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

Jun

Wed

2020 WateReuse California Virtual Conference

Tickets

Jun 24 – Jul 31 all-day

Launching June 24 -25

Don’t Miss the FIRST EVER WateReuse California virtual conference!

Join us for an easy to navigate, virtual conference experience.This is MORE than just a Replacement Event for the March 2020 Conference, this is an opportunity for our community to stand TOGETHER in these unprecedented times to recognize the good work we do and share ideas for the future. The WateReuse California virtual conference will be available online until July 31, 2020.

Jul

Wed

WateReuse Pacific Northwest Meeting

Tickets

Jul 15 all-day

Categories: WateReuse Pacific Northwest

Jul

Thu

Central Valley/Sierra Foothills Chapter Meeting

Tickets

Jul 16 all-day

Categories: Central Valley/Sierra Foothills Chapter WateReuse California

Jul

Fri

Webcast: How Water Reuse Creates New Ways to Manage Wastewater Discharge

Tickets

Jul 17 @ 11:00 am – 12:30 pm

Join Us!
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Pacific | 2:00 – 3:30 pm Eastern
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49
PDHs: 1

Register Now!

With many communities facing wastewater discharge limits for nutrients or temperature in Pacific Northwest waterways, reuse offers a water quality compliance strategy that can create wastewater, habitat and watershed benefits. This webcast will showcase two examples of how water reuse is being examined to address nutrient and thermal loading in marine and river water sources.

We will learn how water reuse is being looked at by the Bay Area Clean Water Agencies (BACWA) in the San Francisco Bay area to reduce nutrient loading to the estuary through a coordinated multi-utility assessment. With many parallels to Puget Sound in Washington State, BACWA’s planning can provide some ideas for how reuse might be part of the nutrient reduction plan for Puget Sound and other nutrient impaired waterways.

We will then shift attention to Western Oregon to hear from Clean Water Services in the Portland region. Clean Water Services has a long track-record of investing in innovative solutions to TMDLs. We will learn reuse is being examined to help their utility comply with thermal discharge limits.

Presenters

Dave Clark, Senior Vice President, Wastewater Market Sector Director, HDR Engineering
Jared Kinnear, Reuse Manager, Clean Water Services
Susan Schlangen, Engineer, Water Systems Consulting

Categories: WateReuse Pacific Northwest Webcasts

Jul

Wed

Webcast: Protection of Source Waters When Practicing Indirect Potable Reuse – A Collaborative Approach

Tickets

Jul 22 @ 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm

Join Us!
2:00 – 3:15 pm Eastern | 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Pacific
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49
PDHs: 1

Register Now!

Lake Lanier is a major source of water supply to the North Georgia region. Many communities surrounding Lake Lanier rely on it for both discharge of effluent as well as their sourcewater for drinking purposes. This practice, known as indirect potable reuse or surface water augmentation, provides a sustainable water supply solution for the region’s growing population. Specifically, in Gwinnett County, Georgia, the majority of the county’s 56 MGD of treated wastewater is discharged to the Lake, which is also the primary drinking water source. This transformation of wastewater into a valuable supply of sourcewater requires careful planning, monitoring, and protection of Lake Lanier.

While there have been various water research projects and planning efforts implemented throughout the Lake Lanier Watershed in the past, there does not exist a centralized coordinated plan that documents, facilitates, and coordinates an approach to developing the ideation, planning, prioritization, management, resourcing, and funding of applied water research projects.

In response to this identified need, The Water Tower, the new global innovation hub in Gwinnett County, Georgia, is leading the effort to create a forum through which stakeholders and researchers will work together to develop a Lake Lanier Watershed Research Master Plan. The Plan will provide a multi-year research roadmap of project concepts to address critical needs in the Lake Lanier Watershed. Funding for prioritized projects will be crowdsourced among the stakeholders and the be the focus of nonprofit, public and private grant applications. The research projects will be competitively bid, with regional and international third party technical expert oversight, and managed by The Water Tower, a 501c3 focused on research and innovation.

