February 2023

WateReuse Florida held its annual meeting in December in conjunction with the AIF Water Forum in Orlando. The annual meeting was preceded by a board dinner the evening before that helped set the stage for the annual meeting and forum. Our members heard from a wide variety of speakers on legislative priorities, PFAS litigation and new technology. 

Robert Beltran, WateReuse Florida outgoing President, provided a “state of the union address” reporting the fiscal soundness of our section and the growth of new members over the last two years, including our first member in the industry category (TECO). Our communication avenues and activities have grown. For example, an approximate 1,800% increase in activity has been realized on social media. Increased in-person meetings coupled with site visits has gotten us off our laptops and back to where humans thrive the most. Reuse education in 2022 also included participation in the National Symposium in San Antonio, hosting a national webinar during Water Reuse Week and the Annual Florida Chamber Environmental Permitting School this summer. The scholarship program has been reestablished and the Potable Water Reuse project list has grown to 13 statewide. 

Rep. Toby Overdorf, a member of the Florida House of Representatives, gave the keynote address. Rep. Overdorf discussed the benefits of 20-year local government resilience infrastructure plans as well as challenged WateReuse Florida members to continue educating the public on reuse. 

_{Photo: Rep. Toby Overdorf encourages members to continue educating the public about reuse.} 

Phil Cossich with Cossich, Sumich, Parsiola & Taylor, LLC (CSP&T) discussed their Multi-District Litigation for Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) Products, which contain PFAS, against 3M and other AFFF manufacturers. The trial will begin in the first water provider bellweather case for the City of Stuart in June 2023. A number of Florida local governments and entities have already joined the Multi-District Litigation. Cossich also discussed the EPA’s latest responses and health advisories for PFAS. 

New Technology & Innovation Committee co-chair Kerry Kates introduced Dr. Dave MacNevin with CDM Smith who spoke on “Demonstrating the Safety of Water Reuse through Field Measurement of Viruses.” Direct potable reuse must ensure public health protection through removal and inactivation of pathogens, including enteric viruses. Dr. MacNevin discussed an innovative field-based qPCR approach developed by his team to measure removal of indicator viruses by membrane filtration, providing results in 5 to 6 hours. He previewed WRF #5209, which will improve the approach, also partnering with Caltech to evaluate the innovative “mgLAMP” device, which could provide onsite virus quantification results in about 1 hour. 
 
The meeting also included a History of Reuse and the WateReuse Association by John Shearer, financial report highlights by treasurer Jay Hoecker, the election of new officers, and the 2023 Outlook by incoming president Michael Sweeney. 

Thank you to our sponsors for making this year’s annual meeting a success: 
Cossich, Sumich, Parsiola & Taylor, LLC (CSP&T) 
Black & Veatch
Hazen
Carollo
Tetra Tech
Manson Bolves Donaldson Tanner (MBDT) 
Dewberry

• Volusia County
• Atlanta Pure Water Inc.

2023 dues renewals have been sent to all members. There are many reasons to join or renew your membership, including: 

• Impacting national and state policymaking 
• Accessing education and professional development through conferences, webcasts and events 
• Building your network and expanding your business 
• Engaging with your peers by participating in the Florida section as well as a section or national committee 
• Connecting everyone in your organization to our members benefits 
  

For more information on member benefits, view WateReuse’s 2022 Accomplishments and the 2023 Membership Flyer. 

Mark your calendar for the 2023 WateReuse Symposium, March 5-8 at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Annual WateReuse Symposium is the premier conference on water recycling — attracting water professionals and water reuse practitioners globally for knowledge-sharing, networking, and collaboration! The event is planned in collaboration with The Water Research Foundation and will include engaging sessions on the latest reuse-related research projects.

WateReuse is pleased to bring the Symposium to Georgia and the Southeast, a region that is quickly emerging as a water recycling hotspot. Pick from three Atlanta-region tours of cutting-edge reuse projects. Six technical session tracks will highlight how utilities and businesses large and small can benefit from water recycling. Themes for the 2023 WateReuse Symposium include small and underrepresented communities, implications of PFAS in reuse, industrial and commercial reuse, telling the reuse story, and more! 

Jason Mickel with Pasco County Utilities has replaced Kerry Kates as the co-chair of the New Technology and Innovation Committee alongside Pranjali Kumar with Carollo Engineers. If you are interested in presenting or participating in the committee’s monthly meetings on new technology or new research related to water reuse, please contact Jason or Pranjali.