Research Grant Funding, Purified Water Credits, Airport Condensate Beer, and more!

News from the Leading Advocate for Water Reuse

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September 25, 2023

2024 WateReuse Symposium

Be a Super Saver and Register 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 collaboration. Don’t miss your change to save big on the 2024 WateReuse Symposium with the lowest-possible registration rate.

For the next three weeks, until October 11, WateReuse members can register at the exclusive Super Saver rate.

WateReuse Awards for Excellence: Nominate a Leader Today!

Award submissions will be accepted through October 16, 2023. Nominate yourself or another leader or initiative to be recognized during the 2024 WateReuse Symposium, March 11-14, 2024.

Submit your nomination today!

Book Your Hotel in the City Center

The 2024 WateReuse Symposium will take place at the Hilton Denver City Center, surrounded by countless restaurants and breweries, and just blocks from the Colorado State Capitol.

Book your hotel room early! WateReuse has negotiated the best-discounted rate available. Reservations will be accepted until February 19 or when the room block is sold out, whichever occurs first.

Book Your Hotel Room

Washington Updates

EPA Announces Availability of $7.5 Billion through Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Program

Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of $7.5 billion in low-interest financing through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Program. Of the total, $6.5 billion will be made available as federal WIFIA loans while $1 billion will be made available through the State WIFIA (SWIFIA) program, which provides loans exclusively for state infrastructure financing authority borrowers. EPA is looking for Letters of Interest that emphasize technical assistance for underserved communities, lead service line replacement, emerging contaminants and PFAS, and drought and water resilience including water reuse. Eligible applicants include state, local, and tribal governments, state infrastructure financing authorities, or corporations, partnerships, and joint ventures that have public sponsorship. For examples of past WIFIA projects, see the WIFIA landing page.

See Funding Notice

Bureau of Reclamation Desalination and Water Purification Research Grants Available

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has released its Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Desalination and Water Purification Research Program. The program supports both laboratory-scale and pilot-scale projects. Laboratory-scale projects are smaller studies that test the viability of technology or processes with smaller flow rates while pilot-scale projects are meant to test the performance of technologies or processes on a larger scale or at higher flow rates. Laboratory-scale projects should be completed within 24 months, pilot-scale projects in 36. Eligible applicants include states, counties, cities/townships, special districts, and Native American tribal governments, as well as academic institutions, nonprofits, individuals, and for-profit organizations.

See Funding Notice

Sponsor Spotlight

WEBINAR TOMORROW: Advancing Water Quality Monitoring: How to Easily Integrate Bioanalytical Techniques for Comprehensive Insights

September 26, 2023
8 am PT | 11 am ET (1 hour)

Surface water and treated wastewater can contain a complex mixture of pesticides, pharmaceuticals, industrial compounds, and personal care products. This presents a challenge for traditional water quality evaluation methods, which rely on examining the concentration of selected chemicals and comparing them to known toxicologic effects. In this webinar, Dr. Jack Vanden Heuvel of Penn State University will explore a comprehensive approach to water quality assessment that incorporates both chemical analysis and cell-based bioassays, along with their receptor-specific effect-based trigger values, to protect human and ecological health. Join the webinar to discover how bioassays can enhance your routine water quality monitoring by offering insights that traditional chemical analysis alone cannot provide.

WateReuse Review featured content sponsored by Indigo Biosciences.

State Updates and Member News

Welcome New WateReuse Member!

The WateReuse Association and WateReuse California welcome Hoch Consulting. Hoch Consulting is a full-service civil engineering firm dedicated to providing its clients with high-value engineering, design, management, and funding solutions. The San Diego-based firm’s staff is led by a mix of former public utility managers and private industry directors across multiple sectors, which enables it to provide technical expertise, creativity, accountability, integrity, and efficiency to every project. Hoch Consulting is a leader in water resources and condition assessment. They have provided critical services on two of the major Indirect Potable Reuse projects in San Diego County and have assisted their clients with rehabilitating existing infrastructure as well as designing, permitting, and building new infrastructure.

Hoch Consulting

AZ: State Considers Using Purified Water Credits

At their September 13 meeting, Arizona Water Banking Authority (AWBA) directed new bank manager Rebecca Bernat to explore the possibility of buying purified recycled water credits to distribute later. Until 2019, AWBA has only banked excess Colorado River water via the Central Arizona Project in exchange for long-term storage credits. The water is stored in aquifers and can be withdrawn later by users. “As the supply of those credits decreases, they’re looking for new alternatives,” said Eric Braun, Water Resources Manager for WateReuse member Town of Gilbert.

CA: Pure Water San Diego Welcomes Media

Local CBS8 News recently visited the Pure Water San Diego project, where Phase 1 of construction is underway. The plant is planned to supply nearly half of the city's drinking water by the end of 2035. "We've done over 50,000 tests to ensure the quality of the water is consistent 24/7, 365 and it's a very exciting part of our water supply future," said Doug Campbell, Deputy Director of Pure Water operations for City of San Diego. "California is doing the most. If you look at the large projects being implemented in San Diego, Los Angeles and considered in northern California. We will double or triple the amount of purified recycled water," said Andy Salveson, Water Reuse Chief Technologist for Carollo Engineers, which is providing engineering services to the project.

Watch the Story

CA: San Diego International Airport Boasts Purified Water Beer

San Diego International Airport (SAN) has teamed up with Water Works, Inc. Ultrapure Solutions and The East Village Brewing Company to produce beers made with purified condensate collected through the airport’s water stewardship program. The beers are available on tap to travelers at the East Village Brewing Company and the concessions at SAN’s Terminal 2. The Hoppy Travels IPA, with flavors of grapefruit and guava, and new seasonal release Cruising Ale-titude honey ale, with flavors of floral, honey, and cracker, are produced using a base of condensate water that drips from the bottom of air conditioning units attached to the jet bridges at SAN.

