
Not to be Missed — Reaching New Heights in Water Reuse: 2020 Annual WateReuse Symposium, Submit Your Abstracts Today
Do you have knowledge to share on water recycling? Examples of successful water recycling projects? Critical research discoveries related to the science of reuse? If you do, the WateReuse Association invites you to submit a technical abstract 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 from across the country for four 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

Administration’s FY 2021 Budget Request Expected Today
Department of Energy Announces $1 Million Prize for Water Recycling Technology
Annual Reports for WIFIA and the U.S.EPA Highlight Value of Water Reuse
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its first Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program annual report last week. Through 2019, the WIFIA program has financed more than $3.5 billion in loans, including water recycling projects sponsored by WateReuse Association members. EPA has received $1.4 billion in loan requests for water reuse projects since its inception in 2014 and announced in 2019 that water reuse was one of its funding priorities for the year. EPA also released a 2019 Year in Review for all of the agency’s programs that highlights its efforts to promote greater water recycling nationwide and facilitate the development of the National Water Reuse Action Plan.
Be an Advocate for Reuse: Join Us for National Water Policy Fly-In
Make plans to join the WateReuse Association in Washington, DC April 27-28 for the National Water Policy Fly-In during Water Week 2020. Presented jointly by WateReuse, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, the Water Environment Federation, and the Water Research Foundation, the Fly-In includes networking, education, and Capitol Hill visits to advocate on behalf of water utilities. Water Week is an opportunity to advance policy priorities, including greater federal investment in water infrastructure, and a celebration of the role utilities play in communities nationwide. WateReuse encourages our members to participate so that together we can ensure that recycled water is an integral part of the Water Week message. Register today to reserve your space.
State Updates and Member Profiles
Welcome New Member!
The WateReuse Association welcomes the following new member:
California: WRCA Provides Comments on Governor’s Water Resilience Portfolio
Last week, WateReuse California (WRCA) provided comments on Governor Gavin Newsom’s draft 2020 Water Resilience Portfolio, which featured many recommendations contained in the California WateReuse Action Plan. Over the last six months, members of the WRCA Board of Trustees and our California Managing Director, Jennifer West, met with the California State Water Board, Cal-EPA, the California Resources Agency, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture to discuss reuse issues and make recommendations for what should be included in the portfolio. View Comment Letter.
California: Pure Water Monterey Secures Final State Approval to Begin Operating
WateReuse Association member Pure Water Monterey secured the final state approval for its potable reuse project and is poised to begin operating by mid-February. The $126 million project is designed to convert a variety of wastewater sources ranging from Peninsula municipal wastewater to Salinas Valley agricultural wash water and runoff into 3,500 acre-feet of potable water per year. The project is required to store a 1,000 acre-foot reserve in the basin before any water is extracted for use, a process expected to take about three months. Read More.
Colorado: WateReuse Colorado Releases Guidance for DPR Rules
WateReuse Colorado (WRCO) recently announced the release of Guidelines for Direct Potable Reuse in Colorado, an effort to provide expert guidance to the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. WRCO sponsored an Independent Advisory Panel administered by the National Water Research Institute to develop this consensus report that includes recommendations for regulations, policy, and guidance to help define the path toward DPR. Currently, no state regulations prohibit or govern DPR in Colorado. Learn more.
WateReuse Members Receive NACWA’s National Environmental Achievement Awards
Twelve WateReuse Association members were recognized for their outstanding commitment to environmental protection with a National Environmental Achievement Award presented by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) last week at its Winter Conference in Atlanta. Members were recognized for distinguished leadership, operations and environmental performs, education programs, public service, watershed collaboration, and workforce development. View the List of Honorees.
WateReuse Communications Tools and Resources
How Can You Offer Recognition to Your 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 STAR®, and access to information and resources on recycled water. Learn More.
Conferences and Events
Examine Local Reuse Issues: Participate in a State WateReuse Conference
Make plans to participate in conferences and events planned by WateReuse State Sections to highlight local water reuse challenges and solutions. WateReuse Nevada will host a half day workshop in Las Vegas on February 11 and WateReuse California hosts its Annual Conference March 15-17 in San Francisco. Later in the year, WateReuse Pacific Northwest will host a conference May 18-20 in Woodinville, Washington and WateReuse Texas convenes its Annual Conference July 20-21 in Frisco. Learn More.
Webcast: National Water Reuse Action Plan: Collaboration and Implementation
Join us March 4 for an inside look at the national Water Reuse Action Plan (WRAP), an effort to foster greater consideration of water reuse facilitated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in partnership with other governmental and non-governmental water sector organizations. Staff from EPA will describe the plan, its genesis, and the all-important implementation phase. Register today to learn how you can stay engaged and collaborate on advancing water reuse as part of an integrated water resources management approach. Register Now!
Creating the Water Workforce of the Future Webinar Series: People Are a Utility’s Most Important Asset
Recruiting and retaining a talented and diverse workforce is one of the most important challenges facing today’s water and wastewater utilities. It often takes many partners to create a truly sustainable and motivated workforce. Join EPA and other partners on February 18 to hear how utilities can collaborate to reach the next generation of the water workforce. 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
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