Date: January 31, 2021
The Project WET Foundation and the WateReuse Association announce the release of a new Water Reuse booklet that introduces students...
Date: December 15, 2015
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced December 15 that the department will establish a Natural Resource Investment Center to spur partnerships with the private sector to develop creative financing opportunities that support economic development goals while advancing the department’s resource stewardship mission.
At a White House Roundtable on Water Innovation, Jewell outlined that the Center will use market-based tools and innovative public-private collaborations to increase investment in water conservation and critical water infrastructure, as well as promote investments that conserve important habitat in a manner that advances efficient permitting and meaningful landscape-level conservation.
“Given increased development pressures, climate impacts and constrained budgets, Interior is pursuing innovative approaches with private sector organizations to help accomplish our balanced land management and conservation mission,” Secretary Jewell said. “As a former CEO, I am confident the private sector can play a meaningful role in working with us to advance the goals of smart development alongside thoughtful conservation. The Natural Resource Investment Center will facilitate this effort by building on current activity to incent private investments in the infrastructure and conservation of water, species, habitat, and other natural resources.”
The Center will work closely with the private sector and others to identify innovative ideas and financing options for projects that conserve scarce Western water resources and protect species habitat.
The Center will focus on three objectives:
The Center is part of President Obama’s Build America Investment Initiative, which calls on federal agencies to find new ways to increase investment in ports, roads, water and sewer systems, bridges, broadband networks, and other 21st-century infrastructure projects; and Pay for Success, an initiative that seeks to employ innovative new strategies to help ensure that the essential services of government produce their intended outcomes. The infrastructure improvements are facilitated by building partnerships among federal, state, local and tribal governments and private-sector investors. The U.S. Departments of Transportation and Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency also have centers initiated in response to these Initiatives.
Interior’s Natural Resource Investment Center will harness the expertise of the Department’s bureaus, including the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs and U.S Geological Survey, and will tap external private sector experience to deliver on its objectives.
The Center will model its water efficiency and transfer efforts in part on the successful initiatives of the Central Valley Project (CVP) in California. The CVP improves operational flexibility and water supply reliability through expanded use of voluntary water transfers. Individuals or water districts receiving CVP water can transfer all or a portion of their water to other California water users or a water agency, state or federal agency, tribes, or private non-profit organizations. Through this program, between 300,000 and 400,000 acre-feet of water is transferred in a typical year, allowing high-value agriculture and cities to maintain deliveries through scarcity.
To promote increased investment in critical water infrastructure, the Center will also work to develop new financing approaches and engage with non-federal partners to make investments that build water supply resilience. These could include storage, pipelines, canals, and investments in efficiency that help to stretch and better manage scarce water supplies and sustain river ecosystems. One recent example of this approach is the Warren H. Brock Reservoir in California. To respond more effectively to the changing conditions on the river, Reclamation and stakeholders in Nevada, Arizona, and California collaboratively constructed this storage facility to conserve water and maximize the use of available water supplies. The Bureau of Reclamation conducted environmental compliance, oversaw construction, and integrated the project into its operations in the Lower Colorado River system, and the project was completed in roughly two years.
The Center will also identify opportunities for private sector investments in important habitat conservation needs on public and private lands. One creative example is demonstrated in a partnership between Interior, Barrick Gold of North America and The Nature Conservancy to enhance habitat in Nevada for the greater sage grouse. The agreement allowed Barrick to accumulate credits for successful habitat improvement projects on its private ranchlands. In return, the company receives assurance from Interior that the credits can be used to offset impact to habitat from planned future mine expansion on public lands.
The Department of the Interior manages approximately 20 percent of the land in the United States, and is the largest wholesale water provider in the country. The Department is establishing the Center under its existing authorities.
Date: January 31, 2021
The Project WET Foundation and the WateReuse Association announce the release of a new Water Reuse booklet that introduces students...
WateReuse Members Profiled in EPA Water Workforce Compendium
Date: January 29, 2021
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is showcasing the successes of several WateReuse Association members in recruiting and retaining a...
National Water Reuse Action Plan Quarterly Update Highlights WateReuse Symposium
Date: November 02, 2020
The U.S. EPA spotlighted activity at the 35th Annual WateReuse Virtual Symposium in the newly released Water Reuse Action Plan...
