Message from WateReuse Association Leadership
During this time of crisis
Just Released: WateReuse President Gilbert Trejo Celebrates Association’s Successes in 30th Anniversary World Water Interview
In an interview with World Water, WateReuse Association President Gilbert Trejo discusses the growth of water reuse, the importance of water reuse advocacy, and the association’s past successes and vision for the future. Released last week, the March/April issue includes a special section on water reuse that highlights the release of the National Water Reuse Action Plan, previews the 35th Annual WateReuse Symposium, and profiles Tucson Water’s efforts to revitalize the Santa Cruz River with recycled water, among other articles. WateReuse partners with the Water Environment Federation to produce the special section in three issues per year.
Washington Update
COVID-19 Relief Efforts Continue in Congress
Virtual Water Reuse Advocacy: Join Water Week Webinars on April 22 and April 29
Action Needed: Submit Your “Shovel-Ready” Water Recycling Projects for Stimulus Investment
COVID-19 Resources for Water Recycling Agencies, Businesses, and Institutions
Federal Agencies Provide Guidance on Water and COVID-19
WateReuse Members and Partners Provide COVID-19 Guidance
WateReuse Member Spotlight: COVID-19 Experiences and Responses
Researchers Partner with Water Recycling Agencies to Test for COVID-19
Researchers from the Southern Nevada Water Authority, University of Arizona, and several other universities are coordinating with water reuse and wastewater agencies to test for the presence of COVID-19 in influent wastewater. Widespread monitoring of wastewater across regions and time could provide critical information related to the prevalence of COVID-19 across the nation, time series comparisons with clinically confirmed cases, and an early warning system of the reemergence of the virus. The researchers are asking partnering agencies to freeze influent wastewater for testing at regular intervals. The research team also released a fact sheet last week on the Implications of COVID-19 for Water, Wastewater, and Water Reuse. For more information, contact Daniel Gerrity at SNWA.
Clean Water Services Staff Make their Own Hand Sanitizer and Disinfecting Wipes
Employees of Clean Water Services in Oregon have taken on a few new duties. In response to the shortage of commercially available products, staff is producing hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes to help protect employees that continue doing the important work of maintaining our treatment plant systems. See LinkedIn
Xylem Shares How Digital Water Solutions Can Help Combat COVID-19
After surveying 25 utilities in the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, WateReuse Association member Xylem believes those that invested in digitizing their workflow and operations fared better. In an article published last week, Xylem Vice President and General Manager, Albert Cho, discussed the important role that secure digital technologies is playing in the resilience of operations during these times of crisis. Coming out of Covid-19, Cho says investing in secure digital transformation will become a central part of utility resilience strategies. Read More.
Share Your Story!
Please submit your COVID-19 story or your company’s COVID-19 response (up to 50 words) for inclusion in a future issue of WateReuse Review. Email your information to info@watereuse.org by Thursday at 12 pm ET.
State Updates and Member Profiles
Welcome New Member!
The WateReuse Association welcomes the following new member:
California: WateReuse California Elects New Board Members and Officers
California: Governor Suspends Service Disconnections Amid COVID-19 Outbreak
On April 2, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-42-20, Restrictions on Shutoffs, which restricts Public Water Systems (PWS) from disconnecting water service to residences and critical infrastructures due to non-payment. The Executive Order also requested that the California State Water Board identify ways to support water systems and customers, such as this web page that provides COVID-19 information and allows customers to report water shutoff issues.
Massachusetts: Wastewater Study Indicates Coronavirus Cases are Undercounted
Researchers tested samples of wastewater from an urban treatment plant in March and concluded that there are likely hundreds more people with coronavirus in the area than officials thought. There were about 450 confirmed coronavirus cases in the area of the treatment facility, but researchers estimated that the number of people actually infected with coronavirus is between 2,300 and 115,000. The study’s authors emphasized that while they can detect the virus in urine and feces, people are not at risk of getting the disease through sewage. Read More
New Mexico: Partnership Formed to Advance Produced Water Reuse in Agriculture
Two midstream companies have formed a partnership that they hope will lead to a treatment facility in Lea County that recycles oil and gas wastewater for use in agriculture. New Mexico-based Hungry Horse Environmental Services will provide the land and Wyoming-based Encore Environmental Group will provide technology to recycle produced water for agricultural use. New Mexico has established a consortium of researchers and government officials to research regulations on oil and gas produced water reuse. The two companies plan to work with the consortium to develop a conservation-by-design system that complies with the regulations the consortium develops. Read More.
Qatar: Recycled Water for Cooling Saves 2.2 Billion Gallons of Potable Water Annually
As much as 70% of Qatar’s electricity demand is for air conditioning. District cooling (DC) is a system that uses 40% less energy and with recycled water, significantly less potable water. Qatar has 20 DC plants using recycled water for the cooling plant operation, which saved about 2.2 billion gallons of potable water last year. Minimizing air conditioning’s electricity and potable water demand will help Qatar effectively cool the 2022 FIFA World Cup stadiums. Read more.
WateReuse Communications Tools and Resources
Understanding Potable Reuse: New Video Targets Public Health and Medical Community
The WateReuse Association’s new video, Understanding Potable Reuse: A Safe and Sustainable Supply, discusses the proven, science-based treatment processes that are used safely in communities around the world. In the video, experts from academia, public health, and utilities discuss the value of engaging with the medical community and including discussions of water in public health education. The video was produced as part of the WateReuse Public Health and Medical Community Initiative.
Conferences and Events
Webcast: Breaking Down Implementation Barriers for Onsite Non-Potable Water Systems
What are the key components of a successful onsite non-potable water system? Join us April 15 at 2 pm to learn about a Water Research Foundation guidance manual and interactive training modules to tackle critical knowledge gaps businesses and utilities. The presentation will cover treatment goals, effective design, strategies for effective operation and monitoring, and regulatory and permitting frameworks. Register Now!
