News: Win a Symposium Registration; $80M in WaterSMART Funding, and more

January 30, 2023

We Want Your Feedback on WateReuse Programming!

WateReuse works continually to improve our advocacy, communications, and technical programming to ensure we reflect our members’ priorities. Please take a few minutes to complete our brief survey. Your answers will help us support your water reuse goals in 2023.

Participate and Win a WateReuse Symposium Registration! If you complete the survey by Friday, February 10, you will be automatically entered to win a complementary registration to your choice of the 2023 WateReuse Symposium in Atlanta or the 2024 WateReuse Symposium in Denver.

*This offer does not apply to existing paid registrations for the 2023 WateReuse Symposium, however the registration may be transferred to another individual.

Take the Survey

2023 WateReuse Symposium

WateReuse 101

Sunday, March 5 | 1-5pm

If you’re new to water reuse or just need a good refresher, the Water Reuse Boot Camp is the perfect way to begin the 2023 WateReuse Symposium. The workshop is included in your Symposium registration and will help any water reuse professional get familiar with the key steps to planning and implementing a successful project.

Topics include Drivers, Benefits & Challenges; Treatment Technologies; Building Public Support; and Securing Funding.

Where to Stay in Atlanta

Our discount hotel block at the Marriott Marquis Atlanta is nearly sold out! A few rooms remain for March 4, 5, and 6. Check our booking link to confirm.

We have also published a list of other nearby hotels on our Book a Room page.

We can't wait to see you in Atlanta!

Washington Updates

WateReuse Partners on New WRAP Action

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) released the latest quarterly update for the National Water Reuse Action Plan last week, including the announcement of two new actions. WateReuse is partnering with the U.S. EPA, University of California, Stanford University, and other stakeholders on Action 2.19 to advance strategies for permitting innovative wastewater management practices and water reuse through National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program. This action builds upon a white paper developed as part of a previous action, Navigating the NPDES Permitting Process for Water Reuse Projects (Action 2.6). WateReuse Association member Pacific Institute is leading Action 5.8 focused on evaluating stormwater capture and reuse in Colorado. The action will be discussed at an upcoming WateReuse Colorado Section meeting.

Bureau of Reclamation Announces $80 million for Conservation, Watershed Health, and Drought Mitigation, including Water Reuse for Environmental Restoration

Last week the Bureau of Reclamation announced the availability of $80 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for Environmental Water Resources Projects (EWRP). The EWRP Program provides up to $3 million for projects that cost no more than $6 million. Eligible activities may include water conservation and efficiency projects that result in quantifiable and sustained water savings; water management or infrastructure improvements to mitigate drought-related impacts; and watershed management or restoration projects benefitting ecological values that have a nexus to water resources or water resources management. Examples of water reuse activities that could be eligible include: reuse projects that restore natural wetlands; water management changes or infrastructure improvements that improve water supply reliability and habitat during droughts; and watershed management projects that address water supply or water quality. The application deadline for the funding opportunity is March 29, 2023 at 4 pm MDT. Join the Bureau of Reclamation’s informational webinar for more details on February 6, 2023 at 2 pm MDT.

State Updates and Member Profiles

Welcome New Members!

The City of Nampa has joined the WateReuse Association and the Pacific Northwest Section. Nampa is Idaho’s third most populous city, and their Waterworks Division provides over 9.7 million gallons of safe drinking water and 61.7 million gallons of irrigation water each day. The City of Nampa is developing a Recycled Water Program which will generate highly treated water for irrigation and industrial use in the community.

CA: State Budget Contains $270 Million for Recycled Water Funding

Earlier this month Governor Newsom released his FY 2023-24 proposed budget including $270 million in recycled water funding. Last year’s budget indicated that there would be $100 million in additional funding for recycled water grants and $210 million in grants dedicated to potable reuse projects; it appears that $40 million is proposed to be cut from potable reuse grants. In the face of a large projected budget deficit, WateReuse California (WRCA) worked hard over the legislative break to raise the importance of this funding in the Governor’s Office and with legislative leaders. The details of the funding may be worked out in the budget committee process that will begin in February. WRCA will be testifying and developing coalition letters in support of the funding.

CA: Strike Team Assesses California Recycled Water Goals & Challenges

The California State Water Board’s Division of Water Quality announced a “Strike Team” to assess how California will meet its 2030 and 2040 recycled water goals as described in the California’s Water Supply Strategy: Adapting to a Hotter Drier Future. The goals include using 800,000 acre-feet per year of recycled water by 2030 and 1.8 million acre-feet per year by 2040. The team will document challenges to meeting these goals; including but not limited to funding. WateReuse California (WRCA) is supporting this effort by partnering with the State Water Boards to implement recycled water actions. WRCA has already reached out to many agencies to assess their future reuse plans and challenges. Please contact Jennifer West if you have a planned non-potable reuse project that will be online by 2030 or 2040.

