News: Colorado DPR FAQs, 2024 Federal Budget, Symposium Research Posters

Feb 6, 2023

2023 WateReuse Symposium

Advance Registration Closes in Three Weeks

Sunday, February 26 is the final day to purchase an advance registration for the 2023 WateReuse Symposium. Register today and save: after the 26th, all registrations will be at the onsite rate of $1,500 for members or $1,800 for non-members. If you can’t join us in Atlanta, you can also register for the online recording platform to access nearly 70 hours of educational and professional development content!

Headshot Studio

The 2023 WateReuse Symposium is a unique opportunity to make connections and build your professional brand. While you’re here, refresh your profile and resume with a headshot taken by a professional photographer. The Headshot Studio will be open during networking breaks: Monday March 6 and Tuesday, March 7 from 10am-noon and 2pm-4pm.

Sponsored by Natural Systems Utilities.

Washington Updates

WateReuse and Water Sector Partners Request Full Funding for State Revolving Fund Programs

Last week, WateReuse and water sector partners delivered a letter to President Biden urging the President’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request to include full funding for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRFs) Programs. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) of 2021 authorizes Congress to provide up to $3 billion for each program in FY 2024.

Over the past two cycles, earmarks have accounted for a significant portion of the annual appropriation for the SRF Programs. Funding for earmarks, also known as “congressionally directed spending” and “community project funding,” is funded within—not in addition to—base funding for the SRFs. Thus, while annual funding for the SRF programs remained level between FY 2022 and 2023, the amount of discretionary, non-earmark funding for the programs is less than 50 percent of what it was in FY 2021 before Congress resumed earmarking funds. The letter outlines this trend and urges an increase in base funding for the programs.

It is important to note that annual discretionary appropriations are provided on top of funding provided by the BIL, which included $11.7 billion for each of the SRF base programs over five years. When BIL funding and annual appropriations are both taken into account, and earmarked funding is removed, the Clean Water SRF and Drinking Water SRF will have $2.98 billion and $2.72 billion respectively in FY 2023. While this is a significant increase over pre-BIL levels, it is temporary, as BIL funding is set to expire in 2026.

House and Senate Committees Announce Rosters for 118th Congress

The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) announced its full committee and subcommittee rosters last week. For the Water Resources and Environment subcommittee, Representative David Rouzer (R-NC), the former Ranking Member, will serve as Chairman, while Representative Grace Napolitano (D-CA), the former Chair, will serve as Ranking Member. The full list of Committee and Subcommittee members can be found here.

The T&I Committee’s counterpart in the Senate, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) also announced its Committee and Subcommittee rosters and leadership positions. Senators Tom Carper (D-DE) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) will retain the Chairman and Ranking Member positions, respectively, while Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) will become Chairman of the Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over clean water and drinking water law. The list of Democratic members of the Committee can be found here, and the list of Republican members can be found here.

WateReuse Member Resources and Benefits

WateReuse Colorado Publishes Direct Potable Reuse FAQ

WateReuse Colorado had an integral role in advancing statewide direct potable reuse (DPR) regulations, approved in 2022 by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Now WateReuse Colorado has developed a Frequently Asked Questions document to answer common questions about the process and help other states and utilities that are considering implementing and regulating DPR. Read the FAQ.

Read the FAQ

WaterNow Colorado Project Accelerator: Apply by Friday!

Are you working to design, fund, or launch an innovative water program in Colorado? WaterNow's Regional Project Accelerator is accepting applications through February 10! Project Accelerator offers cities, water agencies, and other organizations the opportunity to jumpstart a sustainable water project. This application cycle will focus specifically on Colorado communities. Selected Project Accelerators receive free, hands-on support and technical assistance to make meaningful progress toward more affordable, community-oriented solutions.

Apply Today

State Updates and Member Profiles

Welcome New Member!

Mustang Special Utility District, a utility company in Denton County, Texas, has joined WateReuse Association and the Texas Section. They service approximately 31,000 customers and were rated a “Superior Water Company” by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). They have a mission to provide reliable, sustainable, and efficient water and wastewater utility services to their customers.

AZ: ABC Affiliate Highlight’s Tucson Groundwater Banking

Local Tucson station KGUN aired a segment explaining Tucson Water’s Southeast Houghton Recharge Project (SHARP). “The process not only banks the water away for future use, the process of filtering through the ground does a great job of cleaning that water,” says correspondent Craig Smith. “This is part of how the city helps secure its water future.” The facility is designed to recharge about 1.3 billion gallons of water each year. Watch the clip.

CA: Pure Water Antelope Valley Demonstration Facility Moves Forward

Last week, the Palmdale Recycled Water Authority advanced plans to site a demonstration plant near their administrative offices. The facility will be used to prove out the process for a full-scale advanced purification and groundwater recharge project. Plans for the full-scale project include a 5,490 square-foot facility with a community and educational space. Stantec is providing engineering consulting services to move the project forward. Read more.

The Daily Investigates Colorado River Solutions Including Water Reuse

The New York Times podcast, The Daily, released an episode last week about the challenges of proposed Colorado River cuts. The conversation navigates the history of the Colorado River Compact and development in the West. Host Sabrina Tavernise interviews climate reporter Christopher Flavelle, who points out that states are considering recycling and desalination among other solutions to a dwindling supply from the river. Listen here.

Onsite Update

Pacific Institute Publishes Onsite Water Reuse Guide

Last week the Pacific Institute released their new Guide for Developing Onsite Water Systems to Support Regional Water Resilience. The guide is designed to aid site developers in evaluating how an onsite water reuse system can use a multi-benefit approach to build water resilience, support equity, restore the environment, and protect public health. The chapters include stakeholder engagement, recommended analyses, and more. “What’s unique about this guide is the holistic perspective – going beyond the site, and going beyond water, to consider other issues that intersect with water reuse and who those issues affect,” said Cora Snyder, Pacific Institute Senior Researcher. Read more.

International Update

China: Recycled Water Improves Prawn Farming

Water reuse is gaining traction in China’s northern province of Hebei, where aquaculture is a major industry. "Since the middle of January, we harvested up to 2,500 kilograms of prawns every day. Recycled water played an important role," said a local prawn farmer. The farm uses microfiltration, nitrogen removal, and ultraviolet disinfection to cycle water back into the ponds used to grow seafood.

WateReuse Event Calendar

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

February 15
11:00 am PT | 1:00 pm CT | 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

Advance Registration Ends February 26! Register Now and Save!

Join us for the 2023 WateReuse Symposium in Atlanta or register for the online recordings platform today!

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!

National Water Policy Fly-In

Washington, DC
April 25-26, 2023

Join us in Washington, DC to engage your representatives and advance policy priorities for recycled water! Participate in plenaries and receptions with senior EPA and other government officials, as well as Members of Congress and key Hill staff, discussing the federal legislative and regulatory outlook impacting the water sector over the next year. Pandemic restrictions on Capitol Hill have been lifted and offices are fully open to the public to visit with your Congressional delegations in person. Reserve your group rate hotel room at the Hilton Washington DC National Mall – The Wharf before April 3!

The Water Week Fly-In is hosted by WateReuse Association, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), Water Environment Federation (WEF), and The Water Research Foundation (WRF).