Last week, hundreds of water professionals gathered in Washington, D.C. to advocate for key water sector priorities, including investments in water reuse infrastructure. On Tuesday, April 14, utility leaders and policymakers shared perspectives on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) efforts to advance water reuse and the role of water reuse in data centers and artificial intelligence.
Assistant Administrator of EPA’s Office of Water Jessica Kramer emphasized the importance of the agency’s reuse initiatives: “We need to make sure that we are maximizing every dollar and every drop,” she noted, explaining that reuse infrastructure strengthens American industry while protecting public health and water supplies. Kramer also noted last week’s kickoff of the Water Reuse Action Plan (WRAP) 2.0 initiative as a key vehicle for continuing to advance adoption of water reuse.
Tuesday’s gathering also included a panel on data centers and artificial intelligence which addressed the role of reuse in enabling technological advancement and economic growth while protecting communities’ water supplies. “To make sure we have a resilient infrastructure over time, we want to be looking at that circular water economy,” said Kristen Atha, director of WateReuse member Columbus Water & Power. Atha shared the utility’s reuse planning efforts to accommodate growing industrial presence in Columbus, including over 120 active or planned data centers. | 