FL: WateReuse Florida Champions Water Reuse Outcomes of State Bill

Last week WateReuse Association members participated in a hearing of Florida’s House Infrastructure Strategies Committee about Senate Bill 64 – a statewide plan to eliminate non-beneficial surface water discharges. Participants included WateReuse President Mike Sweeny of Toho Water Authority, Past President Lynn Spivey of Plant City; and President Elect Kerry Kates of Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association.

Michael Lynch, Director of Water Resource Management for Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), told the committee that “11 million gallons a day [has] been eliminated from surface water discharge” since implementation of this mandate. There are 102 domestic wastewater facilities in Florida that are subject to the law’s mandate and that have proposed a range of projects as alternative beneficial discharges, including indirect potable reuse projects. The House Committee is considering amendments to SB64, including updated frameworks for indirect potable water reuse, aquifer storage & recovery, and establishing a new framework for direct potable water reuse. Read more.

CA & AZ: The Hill Plunges Deep on Aquifer Recharge

The Hill published an in-depth exploration of the potential for aquifer recharge nationwide, including the benefits of using recycled water for managed aquifer recharge. The article highlighted WateReuse members Orange County Water District and Tucson Water. The article cites key challenges for unlocking the full potential of aquifer recharge: regulatory frameworks, legal claims to water, and geological conditions. Michael Kiparsky, water program director at the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, says aquifer recharge “holds the promise of being able to generate a whole new water supply we really didn’t even know that we had.” Read more.

Industry Update

BIER Develops Water Reuse Guide for Beverage Companies

The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) has developed a handbook – the Water Circularity Good Practices Guide – outlining successful pre-project planning and implementation considerations for beverage companies looking to integrate water recycling as part of their water strategy. The guide includes case studies of beverage manufacturers incorporating water reuse in their non-potable operations. For instance, PepsiCo’s water reuse strategy enabled a new process in their facility that allowed operations to go 90 days without the introduction of freshwater into their process. If the company reaches its goal of consuming zero freshwater for an entire year, it would save the Vallejo facility approximately 550 million liters of water. Read the Guide here, and then register for the 2023 WateReuse Symposium to hear Theresa Mazure with PepsiCo at our Business of Water Recycling plenary panel!

Research Opportunity

Scientists Take a Tip from Plants on Separating Resources from Wastewater

Scientists from The Australian National University (ANU) are drawing inspiration from the natural membrane separation mechanisms of plants to recycle water and extract valuable minerals, metals, and nutrients at the same time. "The world's wastewater contains a jumbled mess of resources that are incredibly valuable, but only in their pure form. A big challenge researchers face is figuring out how to efficiently extract these valuable minerals, metals and nutrients while retaining their purity," ANU Associate Professor Caitlin Byrt said. Read more.

WateReuse Member Resources and Benefits

Profiles in Reuse: The Benefits and Opportunities of Industrial Water Recycling

Do you need to introduce a new customer to the concept of industrial reuse or find innovative examples? The WateReuse Association’s Profile in Industrial Reuse makes the business case for industry to invest in water recycling and presents brief case studies that illustrate the many ways in which businesses across the U.S. rely on water reuse to operate. The flyer is designed to introduce new audiences to the concept of industrial water reuse.

View the Profile in Onsite Reuse

WateReuse Event Calendar

Webcast: Australian Water Reuse Perspectives

US (East Coast) | Jan 30, 5pm-6:30pm ET
US (West Coast) | Jan 30, 2pm-3:30pm PT
Sydney, Australia| Jan 31, 9am-10:30am AEDT

How is the driest inhabited continent on earth – Australia – utilizing water recycling? Water recycling has a long history for irrigation, industrial use, and purple pipes for household outdoor use and toilet flushing. In Western Australia, Perth’s Groundwater Replenishment Scheme provides purified recycled water for drinking, and other cities are now exploring this option. This webcast will cover Australia’s experience with water recycling, the future and regulatory outlook, and the emerging use of recycled water for green hydrogen, as Australia moves towards a decarbonized future.

WRTX Webcast: Tel Aviv to Texas: Lessons Learned from the 2022 Israel Delegation

February 15
11:00 am PT | 1:00 pm PT | 2:00 pm ET
Free to WateReuse members

November 2022, over 40 representatives from the U.S. water sector, including utilities, industry, states, and the federal government, traveled to Israel as part of a science, technology, and policy informational exchange focused on water reuse practices. This intensive week of learning about the Israeli approach to managing its water resources included several delegates from Texas. The panelists will share their general experience as part of the delegation.

2023 WateReuse Symposium:
Reimagining Water Together

Marriott Marquis Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
March 5-8, 2023

Become a Sponsor or Exhibitor today! Read the prospectus and contact abray@watereuse.org.

The Annual WateReuse Symposium is the premier conference on water recycling — attracting water professionals and water reuse practitioners globally for knowledge-sharing, networking, and intriguing discussions! 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. Seven 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!