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 2024 Symposium in Denver, March 11-14, will feature six tracks of technical content, interactive workshops, and timely plenary conversations.

This year's Symposium is shaping up to be one of our largest events yet. The advance registration deadline is Monday, February 26. Due to space constraints, there may not be an option for onsite or late registration at this year's event. Register now while space is still available.

The Global Industrial Water Reuse Champions Award honors Fortune 1000 companies across the world that prioritize water reuse throughout their manufacturing and production processes. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, University of Pennsylvania Water Center, International Desalination and Reuse Association (IDRA), Veolia, and the WateReuse Association collaborate to grant this honor, which was developed as part of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Water Reuse Action Plan (WRAP Action 8.4). This award is now open for its third cycle, with nominations due on August 31, 2024. The award will be presented in December at the IDRA World Summit.

WateReuse Association elevates exemplary efforts in water reuse through our recognition programs. WateReuse works with partner associations to administer Global Industrial Water Reuse Champions Award and the Utility of the Future recognition program, and also presents the Annual WateReuse Awards for Excellence at the Annual WateReuse Symposium.

The WateReuse Association and WateReuse Colorado welcome Metro Water Recovery. Metro is a large, stand-alone special district formed by the Colorado legislature in 1961 to provide wastewater transmission and treatment services to member municipalities and special connectors in compliance with federal, state, and local laws. Metro includes 62 cities, counties, and special districts across our 805-square-mile service area. Serving more than 2.2 million people throughout Denver and parts of Adams, Arapahoe, Jefferson, Douglas, and Weld counties, Metro is the wastewater treatment authority for most of metropolitan Denver and is the largest wastewater treatment provider in the Rocky Mountain West.

Last week, the WateReuse California Board of Trustees selected Brenley McKenna as its new Managing Director. McKenna currently serves as the Chief of Subscriber Services for The Water Research Foundation (WRF).  Prior to joining WRF in 2017, McKenna served as Program Manager with Denver Water; as Reclaimed Water System Coordinator with the City of Westminster, CO; and as an Environmental Specialist with Arcadis. McKenna also served as President for WateReuse Colorado from 2015 – 2017. McKenna holds a Master of Science in Environmental Science and Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, and a Bachelor of Science from University of California, Davis.

WRCA Regulatory Affairs Director, Rosario Cortés, will continue in her role as interim Managing Director until McKenna steps into the new role on April 1, 2024. McKenna replaces Jennifer West who served as WRCA Managing Director until December 31, 2023. 

If you want to learn more about WateReuse Association does, or explain our mission to others, check out our institutional one-pager: “the WateReuse Association – Engage, Educate, Advocate!” This piece is easy to email or print and distribute to support conversations about what we do as an association representing entities engaged in water recycling. The front page summarizes the WateReuse Association’s members and programs, and the back gives a brief introduction to water recycling and its benefits.

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

The 39^th Annual WateReuse Symposium is a celebration of a unique moment for water reuse. New funding, new collaborations, and new regulatory frameworks are elevating opportunities for reuse projects nationwide. As water reuse practitioners, we have reached this summit together. Together we can remove barriers and empower safer, more resilient, and more sustainable communities and businesses with water reuse.

February 21, 2024
10 am CT | 11 am ET (1 hour)
Free to WateReuse Members

Are you considering water reuse for your community? Are you an operator who is interested in water reuse? Here’s your chance to ask questions directly to licensed operators from El Paso Water, City of Wichita Falls, Fort Worth Water, and City of McAllen Public Works. What is expected of operators during reuse operations? How can they get ready to implement reuse? Depending on the source water and the end use of the reclaimed water, what changes should operators expect? How does operator mindset need to change with different types of reuse: IPR versus DPR, and direct to distribution DPR? Join us for answers to these questions and more.

February 27, 2024
11 am PT | 2 pm ET (1.5 hours)
Free to WateReuse Members

As pressure continues to build on our water resources and inflation continues to climb there is a need to further implement the cost-effective use of recycled water. In Florida, regulations such as the state's SB 64 requirement for beneficial reuse, watershed nutrient limits, elimination of ocean outfalls, and limitations on our traditional sources of drinking water are driving our industry to implement solutions quickly that are more expensive than traditional reclaimed water projects. This has driven a demand on State and Federal agency funding. Join our expert panel to learn about a multitude of available funding sources available to municipalities east of the Mississippi. Topics include the application process and what to expect when awarded.

April 9, 2024 | Washington, DC

The WateReuse Association, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), the Water Environment Federation (WEF), and The Water Research Foundation (WRF) are proud to present the cornerstone event for Water Week 2024 – the National Water Policy Fly-In.

Gather to hear insights from senior EPA and other government officials, as well as Members of Congress and key policy experts, as they discuss the federal legislative and regulatory outlook impacting the water sector during this critical election year. We encourage you to use this opportunity to schedule visits with your Congressional delegations or other policymakers here in the Nation’s Capital to add your voice to the collective and advocate on behalf of the clean water sector.

June 13, 2024 | Silverton, OR

The WateReuse Association Pacific Northwest (PNW) section, in partnership with the City of Silverton, is hosting its third annual Summer Summit and Social on Thursday, June 13, 2024 at The Oregon Garden. Join us for a day of technical education, policy discussions, and professional networking focused on the implementation of water reuse solutions in Oregon!

July 28-30, 2024 | Flagstaff, AZ

The annual Arizona Symposium is hosted by the AZ Water Association and the Arizona section of WateReuse and brings together industry leaders in water reuse for education, conversation, and networking in Flagstaff, Arizona. The Symposium included a tour, a networking reception and water balloon fight, plenary sessions, and technical tracks.

September 15-17, 2024, 2024 | Garden Grove, CA

Save the date! The WateReuse California Annual Conference welcomes over 700 water professionals for three days of networking, technical sessions, and panels on the most pressing water reuse issues in the state. The conference includes the Annual California Reuse Awards of Excellence ceremony and much more.

November 19-21, 2024 | Indian Wells, CA

Save the date for the 2024 Industrial & Commercial Water Reuse Conference: The Road to Water Positivity!