What's with all those purple pipes?

By: CANDICE REED - For the North County Times
Editor's note: This periodical feature looks at things in our community that make us go, 'Hmmm. ... What's up with that?' | Sunday, April 24, 2005 9:10 PM PDT ∞

CARLSBAD ---- Motorists in Carlsbad have probably noticed city workers laying down purple pipe in the middle of El Camino Real in recent weeks. In neighborhoods closer to the beach, there are sections of curbs painted purple. And in city parks, some of the water sprinklers sport the color purple.

What's up with that?

Carlsbad has joined other cities all over California in jumping on the recycling bandwagon, and the color purple ---- whether it's on a pipe, or on a curb on top of a sewer line, or on a sprinkler head ---- signals the existence of recycled water.

Purple, as it turns out, is the universal color for recycled water.

"By duplicating much of nature's process, it is now possible for us to purify recycled water to a level that is far beyond our drinking water standards," said Bill Plumber, the city's deputy engineer. "We can re-use it in a variety of ways."Ý

PVC pipes carrying recycled water will either feature or purple stripe or be colored purple entirely, for example. There are even purple valve boxes, purple manhole covers, purple fittings, purple valves.

The city installs separate sets of purple-colored water lines and takes special measures in making sure those pipes carrying recycled water are kept away from potable lines so there's no confusion.

The color purple is everywhere around us, it seems.

Reclaimed water comes out of purple-colored sprinklers to irrigate the La Costa Golf Course. City parks, nurseries, pastures, common areas in homeowner communities, and even street and highway medians and other landscaped areas use recycled water flowing through purple pipes.

There's even a state law on the books that prohibits potable water from being used for non-potable uses, such as landscape, irrigation and industrial use, if recycled water is available at a reasonable cost.

"I've been watching them put the purple pipes in the ground for a while now," said Jeff Sands, referring to a project on Palomar Airport Road that has been in progress for several months. "I'm from Florida and I don't think we have this program. I thought they just got a deal on purple pipe. It's kind of girly for pipe, don't you think?"

The city of Carlsbad has been using the purple pipes since 1994. The city sells about 2 acres of recycled water a year, although in the next year, after laying more pipe throughout the city, that will increase to 6 acres a year.

"Once this phase is completed we will have more than 80 miles of recycled (purple) pipe in Carlsbad," Plumber said. "We will have four pumping stations and be able to continue to recycle our water and again and again. One of the biggest trends in many parts of the country ---- and the world ---- is recycling water."

Once it's processed, recycled water is extremely close to pure, potable water in purity, although it's not drinkable.

"It's suitable for body contact," Plumber said. "But, really, you can't drink it."

Even so, he said, purple's good.

"If you see that it's purple, you know we're recycling," Plumber said. "Purple is a good thing."

- Note: If you have a suggestion for a 'What's Up With That?' item, please e-mail it to masingale@nctimes.com

Candice Reed is a freelance writer. You may contact her at femmewriter@cox.net