Reaching New Heights in Water Reuse: Don’t Miss the 35th Annual WateReuse Virtual Symposium Experience
Washington Update
WateReuse Urges Congress to Invest in Water Reuse in New Water Infrastructure Bill
Extended Negotiations Continue on Next COVID-19 Relief Package
Both chambers of Congress and the White House continued extensive negotiations last week on the next COVID-19 stimulus package. Negotiations aimed at extending unemployment benefits and reconciling the Senate’s $1 trillion relief package, the HEALS Act, with the House-passed relief bill, the HEROES Act (H.R. 6800), have thus far fallen short. The Senate will be back in session this week, cutting short the chamber’s August recess, to continue negotiations. While the House is not conducting floor business this week, they are slated to return in the event of a stimulus package vote.
Bureau of Reclamation Announces Availability of $3 Million for Water Reuse Research
The Bureau of Reclamation announced a $3 million funding opportunity for Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Research Projects. Title XVI is the only federal funding program dedicated to investments in water reuse. Research sponsors may submit proposals to cost-share Title XVI research activities that seek to address water supply challenges by establishing or expanding beneficial reuse, improving existing water reuse facilities, and/or streamlining the implementation of state-of-the-art technology for new facilities. Applications are due on October 7, 2020. The funding opportunity is available on grants.gov by searching for Funding Opportunity Number BOR-DO-20-F009.
Reminder: Applications for Water Reuse and Desalination Research Grants Due Next Week
The Bureau of Reclamation’s Desalination and Water Purification Research Program is accepting applications through August 19 for $1.75 million in grants to support water reuse and desalination research. Private industry, universities, water utilities, and other research sponsors are eligible to submit applications for funding to conduct laboratory or pilot scale studies. The funding opportunity is available on grants.gov by searching for FOA number BOR-DO-20-F004.
World Water: Spotlight on Water Reuse
Latest Issue of World Water Covers Building-Scale Potable Reuse Research, Integrated Solutions for Communities, and More
The July/August issue of the Water Environment Federation’s World Water magazine includes a special section on water reuse, produced in partnership with the WateReuse Association. The special section includes an interview Black & Veatch’s Zeynep Erdal on integrated solutions to advance a one-water approach, a look at decentralized potable reuse research in San Francisco, and a report on treating and recovering brine. The issue also includes a legislative and regulatory update, as well as a spotlight on the 35th Annual WateReuse Virtual Symposium. The special issue is produced three times per year and provided to WateReuse Association members as a benefit. Read More.
WateReuse Awards for Excellence
Submit a Nomination for the 2021 WateReuse Awards for Excellence
Is your utility or business demonstrating leadership in advancing water recycling? Or do you know of an organization, individual, or partnership that has implemented an innovative solution that will inspire others? If so, submit a nomination for the 2021 WateReuse Awards for Excellence to get the recognition you deserve. Nominations are due September 30, 2020.
The 2021 WateReuse Awards for Excellence will recognize accomplishments for 2019 and 2020. Winners will be recognized in conjunction with the 36th Annual WateReuse Symposium, March 14-17, 2021. Submit a nomination now!
State Updates and Member Profiles

Welcome New Member!
The WateReuse Association welcomes the following new member:
Colorado: WateReuse Colorado Opens Scholarship Application
WateReuse Colorado (WRCO) announced the availability of three scholarships to support students focusing on water reclamation, water reuse, and/or desalination. Each scholarship is valued at $1,500 and will be awarded in October 2020 to the highest-ranking applicants among undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in an accredited Colorado university or community college, as determined by the scholarship committee of WRCO. Scholarship applications must be submitted online by September 25, 2020. Learn More
Virginia: Federal Programs Invest in Developing Potable Reuse
The Bureau of Reclamation recently awarded nearly $500,000 to Virginia Tech to support a $1.7 million study on non-membrane treatment options for indirect potable reuse and aquifer recharge. The study is led by a team that includes Charles Bott, adjunct professor at Virginia Tech and Chief Technology Officer at Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD). HRSD was also awarded a $930 million loan through the U.S. EPA’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program to support its aquifer recharge program, known as SWIFT or Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow. The SWIFT project aims to eventually inject 120 million gallons a day of treated water to replenish the aquifer that supplies water to eastern Virginia.
Member Spotlight: Suez’s Jon Freedman Appointed to EPA’s Environmental Financial Advisory Board
Jon Freedman, Global Government Affairs Leader for Suez, was recently appointed to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB). Established in 1989, the EFAB offers guidance to EPA leadership and the agency’s programs on innovative ways to lower costs and increase investments in environmental and public health protection. Other WateReuse member organizations represented on the EFAB include Denver Water, San Antonio Water System, Hampton Roads Sanitation District, and the Idaho Depart of Environmental Quality.
Member Spotlight: Epic CleanTec Advances Onsite Wastewater Treatment and Reuse
San Francisco startup, Epic CleanTec, secured $2.6 million of seed funding to advance onsite wastewater treatment and reuse. Epic CleanTec’s system transforms a building’s wastewater into purified water for onsite nonpotable applications and natural, carbon-rich soil amendments. The system can reduce a building’s water demand by up to 90%. Aaron Tartakovsky, co-founder and CEO of Epic shares the company’s vision for fundamentally rethinking how we handle water and wastewater. Read More.