Webcast: Managing Teams Remotely During Times of Crisis
Managing teams remotely is challenging in the best of times, but in times of crisis, executives and team leaders need to develop an entirely new set of management skills to ensure their teams feel supported and cared for as they work to remain productive. Join us on April 16 at 12 pm ET to learn from Dr. Bill Mitchell, COO of MoreTalent and former executive of fortune 500 companies, who specializes in helping leaders develop exceptional performing teams through periods of uncertainty and crisis. Register Now!
Webcast: America’s Water Infrastructure Act – Implications for Water Reuse and COVID-19
Are water recycling utilities well prepared to deal with the COVID-19 crisis and other potential future risks? Join us on April 21 at 2 pm ET for a discussion of America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) and risk assessment for utilities. AWIA requires all utilities serving 3,300 or more people to complete a risk and resilience assessment (RRA) for their water systems, followed by the completion of an emergency response plan. This presentation will discuss risk and risk perceptions in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Register Now!
Upcoming Events
WateReuse Pacific Northwest State Workshop Series
Join Us!
11:00 am – 1:30 pm PT | 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm ET
Fee: Free
This webinar is hosted jointly by this year’s Water Week Water Association Partners and will provide attendees the opportunity to hear directly from key EPA officials and Members of Congress on the important regulatory and legislative water policies they are working on now and in the years ahead.
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Join us for a lively discussion with leaders from across the water sector about the future of water reuse and its importance as a tool to address the impacts of climate change and meet local water demands.
Please join us for a free webinar on April 29, 2021, from 2:00 to 3:30 PM EDT to celebrate the first year of the National Water Reuse Action Plan (WRAP), including accomplishments of action leaders and partners and anticipated 2021 outcomes.
The Resilience through Collaboration: First Year Highlights and Future Directions of the National Water Reuse Action Plan webcast will feature remarks from Radhika Fox (EPA’s Acting Assistant Administrator for Water), Felicia Marcus (William C. Landreth Visiting Fellow at Stanford University’s Water in the West Program), and a roundtable discussion with WRAP action leaders and partners and other water reuse practitioners from around the United States. This event is hosted by EPA in collaboration with the WateReuse Association and other water sector partners.
The roundtable panelists include:
- Gilbert Trejo, El Paso Water, WateReuse President (moderator)
- Pinar Balci, New York City Department of Environmental Protection
- Mike Markus, Orange County Water District
- Melissa Klembara, U.S. Department of Energy
- Brandi Honeycutt, Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment
- Paula Kehoe, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Chair of the National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Non-potable Water Systems
The WRAP collaborative was launched on February 27, 2020 with federal, state, tribal, local, and private sector partners to build technical, financial, and institutional capacity to spur further consideration and implementation of water reuse across the country. The story of the WRAP’s first year of implementation is one of incredible dedication and determination by a growing community of over 100 different organizations. The WRAP collaborative has enabled the formation of new action-based partnerships across the water community to help address local water resource challenges through holistic thinking and integrated efforts to ultimately strengthen our Nation’s water security, sustainability, and resilience.
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Join May Wu, Principal Environmental System Scientist with Argonne National Laboratory, for a webcast on the role of water reuse in bioenergy production.
11:00 am – 12:00 pm PT | 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET
WateReuse Members: Free | Others: $49
Production of bioenergy from a range of feedstocks and biorefining pathways requires a substantial amount of water for irrigation, conversion process, cooling, and steam generation. Because the feedstock varies with climate and soil regions, an increased production will have implications in the availability of regional and local freshwater resources across the U.S. It is critical to understand how fit-for-purpose water recycling can be used to conserve freshwater.
This webcast presents findings from an Argonne National laboratory analyses of potential recycled water use to produce biofuels from conventional crops and algae and generate power by incorporating technology, climate, and geospatial-temporal components. Findings suggest a significant potential of producing advanced biofuel while doubling the amount of recycled water in use nationally. Results from this project support informed decision-making and strategic planning for water sustainable bioenergy development.
Presenter
May Wu is a principal environmental system scientist at Argonne National Laboratory. Her research interests are water resource use, water quality, and wastewater management in the production of biofuels and conventional energy.
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WateReuse Pacific Northwest State Workshop Series
WateReuse Pacific Northwest State Workshop Series
WateReuse Pacific Northwest State Workshop Series
Save the date! More information to come soon.
Learn how digital platforms that include artificial intelligence and machine learning can be used to improve asset management strategies and operational efficiencies.
11:00 am – 12:00 pm PT | 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49
PDHs: 1
In this webcast, our presenters will introduce how digital platforms that include artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can be used to improve asset management strategies and operational efficiencies, as well as enhance source control, validate unit process performance, predict product water quality and make sound decisions for assessing suitability of product water for human consumption.
The data collected from pilot and full-scale potable reuse treatment trains have been used to develop artificial neuron networks as part of an ML platform. The platform clearly demonstrates that ML can be used to predict, for example, the product water total organic carbon (TOC) concentration of a pilot advanced treatment facility and the specific fluxes on the third stage of a full-scale advanced treatment facility as the feed quality and operating conditions are changed.
The methodology used and model outputs will be discussed during the webcast. The presenters will also examine how we can couple AI/ML concepts with the Internet of Things (IoT) and next generation of the SCADA systems to operate and maintain assets efficiently while significantly enhancing public and regulatory confidence in potable reuse projects.
Presenters
- Ufuk Erdal, Arcadis
- Jim Cooper, Arcadis
- Raluca Constantinescu, Arcadis
- Ozan Erdal, University of Washington
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