--- title: "UK May Have to Make Peace With Drinking Water Made From Sewage, Official Says" description: "The UK's Environmental Agency announced that Britons may soon be drinking sewage water to counter the region's worsening environmental circumstances." date: "2022-08-29" modified: "2022-08-29" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/uk-drink-sewage-water" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "climate change" - "the digest" - "uk" - "water" --- # UK May Have to Make Peace With Drinking Water Made From Sewage, Official Says ![The UK's Environmental Agency announced that Britons may soon be drinking sewage water to counter the region's worsening environmental circumstances.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Suck it Up, Buttercup Days after large parts of England officially declared [drought conditions](), the head of the UK's Environmental Agency, Sir James Bevan, told his fellow Britons that they may soon be soon be upping their consumption of recycled sewage water in an effort to counter the region's [worsening environmental circumstances](). And if they don't like the sound of that? Well, according to the official, they oughta just suck it up. "We will need to be less squeamish about where our drinking water comes from," the official [wrote in this past weekend's edition of the *Sunday Times*](). "Part of the solution will be to reprocess the water that results from sewage treatment and turn it back into drinking water — perfectly safe and healthy, but not something many people fancy." ## Wasteful Waste Bevan's *Sunday Times* comments weren't just a call to civilian action. The official was careful to address his concerns over the practices of sewage companies, which are notorious for pumping sewage into the ocean — top of mind in the UK, where a recent investigation found that as many as 870 pipes in the region could be [illegally dumping raw sewage into waterways](). But illegal behavior aside, even by-the-book modern sewage practices pose a threat to environmental welfare. Treated waste can have some [terrible ecological side effects](), and as Bevan pointed out in his column, all the water that shows up in our toilets and our taps has to come from somewhere. "We need to treat water as a precious resource, not a free good," he wrote. "We will have to be more selective about what we use drinking water for. It makes no sense to use it to clean the car or water the lawn." ## Rude Awakening Bevan did note that his water-saving, ahem, *suggestions* likely won't be popular or welcome change. This summer season, however, has been plagued by historically devastating — and [deeply concerning]() — climate consequences, in the UK and beyond. "Each of us can be part of the solution, starting now," he added. "Small things make a big difference." **READ MORE:** [*Britons need to be ‘less squeamish’ about drinking water from sewage, says agency head*]() **More on UK climate conditions:** [*Over a Thousand Die in European "Heat Apocalypse"*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()