I CAN just envisage Mother Nature, roaring with laughter as she reads a recent edition of The Advertiser and for good reason - after all, she’s been recycling water for hundreds of millions of years.

Today, we talk about it as if we have an option, but in order to have an option there must be at least two choices.

I have advocated recycling as the only choice for Bendigo in the absence of any other options and as such not a choice at all; in simple terms, it is a must.

The most comforting part is that it is an enduring supply of water, even if the drought gets worse or becomes the norm.

However, there may be one sub-choice we have in which we could lead the world.

Rather than purifying the water supply to drinkable quality, just purify it to a quality sufficient for all purposes except drinking and cooking.

Make tap water non-potable and rely for drinking water on the bottled version from supermarkets and/or a home delivery service.

It would be good for health too, because we’d consume less chlorine and ingest fluoride by choice rather than mass medication.

We’d also use less drinkable water for non drinkable purposes.

Accolades to the former CEO of Coliban and The Advertiser editor for raising the profile of recycling.

Now it is up to the state government to take serious and realistic action.

DAVID KLEIN,

Golden Square