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July 6, 2021

Washington Update

WateReuse Association Secures Wins in House-Passed INVEST Act

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed bipartisan infrastructure legislation to authorize up to $1 billion in new funding for water recycling and establish a federal interagency working group on water reuse. The INVEST in America Act (H.R. 3684), which includes the text of the Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2021 (H.R. 1915), passed 221-201. The full text of the water-related portions of the legislation is available here.

The legislation contains two of the WateReuse Association’s top policy priorities. First, it reauthorizes the Alternative Water Source Grants Pilot Program, which authorizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to grant up to $200 million per year to state, interstate, and intrastate water resource development agencies to engineer, design, construct, and test water reuse projects throughout the country. Second, the legislation also directs the EPA to establish a federal interagency working group on water reuse, which will break down silos, leverage resources throughout the federal family, and facilitate stakeholder engagement.

In addition to reauthorizing the Alternative Water Source Grants Pilot Program and directing the creation of a federal interagency working group on water reuse, the bill authorizes Congress to appropriate up to:

  • $40 billion ($8 billion per year for five years) for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program;
  • $2 billion ($400 million per year for five years) for the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Grant Program; 
  • $500 million for a new Smart Water Infrastructure Technology Grants Program to help POTWs adopt smart water technologies;
  • $1 billion ($200 million per year for five years) for grants for the treatment of emerging contaminants; and
  • $4 billion each for programs to help low-income households access drinking water and wastewater services.

WateReuse congratulates our members on these important wins! We thank you for the work you did with your congressional delegations as the legislation advanced through committee and to the House floor!

The INVEST Act also includes several provisions related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). It incorporates the Assistance, Quality, and Affordability (AQUA) Act of 2021 (H.R. 3291), which authorizes $53 billion over 10 years for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to provide assistance for states, territories, areas affected by natural disasters, and water systems and schools affected by PFAS or lead; and requires EPA to promulgate national primary drinking water regulations for PFAS, microcystin toxin, and 1,4-dioxane. Lastly, it directs EPA to establish Clean Water Act effluent limitation guidelines and water quality criteria for each measurable PFAS within four and three years, respectively.

WateReuse will continue to work with the House and Senate to ensure that final legislation includes policies and investments that help advance water recycling across the country. The House is expected to begin informal negotiations and possibly a formal conference with the Senate in an effort to send a final reauthorization bill to the President’s desk before the end of the fiscal year. We urge our members to continue the push for major investments in water recycling programs. To learn more about how you can reach out to your congressional delegations, contact the WateReuse Association’s Policy Director, Greg Fogel, at gfogel@watereuse.org.

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WateReuse Members Testify in Support of Investment in Large-Scale Water Recycling Projects

Representatives from two WateReuse Association member organizations, Deven Upadhyay of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and John Entsminger of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, testified before a House subcommittee last week in support of a new bill that would provide grant funding for large water recycling projects that cost $500 million or more. These two utilities are among the partners in the proposed regional Recycled Water Advanced Purification Center (RRWP), which includes a regional partnership to reuse water lessening impacts on Lake Mead and the Colorado River.

The House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, convened the hearing on the recently introduced Large Scale Water Recycling Project Investment Act (H.R. 4099). Representatives Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), and Susie Lee (D-NV) introduced the bill, which authorizes Congress to appropriate up to $750 million for the program over a five-year period.

During the hearing, witnesses highlighted the critical role of the Bureau of Reclamation’s Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Grants Program, but noted that the Title XVI program currently caps grant funding at $20 million per project. Congresswoman Napolitano emphasized that water recycling investments create jobs and generate drought-proof water supplies at a time when 90 percent of the West is facing drought.

The Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Grants Program is currently the only active federal program dedicated to advancing water recycling. While the program has been wildly successful in the West, per project funding is intentionally capped at $20 million in order to increase the number of projects that have access to the program. WateReuse is working to increase this per project cap to $30 million; however, for very large projects, even $30 million may make up just a tiny fraction of the total project cost.

The WateReuse Association has launched a major advocacy campaign to increase funding for the Title XVI program through upcoming infrastructure legislation (see next story for more information on how you can get involved!). We will continue to advance Title XVI as a top priority while simultaneously working to establish the new large-scale water recycling project grant program.

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Action Needed: Help Keep Water Recycling a Top Priority by Taking Action Today!

The WateReuse Association continues to work across the House and Senate to help lawmakers understand that investment in water reuse is essential. We are calling on our members to take action today to ensure the final package includes funding for water recycling!

