Disposal of waste heat

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR REDUCING THERMAL POLLUTION OF SURFACE WATERS WHICH COMPRISES: EXTRACTING WASTE HEAT FROM A THERMAL POWER GENERATION PROCESS BY PASSING A RELATIVELY COLD, NONPOTABLE WASTE WATER STREAM IN INDIRECT CONTACT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH A HOTTER STREAM COMPRISING LOW PRESSURE TURBINE EXHAUST STREAM TO THEREBY COOL AND CONDENSE AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE EXHAUST STEAM AND TO HEAT THE NONPOTABLE WATER STREAM; DISTILLATING THE HEATED, NONPOTABLE WASTE WATER STREAM TO RECOVER A HOT, POTABLE WATER PRODUCT STREAM AND A CONCENTRATED WASTE STREAM; REJECTING HEAT FROM THE WASTE WATER DISTILLATION BY PASSING A RELATIVELY COLD, POTABLE, DOMESTIC WATER STREAM IN INDIRECT CONTACT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH THE DISTILLING WASTE WATER AT THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE LEVEL OF THE DISTILLATION STEP, THEREBY WARMING THE DOMESTIC WATER STREAM; PASSING THE WARMED DOMESTIC WATER STREAM INTO A DOMESTIC WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM WHICH COMPRISES A SUBSTANTIAL LENGTH OF UNDERGROUND MAINS AND LATERALS, AND DISCHARGING BY INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE EXTRACTED WASTE PROCESS HEAT TO THE SOIL MASS SURROUNDING THE MAINS AND LATERALS.