Member Resources and Benefits
Visit the WateReuse Webcast Library to Stay Informed
Did you miss a WateReuse webcast you really wanted to see? Or are you looking for information to support your water recycling program? The WateReuse Webcast Library is available exclusively to members and includes over 100 presentations that you can watch on demand with a member login. WateReuse presents webcasts on water recycling technology, operations, research, and policy issues and archives them for member use. Visit the WateReuse Webcast Library to make your selection.
Conferences and Events
Virtual Happy Hour: Whiskey is for Drinking, Water is for Fighting Reusing!
Although the 35th Annual WateReuse Symposium will not take place in Denver, Colorado as planned this year, WateReuse Colorado (WRCO) is making plans to welcome Symposium attendees with a Virtual Drop-In Happy Hour and Trivia Night on Monday, September 14, 2020, 5:30 – 7:00 pm MT. Attendees are invited to wear their favorite western gear and connect with fellow attendees via a Zoom video conference.
The WateReuse L.A. Chapter is Zooming Along
As in-person meetings have been put on hold, the Los Angeles Chapter of WateReuse California has transitioned to holding virtual Chapter Meetings. Eighty-four members participated in the June 2020 meeting, where West Basin Municipal Water District presented on their recycled water project for the new Los Angeles Football Stadium. The Water Research Foundation shared updates on current DPR research projects. During the meeting, members from the Long Beach Water Department and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power also had the opportunity to share COVID-19 “Lessons Learned,” as everyone is continuing to adjust to the new working conditions and safety measures. In late July, the chapter’s Young Member Committee organized the first L.A. Chapter Virtual Happy Hour to encourage members to continue engaging with each other.
Bulk Registrations Available for 35th Annual WateReuse Virtual Symposium: For Every Five Registrations, Get One Free
Join us for the 35th Annual WateReuse Virtual Symposium to provide your entire team with high quality professional development and training on all aspects of water reuse. For every five registrations purchased, a free registration will be added – a cost savings of over $500! Take advantage of this team discount and the lack of travel expenses to provide professional development to your core team as well as staff who may be new to water reuse, and save in professional development costs!
Launching online September 14-16, 2020, the Annual WateReuse Symposium is the premier conference devoted to water recycling and offers more than 100 hours of technical presentations. Registrants can access the full program for up to 45 days – the virtue of going virtual is that you do not have to miss any content offerings! Register Now!
Upcoming Events

8:00 am PT | 11 am ET | 5:00 pm CET (1 hour 30 minutes)
WateReuse Members: Free; Others: $49
PDHs: 1.5
Germany’s Approach to Water Reuse for Agricultural and Landscape Irrigation
Despite Germany’s temperate climate and history of adequate water resources, the country is experiencing droughts and extreme weather trends as a result of climate change. Germany’s increasing interest in employing water reuse for agricultural and landscape irrigation can serve as a model for other temperate regions facing these trends.
Join us for this 90-minute webcast covering the full timeline of reuse in Germany, including reuse initiatives which have existed for decades, future outlooks for reuse in Germany, and the recent European Water Reuse Regulation (2020/741) which went into effect in June 2023. Our panel of research and utility experts will also present ongoing research related to non-potable reuse of municipal wastewater for agricultural and landscape irrigation, which is part of the German BMBF Water Technologies: Reuse (WavE) funding program.
Moderator:
- Dr. Veronika Zhiteneva, Project Manager, Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin
Speakers:
- Dr. Christina Jungfer, Project Manager, DECHEMA
- Prof. Dr. Jörg E. Drewes, Chair of Urban Water Systems Engineering, Technical University of Munich
- Markus Büttner, Environmental Engineer, Stadtentwässerung SCHWEINFURT
- Prof. Dr. Thomas Wintgens, Chair of Urban Water Management and Institute of Environemtnal Engineering, RWTH Aachen University
- Prof. Dr. Thomas Dockhorn, Director, Institute of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Braunschweig
- Prof Dr. Aki S. Ruhl, German Environment Agency, Technical University of Berlin
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11:00 am PT | 2 pm ET (1 hour)
WateReuse Members: Free; Others: $49
PDHs: 1
High-recovery desalination processes offer the benefit of increasing water recovery, generally with increasing cost and complexity. Reverse osmosis and electrodialysis desalination processes will be reviewed and compared with respect to high-recovery water reuse applications.
Moderator:
Erin Young, R.G.
Hydrogeologist | Water Resources Manager
City of Flagstaff Water Services
eyoung@flagstaffaz.gov | w: (928) 213-2405
Presenter:
Shane Walker, Ph.D., P.E.
Director, Water Resources Center
Professor, Civil, Environmental, & Construction Engineering
Texas Tech University
806-834-0823
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Please join the Emerging Professionals Committee for a tour of MWD’s Weymouth Water Treatment Plant on November 1, 2023, from 10 am – 12 pm! Tour capacity is limited to 30 people so please RSVP ASAP to reserve your spot at the link here: https://forms.gle/gxGhtcBLVwWMTG1F7
Constructed in 1941, the Weymouth Water Treatment Plant is the first water treatment plant constructed by the MWD and now has a treatment capacity of 520 million gallons per day! Please check out the fact sheet here for more information: water-treatment-plants-fact-sheet-final_web.pdf (mwdh2o.com)
Event Address: 700 Moreno Ave, La Verne, CA 91750
Parking is available on site.
Following the tour, anyone who is hungry is open to join us at In-N-Out Burger:
Restaurant Address: 2098 Foothill Blvd, La Verne, CA 91750
For more information, please contact Seto Cherchian at 714.944.4726 or