NV: WateReuse Section Announces Student Research Grants

The WateReuse Nevada Grant Program provides opportunities and grant funding for college students to conduct research on projects related to reclaimed water usage, wastewater treatment, nutrient or material recovery, and recycled water policy. This funding opportunity will engage college students and professors by supporting educational development through research aligned with WateReuse goals applicable in Nevada.

Review the Grant Application

Water Reuse in the News

Can Hospitals Safely Reuse Water?

The latest episode of IAPMO’s Authority Podcast features Patricia Sinicropi, Executive Director of WateReuse, and Bob Salvatelli, Vice-Chair of the WateReuse Onsite and Distributed Systems Committee and Director of Water Origination for NextEra Distributed Water. The host, Christoph Lohr, interviews Patricia and Bob about onsite water reuse at hospitals, including the planned Piedmont Atlanta hospital WaterHub system.

Watch the Conversation

Research Update

Water Research Foundation Seeks Proposals to Study Approaches for Successful Interagency Reuse Projects

Earlier this month, the Water Research Foundation (WRF) officially opened RFPs for WRF 5250: Approaches to Build Strong Partnerships and Solidify Successful Interagency Reuse Projects. This opportunity seeks to fund projects that highlight and guide successful examples of interagency collaboration in the water reuse space. Deliverables from this project can include – but are not limited to – reports, white papers, guidance documents, literature reviews, fact sheets, workshops, webcasts, or web tools. Eligible applicants include academic institutions, research organizations, governmental agencies, consultants, and for-profit organizations. WRF encourages that this research be done in collaboration with utilities. If your utility in interested in participating in this research, they may do so by following this link and will be added to the list of other interested utilities (See Page 7 in the RFP). Funding for this project is up to $150,000 with an anticipated project duration of 18 months. Proposals are due November 14, 2023.

Read the RFP

International Update

South Africa: Durban Area Unveils Water Reuse Pilot Plant

The municipality of eThekwini – encompassing Durban, South Africa’s largest east coast city – unveiled a potable water reuse pilot plant at the KwaMashu Wastewater Treatment Works. The plant, built by MEB Energy, treats secondary effluent to produce potable water that meets the South African National Standard. This is the city’s second pilot project for recycled water following the remix demonstration plant, which combines water reuse and desalination. Councilor Thebo Ntuli said that the result from the pilot projects would assist the city in implementing its alternate new water scheme whose feasibility study was under way.

WateReuse Member Resources and Benefits

Profile in Reuse: Environmental Restoration

In addition to ensuring a safe, reliable, locally controlled water supply, water reuse can provide tremendous benefit to the environment and mitigates impacts associated with climate change. The Profile in Reuse: Environmental Restoration is the latest in our Types of Reuse series. Check out the web resource and a bonus print-ready PDF available to WateReuse Association members. Our profiles present water reuse topics in an approachable way that can be shared with members of the public, decision-makers, and other stakeholders. It also includes six brief case studies about water reuse for environmental restoration in every region of the United States.

Profiles in Reuse: Environmental Restoration

WateReuse Events and Webcasts Calendar

Partner Webcast: Water Research Foundation - Impediments and Incentives for Agricultural Reuse

September 26, 2023
10 am PT | 1 pm ET (1 hour)

Agricultural water reuse has the potential to increase the resilience of water and agricultural systems through benefits such as irrigation enhancement, nutrient management, water supply diversification, and compliance with water quality permits. The most successful agricultural water reuse projects invariably address multiple objectives and deliver co-benefits to diverse stakeholders. This webcast will be based on WRF project 4956, Addressing Impediments and Incentives for agricultural reuse, and features a guidebook highlighting specific strategies for addressing barriers to agricultural water reuse.

Germany’s Approach to Water Reuse for Agricultural and Landscape Irrigation

October 10, 2023
8 am PT | 11 am ET | 5:00 pm CET (1.5 hours)
Free to WateReuse members

Despite Germany’s temperate climate and history of adequate water resources, the country is experiencing droughts and extreme weather trends as a result of climate change. Germany’s increasing interest in employing water reuse for agricultural and landscape irrigation can serve as a model for other temperate regions facing these trends. Join us to learn about reuse in Germany, including initiatives which have existed for decades, future outlooks for reuse in Germany, and the recent European Water Reuse Regulation (2020/741) which went into effect in June 2023. Our panel of research and utility experts will also present ongoing research related to non-potable reuse of municipal wastewater for agricultural and landscape irrigation.

Are We Ready for Next Generation Potable Reuse Projects?

December 14, 2023
10 am PT | 1 pm ET (1 hour)
Free to WateReuse members

This webcast will explore what the next generation of water and resource recovery facilities will look like, and the steps that we need to take to develop the future of potable reuse. Our panel of experts will lay out how and where we can incorporate technical innovations into potable reuse treatment facilities to make them more robust, resilient, and sustainable. The panelists will discuss reducing carbon footprint, recovering heat and material, contributing to the circular economy, and creating public and private partnership opportunities.

WateReuse Events Calendar

2023 WateReuse California Conference

Indian Wells, CA
November 5-7, 2023

The discounted room rate at the Renaissance Esmeralda is available through October 5, 2023, or when the block sells out, whichever comes first! Book your room today.

2024 WateReuse Symposium

Removing Barriers, Elevating Opportunities
Denver, CO
March 11-14, 2024

Learn More

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