Home\News\WateReuse Review\WateReuse Review – July 29, 2019

Need to Finance a Water Reuse Project? Register for the 34th Annual WateReuse Symposium to Learn How

Looking for creative ways to finance your water recycling program? Register for the 34th Annual WateReuse Symposium, September 8-11 in San Diego, to learn how federal grants and loans, public–private partnerships, and other unique collaborations can move your project across the finish line.

Federal water agency officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Army Corps of Engineers will present in multiple sessions and answer your questions on how federal programs can help you launch or expand a water reuse project.

Learn how partnerships that include local agencies, state and federal agencies, and private business have created win-win projects that meet water management needs, offer security to business, and create economic opportunity. From public utilities collaborating with businesses to making the case for businesses to invest in onsite reuse systems, the Annual WateReuse Symposium provides case studies that serve as a blueprint on how you can get creative with project financing.

If you need to get up to speed quickly on more than just project financing, the Annual WateReuse Symposium opens with the Water Reuse 101 Workshop – an afternoon of sessions that will provide you with an introduction or refresher on the key elements of planning, operating, and managing a water reuse program. Spend Sunday afternoon with a group of experienced practitioners that will cover the ABCs of water recycling.

The Annual WateReuse Symposium is the premier conference devoted to water reuse policy, technology, research, and innovation. Advance registration ends August 23 so make your plans today.

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Washington Update

Budget Deal Paves the Way for Water Reuse Program Funding

Last week, the House of Representatives passed a two-year budget deal that raises overall discretionary spending caps and will allow Congress to proceed with the FY 2020 appropriations process. The bill also extends the suspension of the federal debt limit. The Senate is expected to take up and pass the bill later this week. Once that happens, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) will hand down funding allocations to each of the Senate appropriations subcommittees, including the Energy and Water Subcommittee and the Interior-Environment Subcommittee, which fund the Bureau of Reclamation and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), respectively. Those Subcommittees are expected to begin work on their bills over the August recess, and will likely move quickly to mark them up once Members of Congress return in September. The caps agreed to in the two-year budget deal, while significantly higher than the caps that would have gone into effect in the absence of a deal, are lower than the “placeholder” caps that the House of Representatives used when writing its recently passed FY 2020 spending bills. This means that the House will have to re-write those spending bills with a smaller pot of money at its disposal. Decisions about how the money will be divvied up across federal programs are likely to be made behind closed doors.

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Three Water Recycling Bills Introduced

Three new pieces of legislation aim to advance water recycling. First, last week, the House of Representatives passed the Energy and Water Integration Act of 2019 (H.R. 34), which is being led by Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Frank Lucas (R-OK). The bill directs the U.S. Department of Energy to integrate water considerations, including water reuse, into its energy research, development, and demonstration programs and projects. Second, Representatives Mike Levin (D-CA) and Jared Huffman (D-CA) introduced the Desalination Development Act (H.R. 3723), which provides $260 million over five years for desalination projects through the Bureau of Reclamation. Lastly, Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Representatives Dan Kildee (D-MI) and Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) introduced the Water Justice Act, which authorizes a lump sum of $500 million for the Bureau of Reclamation’s Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Competitive Grants Program. The bill also authorizes $500 million per year for the Alternative Water Source Grant Program, which, if funded, would be administered by EPA.

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State Updates and Member Profiles

Welcome New Members!

The WateReuse Association welcomes the following new members:

California: SFPUC Launches Its Larges Onsite Water Reuse Project

WateReuse Association member San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) last week celebrated the launch of its largest onsite water reuse project, which will divert foundation drainage from an underground rail station and recycle it to provide steam heat for 180 downtown buildings. Supported in part by a $500,000 grant from SFPUC, Clearway Energy constructed a 1,000-foot pipeline and installed an onsite water treatment system to treat the water to a quality suitable for use in a district steam heating system. The system reduces Clearway Energy’s water consumption by 30 million gallons per year. Read More.

Association Update

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.

Research Update

New Potable Reuse Research Addresses Priority Issues

The Water Research Foundation released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to develop a Potable Reuse Demonstration Design & Reuse Communication Toolbox and announced that it will soon release RFPs for six new water reuse research projects that will be co-funded by the California State Water Resources Control Board and contributors to the Advancing Potable Reuse Initiative. The topics for the six upcoming RFPs include pathogen log removal, real-time collection system monitoring, blending water sources, UV/chlorine advanced oxidation process, antibiotic resistance, and managed aquifer recharge.

