Oct. 17, 2009 (United Press International) -- The growing population of the United States will one day make the purification of toilet water for use as drinking water a necessity, experts say.

Dozens of experts gathered during the past week at the Water Environment Federation conference in Orlando, Fla., said purifying wastewater will eventually be needed to meet a growing demand amid dwindling water supplies, the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel said Saturday.

The conference, held Oct. 10-14 at the Orange County Convention Center, attracted 20,000 professionals in the water field and featured a wide assortment of valves, pumps, chemicals injectors, meters and other hardware for treating and transporting sewage, the newspaper said.

Nature has its ways of purifying the world's available fresh water, experts said, but humanity has been able to create its own purification methods.

"The difference is we are speeding it up," Lisa Sorgini, Siemens (NYSE:SI) Water Technologies Corp. senior marketing manager, said. "It's called 'direct-potable reuse,' which sounds so much nicer."

Doug Grant and Mike Metcalf of Teledyne Isco told the Sentinel impurities are still present in conventionally treated river water, while highly treated toilet-to-tap water offers a healthier alternative.