Inside this brewery, water isn’t just used—it’s captured, treated, and put back to work.

At Stone Brewing in Escondido, California, water efficiency, conservation, and reuse are built into the operation.

The facility runs an on-site treatment and reclamation system—recovering close to 70% of its wastewater and putting it back to work across the brewery.

That reclaimed water is used for cleaning, mechanical systems, and day-to-day operations—reducing how much needs to be pulled from the local supply.

And this isn’t small-scale. Stone has repurposed tens of millions of gallons of water in a single year at this facility alone.

Behind the scenes, the system looks more like advanced water infrastructure than a brewery: wastewater is treated through biological processes and membrane filtration, with microorganisms removing about 99% of the organic load before reuse or discharge.

Even the byproducts don’t go to waste. Solids from the brewing process are recovered and reused, often as agricultural feed, while high-strength waste streams can help generate energy at local treatment facilities.

In drought-prone Southern California, that kind of approach matters.

Every gallon reused here is water that doesn’t have to come from the community in the first place.

This episode is part of The Golden State of Reuse, a series exploring the past, present, and future of water recycling across California. Visit https://www.waterloop.org/blog/the-golden-state-of-reuse/

The series is a collaboration with WateReuse California and sponsored by CDM Smith. The series is also supported by the Sacramento Area Sewer District, Black & Veatch, and Monterey One Water.

00:00 Introduction: Brewing and Water
00:20 Why Water Matters in Brewing
00:45 Inside the Brewery Process
01:15 Cleaning and Water Reuse Systems
01:45 Fermentation and Separation
02:15 On-Site Water Reclamation Facility
02:45 Reusing 70% of Wastewater
03:15 Advanced Treatment Process
04:00 Turning Waste into Resources
04:40 Water Efficiency in Drought Conditions
05:15 Why It Matters for Communities

waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability. Visit https://www.waterloop.org/

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