July 15, 2024

Last week, the House Appropriations Committee passed FY 2025 appropriations bills for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Bureau of Reclamation, and included funding for key water recycling programs. The House Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill meets the WateReuse Association’s asks of $20 million for the Title XVI-WIIN Water Reuse Grants Program and $19 million for the Desalination and Water Purification Program. Importantly, the bill extends the funding authorization for the Title XVI-WIIN Program to December 2026 and increases funding authority from $50 million to over $167 million (lump sum). This funding, as is the case each year with discretionary appropriations, would come in addition to direct funding provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. In the House Interior-Environment Appropriations bill, the Committee included $3 million in start-up funding for the Pilot Program for Alternative Water Source Grants, a top WateReuse priority, but proposed significant reductions to the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Programs. For a full breakdown of funding for EPA water programs, visit last week’s newsletter in which we cover the bill in detail. Now that the House funding bills have passed out of Committee and have been reported to the full House, we turn our attention to the Senate, where the Senate Appropriations Committee will soon be marking up its own version of the bills.

On Friday, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Representative Grace Napolitano (D-CA) led 29 lawmakers in calling on the Bureau of Reclamation to raise the per-project cap on federal funding for Title XVI water recycling projects from $30 million to $40 million by adjusting the cap for inflation. “As the West continues to recover from the impacts of long-term drought while also preparing for inevitable future droughts, it is imperative that the federal government continues to invest in local water supplies to meet the demands of recycled water in the West,” wrote the lawmakers. A 1996 law established a $20 million per-project cap for the Title XVI program, but also authorized the Bureau of Reclamation to increase the cap to keep pace with inflation. In 2022, following an advocacy effort by the WateReuse Association, Reclamation used this authority to increase the cap to $30 million. WateReuse delivered a second letter in August 2023 urging Reclamation to once again increase the cap to $40 million, which roughly equates to $20 million in 1996 dollars. An increased funding cap will help Western communities develop the major water reuse projects that they need.

Last week the EPA announced a $14.8 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to WateReuse member Palmdale Water District (PWD) in southern California. This loan will assist the district in building the Pure Water Antelope Valley Demonstration Facility and establishing a drought-proof drinking water supply for over 125,000 residents. This is the first WIFIA loan under a master agreement that will commit a total of $145 million to develop its advanced water purification program. With this first loan, the district is expected to save $4 million in interest compared to traditional financing and create about 50 jobs.

The WateReuse Association met with the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) to discuss potential opportunities for collaboration in the future. AFDO is comprised primarily of food, drug, medical device and consumer product safety officials, but also includes representatives from industry and academia. WateReuse and AFDO discussed opportunities to inform and educate food and drug safety officials about water recycling and relevant applications in the food, beverage, and other industrial sectors.

Last week, EPA’s Office of Water announced the allocation of more than $20 million for thirteen workforce development organizations focused on broadening opportunities in the drinking water and wastewater sectors. This funding will support the development of internship and post-secondary programs, educational programs for all levels, training programs, learning laboratories, and other programs that promote candidate development. WateReuse congratulates its members WaterNow Alliance, The Water Tower Institute, and Baltimore City Department of Public Works who were awarded a collective total of more than $4.45 million. WateReuse and our members are committed to engaging and educating the next generation of the water reuse professionals.

The EPA recently updated the Water Technical Assistance (WaterTA) website. The new content is designed to provide communities with the engineering expertise needed to apply for EPA funding for drinking water, wastewater, water reuse, and stormwater infrastructure projects. The new resources include WaterTA Engineering Support and a resource for Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap.

Program Description: This rural program funding supports small, underserved communities in improving water and wastewater systems.

Agency: USDA Rural Utilities Service

Award Type: Loans and Grants

Number of Awards: Funds approximately 450 projects annually

Funding Source: Federal Appropriations – Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act

Funding: Variable by state allocation

Eligible Applicants: Funds are for those unable to get commercial credit and includes state & local governmental entities, tribes, nonprofits (private)

Eligible Projects Related to Reuse: Projects that reuse water to bolster rural water supplies and increase resilience to drought; Drought planning, climate resilience, nutrient management, and water supply management activities (acquisition, construction, improvement)

Timeline: Rolling Applications Using RD Apply or Through Local RD Offices

Last week, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) released a draft rule for the state’s Advanced Water Purification (AWP) Program, which will create a statewide framework for potable reuse permitting. The draft rule outlines the technical and operational requirements for AWP systems, drawing on proven methodologies and best practices, input from ADEQ’s Technical Advisory Group, and technical feedback received on ADEQ’s Advanced Water Purification (AWP) Proposed Program Roadmap. ADEQ is seeking technical input and feedback through August 7, 2024 from stakeholders and the interested public.

Courthouse News published an exploration of potable reuse projects in Southern California. Deven Upadhyay, Interim General Manager for Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) and Vice President of WateReuse Association, told Courthouse News: "We're in the business of doing big projects. We saw that in the future, we could not rely on an unsustainable supply of water." In addition to MWD, the article spotlights WateReuse members Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, City of San Diego, and Orange County Water District.

The American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA) and the Bureau of Reclamation recently announce the 2024 recipients of the AMTA/Reclamation Fellowships for Membrane Technology, including researchers from WateReuse members University of Colorado, Boulder and University of California, Los Angeles. The four recipients undertaking cutting-edge and innovative research in universities across the country will receive a $11,750 fellowship to support advancing membrane technology research in water, wastewater, or water reuse industries.

Contact us at info@watereuse.org