--- title: Beer Made from Sewage Water Approved by Oregon Regulators description: Oregon Environmental Quality Commission approves plan for beer made from recycled sewage water canonical: https://time.com/3826886/oregon-sewage-water-beer/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-04-17T18:36:19.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:43:32.215Z og:title: Beer Made from Sewage Water Approved by Oregon Regulators og:description: Oregon Environmental Quality Commission approves plan for beer made from recycled sewage water og:url: https://time.com/3826886/oregon-sewage-water-beer/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Beer Made from Sewage Water Approved by Oregon Regulators twitter:description: Oregon Environmental Quality Commission approves plan for beer made from recycled sewage water twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Oregon Regulators Approve Plans to Make Beer Out of Sewage Water > Sponsored content. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ddbb4cbd-17c8-4caf-9fc2-9a0d4d125b19&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: #theBrief: Who is Using Up California's Water? [Watch (HLS stream): #theBrief: Who is Using Up California's Water?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1x3DeuzL.m3u8) (2:56)  _Published 2015-04-10. There are three major consumers of the state’s water supply: urban consumers, big agriculture, and the environment._  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Apr 17, 2015 6:36 PM UTC  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Apr 17, 2015 6:36 PM UTC The Oregon Environmental Quality Commission recently approved the use of recycled sewage water to brew beer, the Oregon Public Broadcasting’s environmental news organization EarthFix [reports](http://www.opb.org/news/article/wastewater-beer-wins-oregon-regulators-approval/). Brewed via a purification process [developed](http://time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/0415itemdattachments.pdf) by Oregon’s Clean Water Services, the beer would not be available for commercial or retail use, and the finished product would still need to undergo tests to make sure it is safe to drink. And it won’t be on tap at any bars. It would only be served at tasting events hosted by its manufacturers, the home brewing club Oregon Brew Crew, and other water professional society functions. In 2014, Oregon’s Clean Water services hosted a brewing competition to challenge beer enthusiasts to make beer out of “30 percent purified wastewater,” [according to](http://www.opb.org/news/article/wastewater-beer-wins-oregon-regulators-approval/) EarthFix. Overall, the point of developing this beer is to encourage innovative uses of the wastewater and spark a nationwide conversation about conserving water in creative ways in the midst of news about severe water shortages along the West Coast, a spokesperson for Clean Water Services [told the news outlet](http://www.opb.org/news/article/wastewater-beer-wins-oregon-regulators-approval/). ### PHOTOS: This Astronaut's Images of Earth Look Like Beautiful Abstract Paintings  "Harsh land. Windswept valleys in northern #Africa"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 6, 2014 Alexander Gerst—ESA  "Land use in South Africa, you can see where water is."—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 9, 2014. Alexander Gerst—ESA  "Irrigation in the #Sahara #Desert looks like a challenging task from up here... #BlueDot"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 28, 2014 Alexander Gerst—ESA  "An open history book of our planet: the #Sahara Desert"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 26, 2014 Alexander Gerst—ESA  "An open history book of our planet: the # Sahara Desert"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 26, 2014 Alexander Gerst—ESA/SIPA USA  "Close-up of gigantic Salar of Uyuni in Bolivia. You can even see the salt fields and the 'Cactus Island'."—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 15, 2014. Alexander Gerst—ESA  "The #Moon was still behind the horizon. A #FataMorgana of atmospherical refraction #BlueDot"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 14, 2014 Alexander Gerst—ESA/SIPA USA  "When I took this photo, I was sure these are clouds. But now I'm not so sure... #BlueDot"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 7, 2014 Alexander Gerst—ESA  "Probably a river in Kazakhstan or slightly west of it."—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 29, 2014 Alexander Gerst—ESA/SIPA USA  "An open history book of our planet: the #Sahara Desert"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 26, 2014 Alexander Gerst—ESA  "Human-made fires in East Africa. Can you spot them?"—Alexander Gerst via Twitter on July 9, 2014 Alexander Gerst—ESA ## Transcript California is stuck in one of the worst droughts in its history. The state isn't completely out of water, but it is using far more than it can replenish. So where is it all going? I'm Ben Goldberger, and this is your brief. I'm issuing an executive order mandating substantial water reduction across our state. That was California Governor Jerry Brown issuing a 25 % reduction in water use. Those are the first mandatory restrictions since the current drought began four years ago. The cuts will hit the three major consumers of the state's water. The first are urban residents. California is the nation's most populous state. With some 38. 8 million residents. That's an amount that's more than double since 1960. And the things they're being asked to cut back on? It's gonna affect golf courses people's lawns universities, campuses. All sorts of institutions. Take a look at the Palm Springs area. It's got lush green lawns. Sprawling golf courses. And all of it, in the middle of the Sonoran Desert. And its per capita water use is 201 gallons per day. That more than double the state's average. Brown's new rules calls for residents to trade their green lawns for native. Plants. And provides incentives for installing things like low- flow toilets. [ MUSIC ] But urban consumption only accounts for less than 10 % of California's water use. So even if residents were to cut down by 25 %, that would only save 2 % across the entire state. [ MUSIC ] So who consumes the rest of the water? Well, big apiculture. If the Midwest is Americas bread basket California is it's fruit bowl. The Golden State produces 99 % of the countries almonds, 92 % of the nations strawberries, and 90 % of it's tomatoes and that means California's 9 million acres of farmland suck up the bulk of it's water. Although the $ 46 billion agriculture industry only makes up two percent of the state's economy. It accounts for a whooping 80 % of California's human water use. But Brown's new rules don't include restrictions for farmers, who say they've already made efforts to curb their. Their water gives. And they argue that the real culprit is environmental conservation. Here's why. California's Department of Water Resources says nearly 50 % of the state's water is used to preserve rivers, wetlands, and wildlife refuges. However you divide the pie, it's clear that it's getting smaller. And the state's ongoing water crisis could force a real lifestyle change for millions of Californians. I'm Ben Goldberger. And you've been briefed. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3826886/oregon-sewage-water-beer/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3826886/oregon-sewage-water-beer/"},"headline":"Oregon Regulators Approve Plans to Make Beer Out of Sewage Water","datePublished":"2015-04-17T18:36:19.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:43:32.215Z","description":"Not available in bars...yet","url":"https://time.com/3826886/oregon-sewage-water-beer/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Food & Drink"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. 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