Please call or write your members of Congress and urge them to fund water recycling programs in upcoming infrastructure legislation. To get started, you can use our template letter to share your story. The letter includes requests for at least $100 million per year in mandatory funding for both the Pilot Program for Alternative Water Source Grants and the Title XVI-WIIN Water Reclamation and Reuse Competitive Grants Program, along with space for you to tell Congress how water recycling makes a difference for your community or business.

To take action, use the template letter. If you do not know who to send the letter to, please reach out to Greg Fogel at gfogel@watereuse.org or 805-570-3038.

If you would like to call your Congressional delegation member, you can reach the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. When you reach the office of your representative or senator, ask for the staffer who handles water issues and tell them that you are calling about infrastructure funding. If the front office transfers you to that staffer’s voicemail (which is common!), please leave a message.

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House Appropriations Committee Passes EPA Funding Bill

Last week, the House Appropriations Committee passed its Interior-Environment Appropriations bill for FY 2022 to provide discretionary funding for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its programs. In total, the bill provides $11.34 billion for EPA—an increase of $2.1 billion above the FY 2021 enacted level and $110.8 million above the President’s budget request. The bill includes $1.87 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program (CWSRF) and $1.36 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Program (DWSRF). Of these amounts, however, $222 million and $206 million, respectively, are earmarked as grants for specific projects. Accounting for this earmark money, the bill’s proposed funding levels for the SRF programs are roughly equal to last year’s enacted levels.

The bill provides $80 million for the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Program, an increase of $15 million over last year’s enacted level. The Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grants Program would be funded at $60 million, a 50 percent increase over last year’s enacted level, and the Drinking Water Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Grants Program would receive a 125 percent increase from $4 million to $9 million. See below for a full breakdown of funding.

FY 18 EnactedFY19 EnactedFY19 Supplemental Disaster FundingFY20 EnactedFY21 EnactedFY22 House Committee Bill
CWSRF$1,693,887,000$1,694,000,000$53,300,000$1,638,826,000$1,638,826,000$1,870,680,000D^
DRSRF$1,163,233,000$1,164,000,000$296,100,000$1,126,088,000$1,126,088,000$1,357,934,000^^
WIFIA$63,000,000$68,000,000$0$60,000,000$65,000,000$80,108,000
Sec. 2005 of AWIA – Drinking Water Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability ProgramN/AN/A$0$3,000,000$4,000,000$9,000,000
Sec. 2007 of AWIA – Innovative Water Technology Grant ProgramN/AN/A$0$1,000,000$1,500,000$3,000,000
Sewer overflow and stormwater reuse municipal grants$0$0$0$28,000,000$40,000,000$60,000,000
National Priorities Research Program$4,100,000$5,000,000$0$6,000,000$7,500,000$8,500,000
^Of which $222,431,651 is for earmark projects
^^Of which $206,146,044 is for earmark projects
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WRAP Update: Listening Sessions Held for Rural Community Water Reuse

National Water Reuse Action Plan (WRAP) partners, including the U.S. EPA, WateReuse Association, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Rural Water Association, and American Water Works Association, held two virtual listening sessions in support of WRAP Action 8.5. Information gathered through these listening sessions will inform next steps for this action, specifically expected training sessions and potential assistance opportunities. Communities participated from all over the U.S., including California, Florida, Colorado, and Washington.

These listening sessions centered around why rural communities are interested in reuse, what some of the rural challenges are to implementing water reuse projects, and what types of support are most helpful to address these challenges. Topics discussed included project financing, regulatory uncertainty, and workforce requirements. Please contact Heather Strathearn (hstrathearn@watereuse.org) if you are interested in getting involved in this action.

State Updates and Member Profiles

Section Spotlight: Bay Area Recycled Water Landscape Guide Released

WateReuse California (WRCA) is pleased to announce the release of a Bay Area guide to using recycled water on landscapes: “Irrigating San Francisco Bay Area Landscapes with Recycled Water.” The guide is an easy to use 20-page document that includes a plant list for the Bay Area. WRCA hopes its Bay Area members will use the guide by posting it on their websites and making it available to their customers. The primary author of the guide is Nelda Matheny, who is a senior consultant with HortScience. Eric Hansen, formerly with Silicon Valley Clean Water, helped initiate and manage the project. Support for the development of the guide came from the Bay Area Clean Water Agencies and a number of individual agencies in the Bay Area. The guide is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Bahman Sheikh, who provided numerous editorial reviews. Learn more.

