Every year in October, the water community comes together to “Imagine a Day Without Water.” This year, we worked with Monterey One Water to highlight how they adapted to a sudden limit on their withdrawals from the Carmel River watershed by implementing reuse. 

Today, Monterey One Water’s efforts ensure a sustainable water supply for the region while reducing groundwater pumping, slowing seawater intrusion, protecting thousands of agricultural and tourism-related jobs, improving local ecosystems, and more. Monterey One Water’s approach ensures that the Monterey region never has to face a day without water.  

This is your final notice! The exclusive Super Saver registration rate for the 41st Annual WateReuse Symposium closes in just one week.  

This year’s Symposium will feature world-class plenary conversations, six tracks of technical content, and tours of six cutting-edge regional reuse projects. On top that, we’re going to party: join us on Tuesday evening at one of the most popular destinations in downtown Los Angeles: Level 8. Level 8 brings together a riot of disparate global influences unified by their connection to the history of Downtown LA and by an artful combination of authentic cuisine and interactive design. 

If you’re planning to join us in Los Angeles in March, don’t miss this chance to secure your spot at the lowest price. 

On Friday, WateReuse Association and our partners announced this year’s winners of the Global Industrial Reuse Champions Award at the University of Pennsylvania Water Center’s Corporate Roundtable Event. The Simplot Company and Lucid Motors are this year’s award winners.  

Simplot, an agricultural company, received the award for the water reuse program at their potato processing plant in Caldwell, Idaho. This plant treats an average daily flow of 2.3 million gallons per day to EPA drinking water standards and reuses it for potato processing.  

Lucid, a maker of advanced electric vehicles, was recognized for its advanced manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia which implemented a high-quality water reuse system that reintegrates water into cooling, washing, and other non-potable applications within the plant. 

WateReuse congratulates Simplot and Lucid and thanks them for their leadership in reuse and water stewardship.  

This award was established through the National Water Reuse Action Plan (WRAP) and is awarded in partnership with the International Desalination and Reuse Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, UPenn Water Center, Veolia, and Veralto.  

The WateReuse Association and WateReuse Kansas welcome the City of Wichita! Since 2016, the City of Wichita has been using recycled water for industrial processes through a partnership with Spirit Aerosystems. The water recycling project reduces the manufacturer’s potable water use by more than 70% and conserves more than one million gallons of water each day. This year, the City of Wichita also approved a water reuse pilot study which is currently providing free irrigation to a local botanical garden.  

Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 31 – legislation which expands the applications of recycled water – into law. WateReuse California sponsored the legislation and advocated for its passage. The law allows parks to expand the use of recycled water, reduces restrictions for its use in decorative bodies of water, eliminates burdensome requirements for water reuse by homeowners’ associations, and allows food handling and processing facilities to use recycled water in toilets and urinals as well as outdoor irrigation. The legislation is intended to support California in its goal of recycling 1.8 million acre-feet of recycled water annually by 2040. "SB 31 is a pragmatic approach that will protect fresh water supplies by expanding the use of recycled water for irrigation and commercial uses," said bill author Jerry McNerney. "It will also help safeguard the state during devastating droughts caused by climate change." 

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California announced last week that Shivaji Deshmukh will take the helm as its next general manager. Deshmukh is president-elect of WateReuse California’s Board of Trustees and has helped develop large-scale water recycling projects, including the Orange County Groundwater Replenishment System. He served most recently as general manager of the Inland Empire Utilities Agency. “Metropolitan Water District is part of the fabric of Southern California, delivering the water supply that has helped the region grow and thrive for nearly 100 years. I am thrilled to be joining this indispensable organization, particularly as it sets the course for water reliability for the next century with critical decisions on the horizon about various water supply, storage and conveyance projects,” Deshmukh said. His tenure as general manager will begin on January 1, 2026.  

Engineering News Record announced last week that Cleburne, Texas’ Wastewater Treatment Plant and Indirect Reuse Program, designed by WateReuse member Freese & Nichols, was named a Best Project of 2025. The indirect potable reuse project features a 4 million gallon per day advanced treatment facility and a pipeline which routes recycled water to the city’s reservoir. The new plant features biological nutrient removal, UV disinfection and tertiary filtration. The project was initiated to help Cleburne prepare for an anticipated 25% population increase in the area over the next 10 years.

Stormwater capture and reuse is a growing focus in the water reuse community. As climate change increases the unpredictability of weather, reusing our rain can offer many co-benefits including flood management, enhancing water supply and water quality, and cost savings. Visit our Stormwater Reuse landing page for more information! WateReuse members can also download the Profile in Stormwater Reuse, a useful outreach and education piece for community stakeholders.  

November 13, 2025 
10:00 am ET | 7:00 am PT 
Free to WateReuse Members 

Join us to learn about Upper Occoquan Service Authority's water recycling history & journey. Upper Occoquan Service Authority (UOSA) is a regional water recycling facility that protects public health and the environment as trusted stewards of our most precious resource – water. They have a long track record and will discuss their story along with how they are facing new challenges, such as emerging contaminants (PFAS), changes to influent load from water conservation, and changes to treatment targets. 

 
Presented by WateReuse Ohio. 

March 8-11 | Los Angeles, CA

Super Saver Registration is now open for the premier conference on water recycling — attracting water professionals and water reuse practitioners globally for knowledge-sharing, networking, and collaboration.