Conferences and Events

Upcoming Events

Jan

Wed

Water Reuse Policy in the 117th Congress and Biden Administration (Webcast)

Tickets

Jan 27 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Please join Washington insiders to examine what’s on the congressional agenda for 2021 and what water-related priorities the Biden Administration is likely to push in its first year. Register Now! Join Us! 2:00 – 3:00 pm ET| 11:00 am – 12:00 pm PT WateReuse Members: Free Others: $49 January 2021 marks the beginning of both a new administration in the White House and a new Congress. While Congress passed a number of key pieces of legislation in the final days of 2020, much work remains to be done, including the reauthorization of important water recycling programs. At the same time, the Biden Administration is coming in with an ambitious agenda related to climate change, the environment, and infrastructure, among other issues. Top Washington water sector lobbyists will discuss the status of key legislation and explain the opportunities to advance a water reuse policy agenda. Whether you plan to participate in our Virtual Water Week in the spring or are interested in what to expect from Congress and the new Administration in 2021, this webcast will be a national advocacy primer for water professionals.

Categories: Featured Webcasts

Feb

Wed

Stormwater Capture Drivers, Impediments, and Future Visions (Webcast)

Tickets

Feb 3 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Register Now!
Join Us!
2:00 – 4:00 pm ET| 11:00 am – 1:00 pm PT
Fee: Complimentary

Join a group of stormwater management leaders from around the US to discuss stormwater capture motivations and drivers, barriers to progress, and future directions. This group will touch on questions like- Why are communities pursuing stormwater capture for use now? How do community interests in stormwater harvesting vary across the country? What factors get in the way of progress? Where do we want to be with stormwater capture in 20 years? The audience will learn about the different motivators, unique strategies, and opportunities to market and advance stormwater capture across the U.S.

Presenters

Randy Bartlett, Fairfax County VA
Sharlene Leurig, Texas Water Trade/Austin Water Forward
Mark Doneux, St. Paul, MN Capitol Region Watershed District
James Moore, Georgia Association of Water Professionals
Enrique Zaldivar, City of Los Angeles
Lynn Broaddus, Water Environment Federation
Drew Wenzel, Google

This webinar will be the first of a series of four webinars as part of the National Water Reuse Action Plan, Action 2.3.3. Co-sponsors include the WateReuse Association, U.S. EPA, National Association of Municipal Stormwater Agencies (NMSA), Re-Inventing the Nation’s Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt), Water Environment Federation, and Johnson Foundation at Wingspread (JFW).

Save the Date

Join us for the second webinar in this series.

Developing Stormwater Treatment Standards – Where’s the Action?
February 23, 2021
2:00 – 4:00 pm ET

Categories: Webcasts

Feb

Fri

Containment of Covid-19 on a College Campus via Wastewater-Based Epidemiology

Tickets

Feb 5 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Join Us!
9:00 am – 10:00 am Pacific | 12:00 – 1:00 pm Eastern
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49
PDHs: 1

Register Now!

Wastewater-based epidemiology was utilized to detect SARS-Cov-19 in the wastewater of student dorms upon re-entry of University of Arizona students in the fall semester of 2020. Positive wastewater samples allowed for subsequent targeted clinical testing of dorm students and the identification of both symptomatic and asymptomatic Covid-19 infections. Early detection of infected individuals resulted in reduced exponential spread of Covid-19 and allowed the university to remain open throughout the semester.

Presenter

Ian Pepper, Director, WEST Center & Professor, Environmental Science

Dr. Pepper is an environmental microbiologist whose research has focused on the fate and transport of pathogens in air, water, soils and municipal wastes. More recently, he has investigated the potential for real-time detection of contaminants in water distribution systems. Dr. Pepper is Professor in the Community, Environment, and Policy Department in the UA College of Public Health, as well as Professor in the Department of Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering. In addition to his duties at the WEST Center, he is director of the National Science Foundation Water Quality Center at the UA.

He also teaches a graduate level laboratory class on Environmental Microbiology, and an undergraduate class on Pollution Science. He has co-authored numerous books and journal articles on Environmental Microbiology and Pollution Science, and is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Microbiology, the American Society of Agronomy, and the Soil Science Society of America.

He received his Ph.D. in Soil Microbiology from The Ohio State University, M.S. in Soil Biochemistry from Ohio State, and B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Birmingham, Great Britain.

Categories: WateReuse Arizona Webcasts

Feb

Wed

Communicating about Potable Reuse and Public Health: Tools for Success

Tickets

Feb 17 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Register Now!

Join Us!
2:00 – 3:00 pm ET| 11:00 am – 12:00 pm PT
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49

As more communities face water quantity challenges, water reuse is a viable option to expand drinking water sources. Although all water is recycled as it moves through the environment, the practice of treating wastewater to be used for potable water is sometimes met with skepticism. Some of this stems from the “toilet to tap” campaigns that may have led to more rejection of water reuse than acceptance.

Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) is a framework that evaluates the many factors impacting water reuse practices and management, as well as those influencing community perception. With the emergence of new pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2, the acceptance of water recycling as part of a community’s drinking water sustainability plan may be even more challenging. This webcast will describe how QMRA may be used to communicate with stakeholders – including healthcare providers – the human health safeguards associated with water reuse implementation.

Presenters

Karla Mendez, PhD Candidate, UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, El Paso campus
Kristina Mena, MSPH, PhD, Regional Dean and Associate Professor, UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, El Paso campus