What's with the Purple? Traditional Cache

So what is with the purple fire hydrant, anyway? Well, actually this particular fire hydrant like many others in the area was painted purple by the City of Tallahassee to indicate that it is supplied by reclaimed water from the City's Tram Road Water Reuse Facility. And I know this because its my job to know reuse.

Water reuse involves taking domestic wastewater, giving it a high degree of treatment, and using the resulting high-quality reclaimed water for a new, beneficial purpose rather than wasting it. Extensive treatment, disinfection, and continuous monitoring ensure that public health and environmental quality are protected.  All water is recycled anyway!

Reclaimed water is used to irrigate homes and golf courses and to replace the use of drinking water for certain industrial applications like cooling towers.  It is delivered to its customers through purple piping to let folks know that it is not intended for drinking (tell that to the folks on the space station!). California even uses its recycled water to replenish its reservoirs (talk about drought resistance) and water artichokes (its safer than canal water)!

By the way, Florida leads the nation and maybe the world in the amount of precious water being recycled in this way. For more information about the purple connection check out "Easy as One: Purple Reigns in Water Conservation Potential" .

Other examples of purple fire hydrants:

• In South Jersey
• In Paradise (Kihei, Hawaii)
• In Parched South California