Home\News\WateReuse Review\WateReuse Review – December 9, 2019

Call for Abstracts: 2020 WateReuse Symposium

Do you have expertise in water reuse? The WateReuse Association invites technical abstract submissions for the 35th Annual WateReuse Symposium, September 13-16, 2020 in the mile-high city of Denver, Colorado. The Annual WateReuse Symposium is the nation’s premier conference on water recycling – attracting water professionals for several days of knowledge-sharing, networking, and fun! The 2020 Symposium is being planned in collaboration with The Water Research Foundation and will include presentations on the latest reuse-related research. Abstracts are due February 18, 2020.

Washington Update

One Week Left to Comment on Draft National Water Reuse Action Plan

Public comments on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s draft National Water Reuse Action Plan are due Monday, December 16. EPA and six other federal agencies and departments released the draft plan on September 10 during the 34th Annual WateReuse Symposium in San Diego. The goal of the plan is to drive the implementation of strategic actions by federal and non-federal actors to advance water reuse across the country. WateReuse will submit comments that incorporate feedback from members, and we urge our members to submit individual comments as well. Comments on the draft plan may be submitted and viewed through the public docket at regulations.gov (docket number: EPA-HQ-OW-2019-0174). EPA is particularly interested in feedback on which proposed actions should be prioritized, who should lead said actions, and how they can best be accomplished. The agency is also seeking examples and short case studies that can help inform the implementation of key actions.

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FY 2020 Appropriations Cycle Coming to an End?

The current funding extension, known as a Continuing Resolution (CR), expires at midnight on December 20. This means that Congress must pass new appropriations legislation—either a full package of new funding levels, or another CR—by that time to avoid a government shutdown. In recent days, top House and Senate negotiators reached agreement on how to divide spending across the twelve appropriations subcommittees. This paves the way for final negotiations on specific programmatic spending levels, including for key water recycling programs. However, Congress has not yet decided whether and to what extent to fund the border wall, an issue which once again threatens to derail the appropriations process.

Save the Date: Join Us for Water Week 2020 to Advance Water Recycling

Make plans to join the WateReuse Association in Washington, DC on April 28-29, 2020 for the National Water Policy Fly-In during Water Week 2020, April 26-May 1. Water Week is the only national policy event of the year that draws together water professionals from across the country to advocate for the unique needs of recycled water, drinking water, and clean water utilities. It is not only an opportunity to advance policy priorities for the water utilities, including greater federal investment in water infrastructure, but also to celebrate the role these utilities play in communities nationwide. WateReuse encourages our members to participate so that we can ensure that recycled water is an integral part of the Water Week message.

U.S. EPA Considers Regulating Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

Last week, EPA took two major steps toward regulating PFAS, a set of chemical compounds, some of which pose serious health risks at certain concentrations. First, EPA issued a solicitation for public comment on whether to do a rulemaking to add certain PFAS compounds to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). Certain facilities that manufacture, process, or otherwise use TRI-listed chemicals at certain levels are required to report their environmental releases of such chemicals annually. EPA is requesting comment on which, if any, PFAS should be evaluated for listing, how to list them, and what would be appropriate reporting thresholds given their persistence and bioaccumulation potential. Second, EPA transmitted proposed drinking water regulatory determinations for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review. Regulatory determinations indicate whether or not EPA plans to establish Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for drinking water contaminants. EPA’s regulatory determinations for PFOA and PFOS have not yet been publicly released.

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Massachusetts District Court Supports EPA’s Clean Water Act Interpretation

The U.S. District Court of Massachusetts issued an opinion on November 26 that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s April 2019 determination that it has no authority to regulate pollution that moves through groundwater is reasonable. The decision comes after the Supreme Court heard arguments over the same question in County of Maui v. Hawai’i Wildlife Fund on Nov. 6. At issue in the Massachusetts case is a wastewater treatment facility at the Wychmere Beach Club on Cape Cod, where treated wastewater seeps through the groundwater into Wychmere Harbor. In February 2018, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the County of Maui’s injection of highly treated effluent into an underground aquifer violated the Clean Water Act because, even though the treated effluent was discharged into groundwater and not surface waters, it eventually made its way to surface waters through underground crevasses. The implications for this ruling are far-reaching for water recycling utilities that rely on aquifer recharge for their water supply program and comply with existing control programs required by the Safe Drinking Water Act. The WateReuse Association joined with twelve other associations in submitting an Amicus Brief urging the Supreme Court to overturn the lower court’s decision. The court is expected to rule on the case, County of Maui v. Hawai’i Wildlife Fund, et al., sometime next year.

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State Updates and Member Profiles

California: Orange County to Launch PFAS Pilot Program for Recycled Water

WateReuse Association member the Orange County Water District (OCWD) announced the launch of a pilot program to determine the best treatment methods for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). OCWD has selected Jacobs, Evoqua Water Technologies, and Carollo, all WateReuse members, to design, implement, and evaluate the program. The lab testing will run on OCWD’s pilot test well water supply and on and OCWD’s nine retail water agencies well water sources. Read More.

California: Paso Robles Completes New Recycled Water Plant

WateReuse member the City of Paso Robles celebrated the completion of a new tertiary treatment facility that will provide water to irrigate public areas such as city parks and golf courses. Another WateReuse member, Black & Veatch, designed the project. The facility produces Title 22-compliant recycled water for beneficial reuse. Read More.

Natural Systems Utilities Expands Onsite Reuse Business

WateReuse Association member Natural Systems Utilities (NSU) announced last week that it has acquired Acqualogic/Kanso (Kanso), which currently manages 28 onsite water and wastewater systems in the San Francisco Bay area. NSU’s previous work in the region includes an onsite water reuse system for Microsoft, which is nearing completing. NSU now operates over 270 onsite, community systems across 10 states. Read More.

WateReuse Customer Communications Tools and Resources

Engaging the Public Health Community on Water Reuse? Check out Our Online Resources

Although water reuse is a proven, science-based process that has been used safely in communities around the world for decades, the public is often skeptical when the concept is first introduced into a community. To build acceptance among medical and health professionals, WateReuse has launched the Medical Community Initiative and begun developing resources to support members in engaging with the public health community. Visit our website for videos, articles, and presentations that support engagement with medical professionals. New tools are being developed so check back for updates.

Conferences and Events

Webcast: Integrating Onsite Water Reuse with Centralized Treatment Systems

Can onsite water reuse systems be successfully integrated with a community’s centralized treatment system? Please join us December 19 to learn about successes and lessons learned in communities that encourage onsite water reuse. You will also learn about model legislation and a soon-to-be-released training manual developed by the National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Non-potable Water Systems to advance more widespread adoption of onsite non-potable water systems. Register Now!

Upcoming Events

Mar

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WateReuse Colorado Meeting

Tickets

Mar 11 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am

Topic: WRCO March Meeting

Time: Mar 11, 2021 10:00 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84546769262 Meeting ID: 845 4676 9262 Dial by your location