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Washington Update
Second House FY 2020 Appropriations Package Includes Funding for Water Reuse
WateReuse Delivers Letter Supporting Bipartisan Water Recycling Bill
On June 20, Senators Diane Feinstein (D-CA), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Martha McSally (R-AZ), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) introduced the Drought Resiliency and Water Supply Infrastructure Act (S. 1932). The WateReuse Association worked closely with the lead cosponsors to draft and build support for the legislation, which includes a 5-year, $100 million reauthorization of the Bureau of Reclamation’s Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse competitive grant program. On June 14, the WateReuse Association organized a letter, signed by nearly 60 associations, water districts, and companies, expressing strong support for the legislation.
WateReuse Proposes EPA Action to Advance Reuse of Produced Water
In response to a draft EPA study, the WateReuse Association submitted comments to EPA today, proposing specific actions the agency can take to advance the safe reuse of water from onshore oil and gas extraction. The process of oil and gas drilling produces a high quantity of contaminated water, known as produced water, which can be treated and reused for various applications, such as industrial cooling. Reuse of produced water is currently quite limited, and could be significantly expanded to increase and diversify water supply while protecting public health and the environment.
Bureau of Reclamation Announces Funding for Water Reuse Research
The Bureau of Reclamation announced last week the availability of FY 2019 federal funding for communities to conduct research to explore the use of recycled water. Up to $150,000 per project is available for desktop research studies to develop science and decision-support tools, up to $300,000 per project is available for research to improve existing facilities, and up to $750,000 per project is available to study state-of-the-art technology. The funding is offered under the Title XVI water reuse program and applicants must provide at least 75 percent of the total project costs. Proposals are due September 23, 2019.
State Updates and Member Profiles
Welcome New Members!
The WateReuse Association welcomes the following new members:
Florida: Cape Coral Receives $3 Million for Reuse Pipeline
WateReuse Association member the City of Cape Coral received $3 million to build a reclaimed water pipeline in the state budget signed by Governor Ron DeSantis last week. The Caloosahatchee River Crossing pipeline will run from Fort Myers to Cape Coral to provide water for irrigation and reduce nutrients going into the river. Construction of the pipeline is expected to cost about $15 million and will be completed in 2023. Read More.
Groundwater Protection Council Studies Reuse for Produced Water
WateReuse Association member the Groundwater Protection Council released a report on June 24 that examines current regulations, practices, and research needed to expand the reuse of produced water, a byproduct of oil and gas production. Most produced water is reinjected deep underground for disposal or to enhance production, with less than one percent recycled for beneficial use. The report identifies challenges currently limiting the reuse of produced water and provides a framework for the evaluation of reuse options, focusing primarily on research needs. Read more.
Xylem Produces “Reuse Beer” for IWA Water Reuse Conference
WateReuse Association member Xylem partnered with Berlin, Germany’s water utility and the Berlin Centre for Competence for Water to serve beer produced with recycled water at last month’s International Water Association (IWA) conference on water reuse. To help build support for recycled water, Xylem has participated in several other events showcasing beer made with purified recycled water, including past WateReuse Symposiums. Xylem uses creative partnerships to highlight global water challenges and the opportunity to address issues like water scarcity with recycled water. Read More.
Conferences and Events
Webcast: Removing Barriers to Direct Potable Reuse
Upcoming Events
Presenters
Bingrui Liu has been the Operations Engineer at Kranji NEWater Factory since 2017 after graduating from Boston University with a BA(Hons) in Chemistry. Joelyn Tan joined the Operations team at Bedok NEWater Factory (BNF) in 2018, bringing along her technical knowledge as well as experience with the latest industry innovations. Melanie Tan was the Plant Manager for Bedok NEWater Factory from 2010 – 2013 and will be facilitating the session. She currently serves as the Northern California Reuse Practice Leader for Kennedy Jenks.Webcast
2:00 – 3:00 pm Eastern ; 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific
Fee: Members: Free; Others: $49
PDHs: 1
This webcast will summarize the California Environmental Flows Framework and its application in the Los Angeles River. Across the country, state and local agencies are promoting water reuse and recycling to conserve water resources. Reuse and recycling of treated wastewater can result in a reduction of instream flow and can impact existing and future instream beneficial uses, setting up potential conflicts between policies aimed at promoting reuse, protecting water quality, and managing ecological resources. Agencies in California have come together to develop a statewide environmental flows framework that can be used to establish seasonal flow criteria. This framework is currently being applied in the Los Angeles River watershed to better evaluate the cumulative impacts of potential flow reductions associated with several water reuse and water capture projects. The project will provide a science-based approach for assessing flow necessary to sustain beneficial uses. The project outcomes will be used to help establish technically sound flow recommendations and evaluate the consequences of alternative flow scenarios for the LA River. This project may also serve as a model for assessing similar situations in other river systems across the state.
Presenter
Dr. Eric Stein is a head of the Biology Department at the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP). Dr. Stein oversees a variety of projects related to in-stream and coastal water quality, bioassessment, hydromodification, watershed modeling, and assessment of wetlands and other aquatic resources. His research focuses on effects of human activities on the condition of aquatic ecosystems, and on developing tools to better assess and manage those effects.
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WOW! Wonders of Water Brownie Journey Jumpstart
Our event is a series of activities and presentations for Brownie Girl Scouts to earn a badge called Wow! Wonders of Water Journey – LOVE Water. Girl Scouts can sign up through the council events page. Anyone wishing to volunteer should contact Erica Marti (erica.marti@unlv.edu).
Overview of activities:
- learning about the water cycle through active movement and visual demonstration
- learning about water pollution, especially how our community is affected by stormwater runoff
- learning about the unique water system in the Las Vegas Valley
Our event is now posted on the Girl Scout events page. Please share with anyone who has a Girl Scout (2nd, 3rd grades).
The Annual WateReuse California Conference brings together utilities, businesses, policymakers, and large water users from across the state to examine the latest issues and technologies in water recycling.
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