January 21, 2019
Submit a Proposal for a Place on the Podium at the 34th Annual WateReuse Symposium
Washington Update
Join WateReuse for the National Water Policy Fly-In
GAO Report Documents Impact of Title XVI in Advancing Water Recycling
Watch: Webcast Provides Insight into the 116th Congress
WateReuse Joins Water Sector in Asking Congress to Include Water Infrastructure in Any Infrastructure Package
State Updates and Member Profiles
California: Metropolitan Water District Approves $3.5 Million in Funding
WateReuse Association member the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s board of directors approved the funding of 15 projects across 11 Metropolitan member agencies. When combined with matching funds from the member agencies, and other local, state and federal resources, an additional $8 million will be infused into the projects. Selected projects include improving seawater desalination technology, using stormwater and recycled water to increase the development of local water supplies, analyzing a reverse osmosis process in brackish groundwater treatment, and piloting artificial intelligence technology in the control systems of a water treatment plant. Read More.
California: WRCA Funded Bioanalytical Monitoring Group Holds First Meeting
The WateReuse California (WRCA) funded Bioanalytical Implementation Advisory Group, administered by the National Water Research Institute, met for the first time on January 10, 2019, in Fountain Valley, California. More than 90 stakeholders participated. State Water Board staff also participated in the meeting and answered questions regarding the monitoring and implementation of the two new bioassays for potable reuse agencies. Two bioassays monitoring tests will be required in March 2020 for potable reuse agencies. The primary purpose of the group is to develop the Standard Operating Procedures for the tests. The advisory group will meet next in March or April. View Meeting Slides.
Texas: Wetlands Reuse Project Creates New Habitat, Community Education
WateReuse Association member the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) is using water reuse to create a wilderness oasis just miles from Dallas. The East Fork Water Reuse Project near Seagoville is one of the largest water reuse projects in the country. Water from the East Fork of the Trinity River flows through the 2,000-acre wetland and is naturally filtered by plants and sunlight. The district is currently building a new pipeline and pump, Trinity River Main Stem Pump Station and Pipeline near Rosser that will add approximately 100 million gallons of water per day from the Trinity. Read More.
WateReuse Member Companies Recognized for Positive Impact
WateReuse Association members Natural Systems Utilities and Biohabitats were included in the Real Leaders list of Top 100 Impact Companies. The awards rank the top companies applying capitalism for greater profit and greater good. These companies are driving a dynamic segment of the economy, bearing a new vision of capitalism that demonstrates that every transaction is an opportunity for both growth and a better world. Read More.
Research Updates
Learn About Agricultural Use of Recycled Water
A just released Water Research Foundation study, Agricultural Use of Recycled Water: Impediments and Incentives (Reuse-15-08/4775), provides a global inventory of successes, delays, and setbacks experienced when switching from traditional agricultural irrigation sources to recycled water. Learn More.
Energy Department Offers Funding for Water Reuse Research
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy included Coal Plant Effluent Water Reuse as an area of interest in a recently announced funding opportunity for research and development projects. DOE will up to $4.8 million in federal funds to universities for up to 12 projects. Under the Coal Plant Water Reuse area of interest, DOE is interested in packaged, modular units that can accept cooling tower blow-down water, treat it as necessary for reuse as plant makeup water, and generate salts that have potential use as a saleable by-product. Read More.
WRF Seeks Proposals for Stormwater Harvesting Research
The Water Research Foundation is requesting proposals for a new project, Assessing the State of Knowledge and Research Needs for Stormwater Harvesting. The selected research team will evaluate the state of the knowledge and research needs through a combination of literature review, web search, and interviews with selected state regulatory agencies to better understand the variation of stormwater harvesting at regional and state levels. The proposal is due by 2 p.m. Mountain on Feb.27, 2019. The project budget is $12,000. Learn More.
Conferences and Events
Register for the 2019 WateReuse California Annual Conference
Registration is open for the 2019 WateReuse California Annual Conference to be held March 17-19, 2019 at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Garden Grove, CA. The conference is designed for individuals, organizations, and agencies that are associated with or interested in the design, management, operation, and use of water recycling facilities and projects in California. Register Now!
Webcast: Community Engagement for Potable Reuse Success
Please join us on February 14, Valentine’s Day, to learn about the latest techniques in engagement and public education that will help your community fall in love with potable reuse. The water professionals on this panel have one common objective: to ensure a potable reuse project will be evaluated on its own merits and not dismissed as dangerous and too risky to pursue. The presenters will describe key elements that have helped their past efforts and discuss new outreach tactics they are relying on to take their outreach efforts to the next level. Register Now!
