WateReuse Presents Awards of Excellence

WateReuse Projects of the Year — Large

Butler Drive Water Reclamation Facility (Peoria, AZ)

The City of Peoria is located in an arid desert environment and ensuring long-term water resources is critical. The $135 million Butler Drive Water Reclamation Facility, which produces 10 million gallons of water each day (MGD), began operating in July 2008 and is the single largest capital project that the City of Peoria has ever initiated. The facility has the largest membrane bioreactor in North America and the full treatment process includes fine screens, activated sludge with biological nitrogen removal, membranes, and UV disinfection. Ultimately the facility will introduce up to 13 MGD of water into the water cycle through recharge basins. The city also plans to start construction on a new 80 acre community park that will be irrigated with reclaimed water to further extend water resources.

George W. Shannon Wetlands Water Recycling Facility (Streetman, TX)

The Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD), which provides water to more than 1.7 million people in 11 counties, began constructing the George W. Shannon Wetlands Water Recycling Facility in 1992. The district partnered with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to build the 100 MGD project near the Richland-Chambers Reservoir, part of the Trinity River watershed. The wetlands reuse facility was the first of its kind in the nation and will ultimately provide an additional 63,000 acre-feet of water each year. By 2060 the TRWD service area is expected to swell to 4.3 million people, making this facility essential in meeting those demands. The wetlands facility maximizes the use of land and water resources in a way that is 100% environmentally sustainable.

WateReuse Project of the Year — Small

Englewood Water District Water Reclamation Facility (Englewood, FL)

The Englewood Water District (EWD) operates a diverse public access reuse system serving recreational, commercial, residential, and industrial users throughout its service area. The EWD Water Reclamation Facility can generate up to three million gallons of water per day and has been proactive in pioneering technology that will provide sustainable water resources to its residents. EWD was the first Florida utility to develop and fully permit a reclaimed water aquifer storage and recovery system to help manage seasonal imbalances in reclaimed water supply and demand. The reclaimed water used in EWD represents a nearly 100% offset of groundwater withdrawals.

WateReuse Project of the Year — Desalination Facility

Cache Creek Desalination Facility (Capay Valley, CA)

Located in rural Capay Valley, CA, and owned by the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians, the Cache Creek Casino Resort is served by dedicated onsite water, wastewater, and recycled water facilities designed with state-of-the-art technology to help fulfill the tribe's commitment to environmental stewardship. Local groundwater is high in salts and hardness, so salt management is a key challenge. A new desalination facility was constructed to improve irrigation suitability of the recycled water for use on the resort's 18-hole championship golf course. The new desalination facility started operation in early 2009 and uses Electrodialysis Reversal for softening and desalination and an enhanced reverse osmosis process known as Vibratory Shear Enhanced Process to concentrate the brine for off-hauling by truck. The facility produces 650,000 gallons of softened potable water per day.

WateReuse Institution of the Year

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, NC)

The Orange Water and Sewer Authority and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have partnered to develop a new water reuse system that serves the university's chiller plant cooling towers, athletic fields, and toilet flushing at certain facilities. The system began operating in April 2009, after over five years of extensive feasibility studies, pilot-scale and microbiological studies, and final design and construction. As part of their new Bell Tower project, the university also developed an innovative water reuse system using blended reclaimed water and harvested roof water to supply non-potable water needs on campus. System demands are projected to be 0.66 MGD in 2010 (about 9% of the community's total water demand) and nearly 2 MGD by 2028.

WateReuse Public Education Program of the Year

The Constructed Wetlands: An Exhibit in the Gardens of the Springs Preserve (Las Vegas, NV)

With its opening in 2007, the Springs Preserve emerged as one of the leading educational and research institutions in the nation, focusing on water and natural resource sustainability. The Las Vegas Valley Water District partnered with the Las Vegas Springs Preserve Foundation to develop this one-of-a kind education facility. The Preserve includes an 8-acre demonstration garden that features constructed wetlands. These wetlands reclaim, treat, and reuse onsite municipal wastewater supplies through a biofiltration process. The Preserve has been visited by more than 55,000 K-12 students free of charge.  In addition, more than 1,000 teachers have participated in training events offered by the Preserve to further professional development. The Preserve also has extensive adult programming and tours available. Conservation and reuse are key themes addressed in educational curriculum, which is designed to foster a greater appreciation for water resource management and conservation. 

WateReuse Customer of the Year

Pebble Beach Company (Pebble Beach, CA)

Water availability has become an increasingly mainstream concern for many communities across the United States, as increasing populations and climate change threaten limited local water supplies. To address this challenge, the Pebble Beach Company (PBC) provided the financial guarantee to construct a $34 million reclamation facility and distribution system. In 1994, PBC began irrigating with tertiary treated recycled water. PBC funded a second phase to upgrade the facility at an additional cost of $33 million. The completion of this project enabled PBC and other golf courses to exclusively use recycled water to irrigate seven world-renowned championship golf courses, local athletic fields, and landscaping. PBC's commitment to using recycled water saves the local communities over 300 million gallons of potable water annually.

