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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
Presented in partnership with The Water Research Foundation, this presentation will cover key components of successful onsite non-potable water systems.
Webcast
2:00 – 3:00 pm Eastern ; 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific
WateReuse Members and WRF Subscribers: Free
Others: $49
PDHs: 1
Across the nation, onsite non-potable water systems (ONWS) are becoming increasingly common as a means to conserve and recycle water. Ensuring consistent implementation is one of the principal challenges for ONWS programs, particularly when multiple, new stakeholders are involved. Water Research Foundation project 4909 sought to identify key knowledge gaps and provide the resources needed to aid in the smooth implementation of ONWS. Through interaction with the National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Non-potable Water Systems, the project team identified common pitfalls that have impacted the design, operation, permitting, and implementation of ONWS.
This presentation will cover key components of a successful ONWS program including: (1) treatment goals that control public health risk, (2) effective design of both treatment and non-treatment (i.e., management) barriers, (3) strategies for effective operation and monitoring of ONWS systems, and (4) frameworks for regulating and permitting ONWS. The goal of this presentation is to convey the importance of stakeholder knowledge for consistent protection of public health at ONWS installations. This information will be presented through a survey of the projects two main deliverables: the comprehensive guidance manual and interactive training modules.
Presenters
- Brian Pecson, Ph.D., P.E., Principal Engineer, Trussell Technologies
- Brie Post, P.E., Senior Engineer, Trussell Technologies
- Paula Kehoe, Director of Water Resources, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
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Are water recycling utilities well prepared to address the COVID-19 crisis and other potential future risks?
Join Us!
2:00 – 3:00 pm Eastern ; 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49
PDHs: 1
The America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) requires all utilities serving 3,300 or more people to complete a risk and resilience assessment (RRA) for their water systems, followed by the completion of an emergency response plan (ERP). The RRA’s are part of an overall effort to improve the ability of water systems to prepare for and respond to events from water resource limitations to cyber attacks, from extreme weather to an assault on the utility, and from contamination to treatment and distribution infrastructure, among others. In short, it is an all-hazards approach to managing risk.
This webcast will discuss how water reuse interacts with the RRAs and highlight some the ways that risks are viewed and managed from an AWIA perspective. It will also discuss how we are interpreting and acting upon risk in the midst the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and how we can use RRAs to prepare for future risks. This webcast will offer a fresh look at risk and resilience through the lens of preparation and response. The presentation will begin with an overview of AWIA requirements, RRAs, and the role of water reuse in those assessments followed by a focus on risk and risk perceptions in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Presenters
Dr. Ben Stanford is an Associate Vice President with Hazen and Sawyer in the Denver office where he leads the implementation of innovations in water, wastewater, and water reuse. He is currently leading or supporting over a dozen risk and resilience projects in FL, NC, TX, CO, AZ, and CA.
Dr. Douglas Crawford-Brown is Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was Founding Director of the Institute for the Environment, and at the University of Cambridge, where he was Director of the Cambridge Centre for Climate Change Mitigation Research.
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Section Meeting & Webinar at Stantec
– featuring Brian Biesemeyer, Scottsdale Water “Arizona’s First Direct Potable Reuse System”