May 2024 Newsletter

We are thrilled to announce that the 2024 WateReuse Texas conference registration is now open! This year's conference promises to be a remarkable gathering of industry experts, innovators, and thought leaders focused on advancing the future of water reuse in Texas. Here's what you need to know: 

1. Super Saver Utility Rate: We are bringing back the $99 Super Saver rate this year for the first 50 utility member registrants. Non-utility members of WateReuse Texas will also get discounts on registration pricing. Check if your organization is a member here, and make sure you're signed in to your WRA account when you register (discounts expire on June 30). Thanks to our 2024 conference sponsors who have helped us offer these special rates!

2. Conference Events: In addition to plenary sessions and three technical breakout tracks, the WRTX conference agenda includes:

• Workshop #1: Reuse 101 Boot Camp: An Introduction from the Experts
• Workshop #2: Paying for the Future, organized in partnership with Water Finance Exchange
• Workshop #3: Planning for a Future with Reuse
• OSCAR and CLARA system tour with Austin Water
• Awards Ceremony
• Networking Reception

And more! For more details about the program and schedule, visit here. 

3. Two Conferences, One Location! Our conference will be co-located with the Texas Desalination Association's 2024 conference for the convenience of people who want to attend both conferences. Discounted rooms at the Austin North Drury Inn & Suites are available from Sunday Sept 8-Thursday Sept 12. Each conference must be registered for separately. 

4. Poster Proposals and Awards Nominations: Our poster proposals and award nomination submissions will open in early June and close in late July. To learn more about the requirements, visit here. And keep an eye on your inbox for further announcements! 

5. Keynote Announcement: Last but certainly not least, our keynote speaker will be NASA International Space Station (ISS) Water Subsystems Manager Jill Williamson, PhD. Dr. Williamson manages the ISS Water Recovery System to ensure pristine quality water is available to astronauts for food rehydration and drinks as well as for ISS payloads and oxygen generation. She will share stories about adapting a water recycling system to interface with multiple international systems on the space station. To read the full announcement with Jill's bio, visit here.  

Don't forget to follow our LinkedIn page for additional information and announcements! 

For more information about conference sponsorship and tabling, view our prospectus. Contact Noelle George to confirm sponsorship level or reserve tables (tabling space is limited)! 

Texas Legislature Releases Interim Charges that include Reuse

Both the Texas House Committee on Natural Resources and the Texas Senate Water, Agricultural, and Rural Affairs Committee have released interim charges that involve reuse or reuse-related legislation. 

The House Committee charges include examining opportunities for water reuse expansion, and the Senate Committee charges include coordination and monitoring of the implementation of Senate Bill 28 and Senate Bill 1289. 

Exact language for the House Committee directs them to "examine opportunities to expand the reuse of waters in Texas as an additional water supply and identify funding deficiencies for water reuse projects and regulatory impediments that make expansion of water reuse difficult in Texas."

WateReuse Texas will continue to advocate for reuse through both these committees, as well as with the TCEQ and TWDB. To get involved with our legislative and regulatory advocacy, please contact Noelle George to join our policy committee. 

At Consor, we have successfully supported millions of dollars in WIFIA loan applications at all stages of development including Letter of Interest and loan application development, environmental compliance, engineering documentation, public communication, and project management.

If your community has a project which you think might be eligible for WIFIA funding, the time is always right to begin the process. The application for WIFIA projects is non-competitive and letters of interest (LOIs) are accepted on a rolling basis. The LOI provides information to demonstrate project eligibility, financial creditworthiness, and engineering feasibility. A complete application is then due within one year of invitation to apply.

Consor supports more than $1 billion in WIFIA funding pursuits. With offices in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, McAllen, and Amarillo, our technical experts are near you wherever you are in Texas, meaning we know the unique water issues facing your community. For more information on how we can help your organization apply for WIFIA funding, please reach me at (503) 222-0146 or libby.bakke@consoreng.com.

The City of Austin approved a program to increase reclaimed water use for non-drinking purposes on March 7. The GoPurple Program provides new rules and financial incentives for developments to install onsite water reuse systems or connect to the city’s reclaimed water system. Katherine Jashinski, supervising engineer at Austin Water, describes water reuse with an analogy: “Buildings used to not have elevators and eventually that became the norm, so that everyone can have access to the top floors… Those are systems that are mechanical and complex. They’re kind of expensive, but they’re necessary.”

On April 18, the Bureau of Reclamation’s Desalination and Water Purification Research program selected the project team led by Dr. Keisuke Ikehata from Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, to receive $250K in funding for their proposed project, 'Pilot Photobioreactor Development for Scalant Removal and Enhanced Water Recovery from Brackish Reverse Osmosis Concentrate.'

The Texas State team has been developing a photobiological treatment process using brackish diatoms, which removes dissolved silica and calcium carbonate from reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate, enabling additional water recovery through secondary RO. This project aims to demonstrate continuous pilot photobioreactor operation using sunlight and reduce the reactor footprint. The pilot system will be designed and fabricated at Texas State University and deployed at the Bureau of Reclamation’s Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility (BGNDRF) in Alamogordo, New Mexico, for pilot testing in the Spring–Summer of 2026. The project is being conducted in collaboration with and supported by the City of Wichita Falls, Orange County Water District, San Antonio Water System, Fukui Prefectural University, and Yokogawa Fluid Imaging Technologies.

Noelle George, Managing Director
ngeorge@watereuse.org | (832) 619-9496