(Good) - My fellow Americans, it’s time we stop worrying and learn to love the bug. Not only are they imperative to our life here on this planet, but these squirmy little heroes are always finding new ways to help us out of our jams. The most recent case-in-point is California, where worms are being used to tackle a massive wine industry issue: wastewater disposal.

It’s common knowledge among vintners that creating a single glass of wine in California can use up to 14 gallons of water—and then you have to clean it. Typically, this means the wastewater is filtered multiple times, allowing bacteria to slowly break down in a painstaking and time consuming process that has long been itching for a better solution.
 
Mendocino County’s Fetzer Vineyard is currently partnering with Chilean company BioFiltro to install the first-ever worm-based wastewater disposal program in America. A massive “treatment box” filled with 12,000 worms per cubic yard will be installed on the property, and wastewater will then be sprayed into the box for the worms to clean. The process will take roughly four hours, and can be done with almost zero outside influence, including electricity.

“We are committed to water conservation and employ a number of practices as part of our efforts to become ‘water positive,’” says Josh Prigge, Director of Regenerative Development at Fetzer. The company’s aim is to possess a “net positive” ecological footprint by 2030.