September 24, 2025

The U.S. Senate last week confirmed Andrea Travnicek—former Director of the North Dakota Department of Water Resources—to be the Department of Interior’s Assistant Secretary for Water and Science. In that role, Travnicek will have oversight over the Bureau of Reclamation, which administers the Title XVI Water Reuse Grants Program and the Large-Scale Water Reuse Projects Competitive Grant Program, among other important programs. Meanwhile, amid challenging negotiations over the preservation and use of the Colorado River, President Trump pulled the nomination of Ted Cooke, formerly of the Central Arizona Project (CAP) and the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona, to be Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation. It remains to be seen if or when the President will announce a new nominee the fill the role.

U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin penned an op-ed in The Hill explaining his vision for EPA’s role in artificial intelligence. Zeldin highlights the current Administration’s AI Executive Order, Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence, and his own agency’s new “Five Pillars” approach, which includes a focus on fast-tracking data centers and other facilities associated with AI. Zeldin highlights the role of water reuse to support data center cooling: “During President Trump’s first term, EPA developed the National Reuse Water Action Plan to advance water reuse strategies with AI applications in mind,” Zeldin writes.

Data centers and semiconductor plants are essential for artificial intelligence technology. Water reuse can support these facilities’ operation even in regions where water resources are constrained. Learn more in our brand-new Profile of Water Reuse for Artificial Intelligence.

Early this week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began to shutter its Office of Research and Development (ORD), and to transfer ORD functions to other offices within the Agency. It is not yet clear which ORD functions and staff will be transferred to the new Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions, which will be housed in other existing offices such as the Office of Water (OW), and which will be eliminated. EPA is also expected to shut down OW’s Office of Science and Technology (OST) and to disperse OST functions and staff to other offices within OW. This includes EPA’s water reuse team and program, which will now be housed within the Office of Wastewater Management. WateReuse is in close communication with EPA OW leadership to ensure that EPA’s water reuse programs and activities are adequately resourced.

Last week, over 250 WateReuse members and water professionals came together in Houston for the 2025 WateReuse Texas Conference.

The conference featured three days of workshops, technical sessions, and a panel made up of winners of the annual Ed Archuleta Award for lifetime contributions to reuse in Texas. Archuleta, the retired President and CEO of El Paso Water and an influential water leader, spoke as part of the panel, focusing his comments on the foundational importance of community engagement. He advocated an “evolutionary” approach to public trust: proving that you can deliver fundamentals of system maintenance and customer service before undertaking potable reuse.

Attendees celebrated the 20^th Anniversary of WateReuse Texas with a band and a blowout celebration. On the eve of the conference, WateReuse Texas also succeeded in reaching 2,020 LinkedIn followers for 20 years. Mark your calendars for the 2026 WateReuse Texas Conference, the week of September 14, in San Antonio!

The Water Research Foundation recently completed Project 5129, offering new insights into effective Carbon-Based Advanced Treatment (CBAT) methods. The study was led by WateReuse award-winner Andy Salveson with Carollo Engineers and made possible with data and participation from WateReuse members Hampton Roads Sanitation District, Clay County Utility Authority, Polk County Utilities, and City of South Jordan, Utah; as well as Mekorot (Israel).

The multi-year study validated a novel dose control method using an ozone to total organic carbon ratio after accounting for the nitrite demand on ozone [(O₃-NO₂):TOC]. This innovative approach optimizes energy use by reducing the required ozone dose while achieving effective pathogen reduction, resulting in lower utility operational costs. Furthermore, it minimizes bromate formation, a regulated disinfection byproduct that must be controlled in drinking water systems to meet public health standards, while maintaining robust virus disinfection levels.

Contact us at info@watereuse.org