April 9, 2018
Washington Update
EPA WIFIA Announces Notice of Funding Availability for 2018
WateReuse Submits Coalition Support Letters for WRDA Priority
Don’t Miss the 2018 National Water Policy Fly-In During Water Week 2018
EPA Administrator Pruitt Delegates Dredge and Fill Permit Authority to Himself
On March 30, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt released a memo to EPA Regional Administrators stating that all Section 404 dredge and fill material permitting decisions must now go through the Administrator’s office. The memo states that the decision to take this authority away from the regional offices is part of EPA’s review of the 2015 Waters of the United States rule.
Washington Calendar
Please note the following deadlines:
- Comments on Title XVI Updated Evaluation Criteria are due to the Bureau of Reclamation on April 12
- Comments to EPA on discharges of pollutants via groundwater are due May 21
State Updates and Member Profiles
California: Dry Winter Demonstrates Need for Increased Water Recycling
The California Department of Water Resources reported last week that the Sierra Snowpack, the major source of water for the state during the dry months, was at 52 percent of average. As snow in the Sierra Mountains melts, it flows into a massive network of reservoirs that provide water throughout the year. While the reservoirs are full following last year’s wet winter, some projections indicate that a typical April snowpack at the end of the century will be 64% smaller than the typical April snowpack at the end of the 20th century. Learn More.
Colorado: Denver Water, Carollo Engineers, and Xylem Partner on Direct Potable Reuse Demonstration Project
Denver Water is partnering with WateReuse Colorado, Carollo Engineers, and Xylem on the PureWater Colorado Demonstration Project to establish that direct potable reuse (DPR) is as a safe, reliable and sustainable drinking water source. The project is located at the Denver Water Recycling Plant and will run during the month of April. Some of the water produced will be used to brew beer to raise awareness among the public about this water purification process. Learn More.
Florida: Governor Scott Vetoes Legislation Supporting Aquifer Recharge with Recycled Water
Florida: JEA Begins Pilot Program to Bring Potable Reuse to Jacksonville
WateReuse Association member JEA, a community owned electric, water, and sewer utility, is collaborating with the St. Johns River Water Management District to test two technologies for producing purified water at two regional water reclamation facilities. JEA’s drinking water comes from the Floridan aquifer, which is becoming limited as the state grows. Recycled water is already used for irrigation in Jacksonville and neighboring counties. Learn More.
Florida: WateReuse Florida Proclaims May 13-19 Florida Water Reuse Week
WateReuse Florida has designated May 13-19, 2018 as Florida Water Reuse Week. May, typically a dry month when water demands are high, is a good time to educate citizens about how they can help save Florida’s precious water resources through water reuse. WateReuse Florida is encouraging water organizations around the state to pass a similar resolution. Most of the water management districts have developed proclamation templates customized to their area to assist local agencies in developing a resolution.
Montana: Big Sky Looks to Water Reuse to in Wet Years
The Big Sky County Water and Sewer District is examining the possibility of upgrading its recycled water program to produce water clean enough for rapid infiltration and snowmaking. The district already recycles 100% of its effluent as irrigation water for golf courses and a park. The current treatment facility is coming close to reaching capacity, particularly in wet years, so officials are looking to advanced treatment options to allow more uses of its recycled water. Learn More.
Conferences and Events
Webcast: Water Recycling and Wet Weather Management
Please join us on April 12 at 2 p.m. EDT for a webcast showcasing successful urban and suburban-based decentralized water recycling installations in the Northeastern United States. You will learn about the decentralized water recycling revolution occurring in and around cities located in wetter regions, including why these cities are turning to decentralized water reuse and how your city can integrate decentralized water recycling systems into your overall wastewater and wet weather management strategy. If you are a wastewater utility manager facing challenging weather conditions and population growth, this webcast is for you. Learn More.
Make Plans to Attend the 33rd Annual WateReuse Symposium
Learn “What’s Working, What’s New, and What’s Next in Water Reuse” at the 33rd Annual WateReuse Symposium, September 9-12, 2018, at the JW Marriott in Austin, Texas. The Annual WateReuse Symposium is the nation’s premier conference on water reuse and the only conference dedicated solely to advancing the policy, technology, innovation and public acceptance of recycled water. Registration opens in May! Learn More.
Register for the Pacific Northwest WateReuse Conference
WateReuse Pacific Northwest will host a conference May 17-18 in Portland, Oregon with the theme “Roadmap to Reuse.” More than 200 utility operators and mangers, elected officials, engineers, regulators and equipment manufacturers are expected to attend. Presentations will focus on feasibility studies, regulatory updates, public outreach, funding, and more. Learn More.
Upcoming Events
Presented in partnership with The Water Research Foundation, this presentation will cover key components of successful onsite non-potable water systems.
Webcast
2:00 – 3:00 pm Eastern ; 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific
WateReuse Members and WRF Subscribers: Free
Others: $49
PDHs: 1
Across the nation, onsite non-potable water systems (ONWS) are becoming increasingly common as a means to conserve and recycle water. Ensuring consistent implementation is one of the principal challenges for ONWS programs, particularly when multiple, new stakeholders are involved. Water Research Foundation project 4909 sought to identify key knowledge gaps and provide the resources needed to aid in the smooth implementation of ONWS. Through interaction with the National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Non-potable Water Systems, the project team identified common pitfalls that have impacted the design, operation, permitting, and implementation of ONWS.
This presentation will cover key components of a successful ONWS program including: (1) treatment goals that control public health risk, (2) effective design of both treatment and non-treatment (i.e., management) barriers, (3) strategies for effective operation and monitoring of ONWS systems, and (4) frameworks for regulating and permitting ONWS. The goal of this presentation is to convey the importance of stakeholder knowledge for consistent protection of public health at ONWS installations. This information will be presented through a survey of the projects two main deliverables: the comprehensive guidance manual and interactive training modules.
Presenters
- Brian Pecson, Ph.D., P.E., Principal Engineer, Trussell Technologies
- Brie Post, P.E., Senior Engineer, Trussell Technologies
- Paula Kehoe, Director of Water Resources, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Are water recycling utilities well prepared to address the COVID-19 crisis and other potential future risks?
Join Us!
2:00 – 3:00 pm Eastern ; 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49
PDHs: 1
The America’s Water Infrastructure Act (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 (ERP). The RRA’s are part of an overall effort to improve the ability of water systems to prepare for and respond to events from water resource limitations to cyber attacks, from extreme weather to an assault on the utility, and from contamination to treatment and distribution infrastructure, among others. In short, it is an all-hazards approach to managing risk.
This webcast will discuss how water reuse interacts with the RRAs and highlight some the ways that risks are viewed and managed from an AWIA perspective. It will also discuss how we are interpreting and acting upon risk in the midst the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and how we can use RRAs to prepare for future risks. This webcast will offer a fresh look at risk and resilience through the lens of preparation and response. The presentation will begin with an overview of AWIA requirements, RRAs, and the role of water reuse in those assessments followed by a focus on risk and risk perceptions in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Presenters
Dr. Ben Stanford is an Associate Vice President with Hazen and Sawyer in the Denver office where he leads the implementation of innovations in water, wastewater, and water reuse. He is currently leading or supporting over a dozen risk and resilience projects in FL, NC, TX, CO, AZ, and CA.
Dr. Douglas Crawford-Brown is Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was Founding Director of the Institute for the Environment, and at the University of Cambridge, where he was Director of the Cambridge Centre for Climate Change Mitigation Research.
Section Meeting & Webinar at Stantec
– featuring Brian Biesemeyer, Scottsdale Water “Arizona’s First Direct Potable Reuse System”