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West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Water and Waste Regulations | West Virginia West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
Washington State Department of Ecology, Reclaimed Water | Washington Washington State Department of Ecology
Reclaimed Water Use (Revised Code of Washington §90.46.005) | Washington State Legislature
Virginia State Law, Treatment and Standards for Reclaimed Water | Virginia Virginia State Law
Virginia State Law, Minimum Standard Requirements for Reuses of Reclaimed Water | Virginia Virginia State Law
Use of Reclaimed Water (Texas Administrative Code §30.1.210) | Texas Administrative Code
30 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 210- Use of Reclaimed Water | Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
30 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 321, Subchapter P | Texas Administrative Code
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. §5.102 | Texas Administrative Code
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. §26.011. | Texas Administrative Code
2015 South Carolina Plumbing Code- Chapter 13 Nonpotable Water Systems | South Carolina Plumbing Code
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Water Reuse Program | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Oregon Water Resources Department, Municipal Water Reuse | Oregon Water Resources Department
Recycled Water Use Rules (Oregon Administrative Rules 340-055-0005) | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
3701-29-17 Gray water recycling systems and alternative toilets. | Ohio Administrative Code
North Dakota Water Commission, North Dakota State Policy/Procedure for Transfer and Reuse of Wastewater | North Dakota Water Commission
Local Water Supply Plans (General Statutes of North Carolina §143-355) |
New York Environmental Protection Department, Water Reuse Program | New York Environmental Protection Department
New York Environmental Protection Department, Water Reuse Guide 2018-2019 | New York Environmental Protection Department
New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, Oil and Gas Extraction Wastewater Management | New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department
New Mexico Environment Department, Water Resources & Management | New Mexico Environment Department
Water Project Finance Section; Implementation of state water plan (New Mexico Statutes §72-4A-9) | New Mexico Statutes
Water Conservation Plans; municipalities, counties and water suppliers. (New Mexico Statutes §72-14-3.2) | New Mexico Statutes
State Water Plan Authorization (New Mexico Statutes §72-14-3.1) | New Mexico Statutes
New Hampshire Department of Environment Services, Land Treatment and Disposal of Reclaimed Wastewater: Guidance for Groundwater Discharge Permitting | New Hampshire Department of Environment Services
Advancing Safe and Sustainable Water Reuse in Minnesota -2018 Report of the Interagency Workgroup of Water Reuse | Minnesota Department of Health
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency – Municipal Wastewater Reuse Fact Sheet | Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Massachusetts Reclaimed Water Information | Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
Department of the Environment, Water Reuse Initiative | Maryland Department of the Environment
Department of the Environment, Maryland Water Reuse Laws, Regulation, and Guidelines | Maryland Department of the Environment
Department of the Environment, Water Reuse General Background Information
Kansas Water Office, Non-Traditional Sources and Uses of Water-Reuse | Kansas Water Office
567 Iowa Administrative Code Chapter 62: Effluent and Pretreatment Standards: Other Effluent Limits or Prohibitions | Iowa Department of Environmental Protection
Recycled Water Rules (Idaho Administrative Code 58.01.17)| Idaho Department of Environmental Quality
Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida’s Reuse Program | Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Study on the expansion of use of reclaimed water, stormwater, and excess surface water (Florida Senate Bill 536 (2015)) | Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Sewage disposal facilities; advanced and secondary waste treatment. (Florida Statutes §403.086)| Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Reuse of reclaimed water (Florida Statutes §403.0645)| Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Reuse of reclaimed water (Florida Statutes §373.250) | Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Reuse Feasibility Studies (Florida Administrative Code 62-610.820) | Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Required and optional elements of comprehensive plans (Florida Statutes §163.3177) | Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, 2014 State of Connecticut Water Reuse Bill | Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Regulation No. 84 – Reclaimed Water Control Regulation | Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Water Quality Control Commission
Use of Recycled Water; Reclaimed Water Quality Standards (Arizona Administrative Code §18-9-7) | Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
Arizona Administrative Code Title 18, Chapter 9, Article 7. Use of Recycled Water. | Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
Arizona Administrative Code Title 18, Chapter 11, Article 3. Reclaimed Water Quality Standards. | Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
Reclaimed Water Reuse Program Chapter 335-6-20 | Alabama Department of Environmental Management
Regulations Related to Recycled Water | State Water Resources Control Board
Surface Water Augmentation Regulations (California Code of Regulations Title 22 § 60301.170) | State Water Resources Control Board
Model Water Efficiency Landscape Ordinance (California Code of Regulations Title 23 §490-495)
Water Quality Control Policy for Recycled Water | State Water Resources Control Board
Water Management Planning | Assembly Bill (AB) 1668 and Senate Bill (SB) 606-May 31, 2018