Upcoming Events
WateReuse Pacific Northwest State Workshop series.
WateReuse Pacific Northwest State Workshop Series
Join Us!
11:00 am – 1:30 pm PT | 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm ET
Fee: Free
This webinar is hosted jointly by this year’s Water Week Water Association Partners and will provide attendees the opportunity to hear directly from key EPA officials and Members of Congress on the important regulatory and legislative water policies they are working on now and in the years ahead.
Join us for a lively discussion with leaders from across the water sector about the future of water reuse and its importance as a tool to address the impacts of climate change and meet local water demands.
Register Now!
Please join us for a free webinar on April 29, 2021, from 2:00 to 3:30 PM EDT to celebrate the first year of the National Water Reuse Action Plan (WRAP), including accomplishments of action leaders and partners and anticipated 2021 outcomes.
The Resilience through Collaboration: First Year Highlights and Future Directions of the National Water Reuse Action Plan webcast will feature remarks from Radhika Fox (EPA’s Acting Assistant Administrator for Water), Felicia Marcus (William C. Landreth Visiting Fellow at Stanford University’s Water in the West Program), and a roundtable discussion with WRAP action leaders and partners and other water reuse practitioners from around the United States. This event is hosted by EPA in collaboration with the WateReuse Association and other water sector partners.
The roundtable panelists include:
- Gilbert Trejo, El Paso Water, WateReuse President (moderator)
- Pinar Balci, New York City Department of Environmental Protection
- Mike Markus, Orange County Water District
- Melissa Klembara, U.S. Department of Energy
- Brandi Honeycutt, Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment
- Paula Kehoe, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Chair of the National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Non-potable Water Systems
The WRAP collaborative was launched on February 27, 2020 with federal, state, tribal, local, and private sector partners to build technical, financial, and institutional capacity to spur further consideration and implementation of water reuse across the country. The story of the WRAP’s first year of implementation is one of incredible dedication and determination by a growing community of over 100 different organizations. The WRAP collaborative has enabled the formation of new action-based partnerships across the water community to help address local water resource challenges through holistic thinking and integrated efforts to ultimately strengthen our Nation’s water security, sustainability, and resilience.
Join May Wu, Principal Environmental System Scientist with Argonne National Laboratory, for a webcast on the role of water reuse in bioenergy production.
11:00 am – 12:00 pm PT | 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET
WateReuse Members: Free | Others: $49
Production of bioenergy from a range of feedstocks and biorefining pathways requires a substantial amount of water for irrigation, conversion process, cooling, and steam generation. Because the feedstock varies with climate and soil regions, an increased production will have implications in the availability of regional and local freshwater resources across the U.S. It is critical to understand how fit-for-purpose water recycling can be used to conserve freshwater.
This webcast presents findings from an Argonne National laboratory analyses of potential recycled water use to produce biofuels from conventional crops and algae and generate power by incorporating technology, climate, and geospatial-temporal components. Findings suggest a significant potential of producing advanced biofuel while doubling the amount of recycled water in use nationally. Results from this project support informed decision-making and strategic planning for water sustainable bioenergy development.
Presenter
May Wu is a principal environmental system scientist at Argonne National Laboratory. Her research interests are water resource use, water quality, and wastewater management in the production of biofuels and conventional energy.
WateReuse Pacific Northwest State Workshop Series
WateReuse Pacific Northwest State Workshop Series
WateReuse Pacific Northwest State Workshop Series
Save the date! More information to come soon.
Learn how digital platforms that include artificial intelligence and machine learning can be used to improve asset management strategies and operational efficiencies.
11:00 am – 12:00 pm PT | 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49
PDHs: 1
In this webcast, our presenters will introduce how digital platforms that include artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can be used to improve asset management strategies and operational efficiencies, as well as enhance source control, validate unit process performance, predict product water quality and make sound decisions for assessing suitability of product water for human consumption.
The data collected from pilot and full-scale potable reuse treatment trains have been used to develop artificial neuron networks as part of an ML platform. The platform clearly demonstrates that ML can be used to predict, for example, the product water total organic carbon (TOC) concentration of a pilot advanced treatment facility and the specific fluxes on the third stage of a full-scale advanced treatment facility as the feed quality and operating conditions are changed.
The methodology used and model outputs will be discussed during the webcast. The presenters will also examine how we can couple AI/ML concepts with the Internet of Things (IoT) and next generation of the SCADA systems to operate and maintain assets efficiently while significantly enhancing public and regulatory confidence in potable reuse projects.
Presenters
- Ufuk Erdal, Arcadis
- Jim Cooper, Arcadis
- Raluca Constantinescu, Arcadis
- Ozan Erdal, University of Washington