
From Water Diversion to Water Reuse – Learn Why Water Reuse is the Wave of the Future

Washington Update

FY 2020 Funding for Water Recycling One Step Closer
Federal Agencies Cite Water Recycling as a Joint Priority for Drought Resilience
Meeting of the National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Non-potable Water Systems to be held at the 34th WateReuse Symposium
Regulators from nine states and the District of Columbia will participate in a meeting of the National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Non-Potable Water Systems the afternoons of September 9 and 10 during the 34th WateReuse Symposium. In May, WateReuse assumed responsibility for administering the Commission as the founding partners concluded their two-year commitment to advance smart and science-based policy and practice on onsite non-potable reuse. The administrative management of the Commission has transitioned to WateReuse, with the SFPUC continuing to serve as the Commission’s Chair. Updates will be provided as the Commission charts is course for 2020 and beyond.
State Updates and Member Profiles
California: San Bernardino Offers Financial Incentives for Recycled Water, Stormwater Capture
A new program is being offered by the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District (SBVMWD) providing a financial incentive to local water agencies for projects that produce recycled water or capture stormwater. The Local Resource Investment Program provides a financial incentive for twenty years to any agency in SBVMWD’s service area. The East Valley Water District’s Sterling Natural Resource Center recycled 11,000 acre-feet of water, for example. They will receive $173 for every acre-foot of recycled water provided to the region, or approximately $2 million per year for twenty years. Read More.
Florida: Tampa Considers New Potable Reuse Project
WateReuse Association member the City of Tampa will present a plan to the City Council later this month for a new potable reuse program. Tampa currently reclaims about three million gallons of water each day for lawn irrigation in South Tampa. A planned expansion of the irrigation program was rejected in 2009 due to an estimated $1.3 billion cost to expand the purple pipe network. The proposed potable reuse project would make use of the 55 million gallons a day of treated effluent pumped into Tampa Bay. Read More.
New Laws Could Expand Recycling of Produced Water in Permian Basin
New laws in New Mexico and Texas make it clear who is responsible for wastewater produced by oil and gas companies and encourage companies to reuse it or sell it to water management companies for recycling. Passed into law this spring, New Mexico House Bill 546 and Texas House Bill 3246 determined that oil and gas operators own the produced water and they could sell it to recyclers, who then take over legal responsibility for the brine. The New Mexico law went into effect on July 1 while Texas law goes into effect on September 1. At least a dozen water recycling companies operate in the Permian Basin. Read More.
Members Recognized as Forward-Thinking Utilities of the Future
WateReuse Update
How Can You Offer Recognition to Recycled Water Customers? Participate in the Recycled Water User Network
Are you interested in recognizing recycled water customers as community water stewards or offering an incentive for new customers to come onboard? Participate in the Recycled Water User Network, a members-only network for businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations that use recycled water, including customers of water utilities and organizations that recycle water onsite. The network gives businesses, governments and nonprofits that use recycled water the opportunity to receive a green designation, Water StarTM, and access to information and resources on recycled water. Learn More.
Conferences and Events
Podcast: WateReuse Board Member Offers Global Perspective on Water Reuse
Why is water reuse more successful in some countries than others? WateReuse Association Board Member Jon Freedman, global government affairs leader at Suez, offers his perspective in the latest edition of the Brave Blue World podcast. With Indian city Chennai and others on the brink of a ‘Day Zero’ drought situation, could cleaning up and reusing water be the answer? Tune in to hear Freedman’s perspectives on the obstacles to more widespread water reuse across the world.
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
Add to Calendar

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
Add to Calendar
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