Why California needs to get over the ‘yuck’ factor of wastewater recycling |
Salesforce Tower, pictured in 2024, uses a pioneering system to recycle nearly 8 million gallons of water annually.
In San Francisco, we like to be at the forefront of innovation — driverless Waymos zipping through traffic, artificial intelligence startups launching weekly, robot baristas whipping up oat milk lattes at SFO.
But beyond the dizzying blur of innovation, something equally transformative is happening out of sight, stealthily reshaping the city’s future. Deep inside the walls of our buildings, a quiet revolution in how San Franciscans manage and reuse their water is taking place.
Take Salesforce Tower. While most people see a gleaming architectural icon, few realize that inside is one of the most pioneering water reuse systems in the country. Each day, the building captures wastewater from showers, sinks and toilets, purifies it to exceptionally high standards, and reuses it for flushing and cooling. The result? Nearly 8 million gallons of recycled water annually — the equivalent of 60 million bottles.
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
Salesforce Tower isn’t alone. More than 100 buildings across San Francisco have installed or are planning similar onsite systems. Recycled water now flows through the Mission Rock neighborhood, SoMa office towers and apartment projects in Potrero Hill. It’s proof that reuse isn’t theoretical — it’s practical, scalable and already part of daily life. This quiet shift represents one of the most important local innovations happening today.
Why does this matter? Because nationally, we recycle less than 10% of our wastewater. The U.S. discards billions of gallons of reusable water every........