Local breweries compete to make best beer from wastewater

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - All water is recycled water, and that's why folks of the AZ Pure Water Brew Challenge say drinking beer made from treated reclaimed wastewater is no big deal.

"If I talk about water not so many will pay attention to me, but if I talk about beer, that's a little more sexy and catchy," Channa Rock said.

The challenge is simple: Have local breweries compete to make the best brew using reclaimed wastewater.

So why would anyone want to drink beer using water that before treatment looked like this? To teach the public about the importance of water resources and purification.

"We've done a great job of water planning in the state of Arizona, but in 5, 10, 15, 20 years we may need to start looking at alternatives," Rock said.

It's something you need to see for yourself and that's why they're taking the show on the road with their advanced water purification mobile lab so that everyone can come take a look and get educated," Rock said.

At the end of the day, Pure Water hopes Arizonans think twice about water conservation and purification.

"It's not this scary black box people can tough and feel and taste and that's going to get them over that hurdle of where their water comes from," Rock said.