Presenters

Kristan VandenHeuvel, Strategic Director of Research and Engagement, The Water Tower
Steve Leo, Client Service Manager, Constantine Engineering
Jeff Mosher, Principal Technologist, Carollo Engineers

Categories: Webcasts

Jul

Thu

A Panel Discussion: Past, Present, & Future Reuse as Part of Arizona’s Water Portfolio

Tickets

Jul 30 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

WateReuse Arizona Section Meeting & Webinar
10 am PDT | 10 am MST | 1 pm EDT
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49
PDHs: 2

Register Now!

Arizona’s water managers and policy makers have long touted the practice of using treated wastewater in many areas of the state and putting it to beneficial use. However, every community uses effluent differently depending on their community’s needs, history, and make-up the other sources of their water resources portfolio. Differences range from the size and locations of their reclaimed purple pipe system, to recharge facilities for Long Term Storage Credits, to exchange agreements, and the next horizon of DPR. What kind of investments are communities making to secure their water future using effluent? How and why are there differences and similarities between these communities. This panel discussion aims at asking how communities from Northern to Southern Arizona, and from East to West Valley use treated effluent as a component of their water resources portfolio.

Panel Members

Brian Biesemeyer, City of Scottsdale
Eric Braun, Town of Gilbert
Barbara Chappell, City of Goodyear
Kathryn Sorensen, City of Phoenix
Tim Thomure, City of Tucson
Erin Young, City of Flagstaff

Moderators

Troy Walker
Gretchen Baumgardner

Panel Outline

START TIME	END TIME	DURATION	TOTAL	Description
10:00 AM	10:05 AM	0:05	0:05	Moderator Introduction to Webinar and panelist
10:05 AM	11:05 AM	1:00	1:05	Each Panelist gives a brief (10 min) presentation on their effluent uses and how that equates to their water resources portfolio
11:05 AM	11:25 AM	0:20	1:25	Q&A
11:25 AM	11:40 AM	0:15	1:40	Audience Q&A
11:40 AM	11:50 AM	0:10	1:50	Panelist each give a closing remark
11:50 AM	11:55 AM	0:05	1:55	Moderator closes panel discussion

Questions

Are there plans to build additional infrastructure to increase or change the way your organization uses its effluent?
What hurdles to you see do drive that infrastructure investment, if any?
How important do you see effluent as being a portion of your water resources portfolio? Does it play a significant role in planning for the future?
What role has getting public buy-in to developing reuse projects?
- Regarding buy-in from your organization’s leadership as well.
In looking back over your organization’s history, and hindsight is always 20/20, but can you talk about lessons learned or are there things about how the way your organization uses its effluent you would change if you could go back, knowing what you know now?
Are there currently any regulatory hurdles that are preventing greater use of recycled water?
In 2019 the prohibition for Direct Potable Reuse was lifted. What are your thoughts about the viability of this for your organization?

Categories: WateReuse Arizona Webcasts

Jul

Fri

From Urban to Rural: Water Reuse Case Studies in the Pacific Northwest

Tickets

Jul 31 @ 11:00 am – 12:30 pm

Join Us!
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Pacific | 2:00 – 3:30 pm Eastern
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49
PDHs: 1.5

Register Now!

Join us as we learn how water reuse is being reimagined and employed in different ways and scales. We will hear from the Portland Water Bureau regarding decentralized on-site non-potable water reuse to address water resource challenges for the City of Portland. Chris Wanner is a commissioner of the National Blue Ribbon Commission on On-site Non-Potable Reuse and will discuss how Portland’s efforts fit into the Commission’s work on advancing on-site non-potable water reuse. We will then shift attention to a smaller community in the Pacific Northwest, the City of Hagerman, Idaho, to learn how they transitioned from discharging to the river to recycling their water and putting it to good use.