WateReuse Person of the Year

Eric Rosenblum, City of San Jose Municipal Water District, South Bay Water Recycling System (San Jose, CA)

Eric Rosenblum has served the WateReuse Association and the WateReuse Foundation for over a decade.  He has demonstrated vision and deep understanding of the benefits of water recycling and is recognized for his energetic support and advocacy of water recycling.  For the past two decades, Eric has led South Bay Water Recycling from a start up facility to one of the largest water recycling systems in the State of California. Eric's diplomatic skills and negotiating acumen have resulted in successful collaboration among several agencies in South San Francisco Bay, thus allowing increasing amounts and types of water reuse in Santa Clara County.  His infective enthusiasm and confidence in the importance of water recycling for the future is now propelling a major institutional effort that may well result in the first potable reuse project in Northern California over the coming decades.

Linda Macpherson, CH2M HILL (Portland, OR)

Linda Macpherson is an international advocate and strategist for water reuse information and acceptance. She has admiration and respect from regulatory agencies, public utilities, public officials, media, communities, clients, customers and individuals for her leadership, knowledge and abilities to help diverse stakeholders make informed decisions and build appreciation for integrated water solutions. Linda's 30 years of experience has brought her recognition as a leader and expert in conceptualizing and managing the development of environmental educational exhibits, videos, interactive computer programs, and printed materials. She provides clear, direct communication that relays highly technical scientific information in a way that people can understand.  Linda is actively involved in planning, research and service organizations dealing with water resources issues.

WateReuse Awards of Merit

City of Clovis Water Reuse Facility (Clovis, CA)

The City of Clovis has completed a $40-million design-build-operate project involving a state-of-the-art water reuse facility. CH2M Hill was selected to design and construct the facility, followed by a 10-year operations commitment. The 2.8 MGD plant site will offset the declining groundwater supply needed to support planned development and irrigation use in parks and other areas. The project is unique for its use of advanced treatment technologies and alternative project delivery method.

Collier County South Regional Desalination Plant (Naples, FL)

Collier County is located south of the Tampa/St. Petersburg metropolitan area and it has developed one of the most extensive reclaimed water systems in Florida. The population has increased approximately 65% over the past ten years resulting in tremendous stress on both water and wastewater infrastructure. Much of the shallow surface water supplies are no longer available due to concerns over salt water intrusion and degradation of environmentally sensitive areas. As a result Collier County has constructed 28 MGD of brackish water supply and treatment facilities. Since 2001, the county has constructed the South RO Wellfield (42 wells), a 20-MGD reverse osmosis treatment facility, and two concentrate disposal deep injection wells. The ultimate goal is to have a mixture of fresh water, brackish water, seawater, and reclaimed water to meet water demands.

Leisure Village Association (Camarillo, CA)

Leisure Village, a retirement community with over 3,500 residents, is located in the City of Camarillo, CA. The community has 2,136 homes on 415 beautifully landscaped acres, and an 18-hole golf course. Numerous forward-thinking residents, recognizing the need to conserve drinking water to ensure a reliable supply for future generations, proposed to irrigate the entire village with recycled water. The Village partnered with Camrosa and Calleguas Municipal Water District by entering into an innovative financial arrangement to fund the project. The project cost is being paid by the residents through savings generated by using lower-cost recycled water. The $2.3 Million project, which began in 2006 and was recently completed, now irrigates 200 acres of greenbelt, a golf course, and saves 180 million gallons of drinking water annually.

The Olympic Club (San Francisco, CA)

The Olympic Club was founded in 1860 in San Francisco, CA. Their three golf courses, with 45 holes total, were built in the early 1920's. Since 1955, the Olympic Club has famously hosted numerous premier golf championships including the U.S. Open, the U.S. Amateur, and the U.S. Junior. A 50-year recycled water agreement was negotiated between the City of Daly City and the Olympic Club in 2002 and the first recycled water was delivered to the club in August 2004. The Olympic Club will once again host the U.S. Open in 2012, where recycled water use will be advertised on the recycled water signs proudly displayed throughout the course.

The Wollongong Recycled Water Scheme (Wollongong, Australia)

Sydney Water operates one of the biggest water recycling projects in Australia, the Wollongong Recycled Water Scheme. Stage 1 of the scheme, commissioned in 2006, provides up to 20 million liters of high quality recycled water per day to BlueScope Steel from the Wollongong Recycled Water Plant. This system replaces 7.3 billion liters of drinking water per year previously drawn from the local Avon Dam.  In 2009, Stage 2 of the scheme was commissioned with highly treated, disinfected recycled water supplied to the Port Kembla Coal Terminal and Wollongong Golf Club. Stage 2 replaces approximately 1.4 million liters of drinking water a day.

Watsonville Area Water Recycling Project (Watsonville, CA)

California's Pajaro Valley is located in the heart of the Monterey Bay area. Agriculture is the valley's economic centerpiece with current annual production estimated at $530 million; however, this industry is threatened by over pumping of the groundwater basin which has led to seawater intrusion. To help solve this overdraft problem, the City of Watsonville and Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency teamed up with RMC Water and Environment to study the feasibility of using recycled water as an alternative irrigation supply. The team was able to identify, design, and construct a water recycling project that met the irrigation supply needs and specific water quality objectives for protection of the growers and consumers, as well as the crops, which are highly sensitive to salt. The project went into operation in March 2009 and is expected to produce 4,000 acre-feet per year of new water for Pajaro Valley agriculture.