycled from sewage. Widely sold in bars and supermarkets, it was seen as an innovative solution to Singapore’s water scarcity issues.

Drinking water quality is already poor

Nevertheless, Scott Jenkins described the “toilet-to-tap” plans as alarming. “The quality of our drinking water is poor, if not downright dangerous,” he said. “If the authorities are now looking to fill our rivers and lakes with sewage, which they claim will be safely reprocessed so that it’s safe to drink, I think the public will find this all very alarming.”

He reiterated the importance of drinking only filtered water. “Avoid drinking tap water altogether – it simply isn’t safe,” he advised. “If you already have a filter tap at home, that’s great. But if you are still relying on drinking mains water or you are regularly buying bottled water, our advice is to have a filter tap installed.

“Without doubt, this will provide you with the purest safest drinking water. First and foremost, it’s healthy. Secondly, it won’t take long to recoup the cost of buying ridiculously expensive bottled water, which is also predominantly sold in dangerous plastic containers.”