FL: New Law Eliminates Non-Beneficial Surface Water Discharges, Paving the Way for More Potable Reuse

After passing unanimously in both the Florida House and Senate, SB 64, Reclaimed Water was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis last week. Under this legislation, utilities will submit plans to the Department of Environmental Protection by 2032 to begin “eliminating non-beneficial surface water discharges” by treating the water to drinking water quality standards. The Florida legislature recognizes that “sufficient water supply is imperative to the future of the state and that potable reuse is a source of water which may assist in meeting future demand for water supply.” Read the bill.

FL: DEP Launches New One Water Website to Provide Education on Recycled Water

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) launched a new website, One Water Florida, to provide transparent and accurate information on the safety and need for potable reuse in the state. WateReuse Florida successfully advocated for the development of potable reuse regulations as part of its work with the Potable Reuse Commission and has worked collaboratively with state regulatory authorities on potable reuse outreach. The One Water Florida website notes that recycled water is part of Florida’s state plan to ensure future water supplies and protect the environment. It includes information on recycled water projects and quick facts on recycled water in the context of Florida’s environmental and regulatory landscape. Visit the One Water Florida website.

SC: Facility Upgrade Allows Ridgeland to Recycle Water for Agriculture and Environmental Restoration

The Town of Ridgeland recently celebrated the launch of an upgraded water reclamation facility that will allow the community to treat up to 1.6 million gallons of wastewater per day and reuse it to irrigate agriculture and augment environmental flows. The $10 million upgrade to the Jimmy Mixson Water Reclamation Facility, made possible by grants from the South Carolina Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, positions the town for growth. Read more.

TX: New Law Requires TCEQ to Develop a Potable Reuse Guidance Document

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) will soon begin developing a regulatory guidance manual to explain the TCEQ rules that apply to potable reuse as directed by Senate Bill 905, signed into law by Governor Gregg Abbott in June. WateReuse Texas members worked to impact and shape the bill to help agencies better understand the process for permitting potable reuse projects in the state. The bipartisan legislation does not create new rules or permitting. Read more.

VA: Recycled Water Could Bring Data Centers to Warrenton

The Planning Commission in the Town of Warrenton has identified recycled water as a key solution for attracting data centers that would provide a revenue boost for the community. The commission is in talks with representatives from Amazon and a proposed ordinance would require the use of recycled water for cooling, reducing the impact on local water needs and providing resiliency for the data center. Warrenton’s Planning Commission is interested extending Virginia’s recycled water “digital gateway,” which includes WateReuse members Loudoun Water and Fauquier County Water and Sanitation. Read more.

WA: Quincy Partners with Microsoft to Open Industrial Reuse Facility

The City of Quincy opened the Quincy Water Reuse Utility (QWRU) last week, which treats water used in Microsoft’s data centers and returns it to them for cooling. The closed-loop system, funded in part by Microsoft, includes 10 separate treatment facilities. The QWRU is expected to save 390 million gallons of water per year.  Read more.

Member Resources and Benefits

Profiles in Reuse: Flyer Showcases Benefits and Opportunities for Industrial Reuse

Do you need to introduce a new customer to the concept of industrial reuse or find innovative examples? The WateReuse Association’s latest Profiles in Reuse flyer, Industrial Reuse, outlines the benefits of industrial reuse, makes the business case for industry to invest in water recycling, and presents brief case studies that illustrate the many ways in which businesses across the U.S. rely on water reuse to operate. The flyer is designed to introduce new audiences to the concept of industrial water reuse. View and download flyer.

Interactive Map on State Water Reuse Policies and Regulations

Do you need information about water reuse policies and regulations from across the United States? Visit the state policy map on our website to find summaries of the regulatory landscape in key states, as well as links to specific polices and regulations. Clicking on a particular state opens a pop-up window with detailed information about the state. WateReuse invites members to help us fill in gaps in knowledge using the comment box provided on the page. The map will be updated periodically as new information is received and/or states update their regulations. View the state policy map here.

Conferences, Webcasts and Events

Join Us for Arizona Water Reuse 2021 Symposium

Join WateReuse Arizona and the AZ Water Association for the Arizona Water Reuse 2021 Symposium, July 25-27, 2021 at the Little America Hotel in Flagstaff, AZ. The program begins Sunday evening with the annual welcome reception followed by two days of sessions on the latest trends in water reuse. The Symposium also includes scholarship and awards luncheon, as well as a reception at the Arizona Snow Bowl. Learn more and register.

Building a Resilient Future Together: Register for the 2021 WateReuse California Annual Conference

Registration is open for the 2021 WateReuse California Annual Conference and there are two ways to participate! Participate in-person September 19-21 at the JW Marriott Hotel in Los Angles or join virtually from the comfort of your office. In-person registration includes access to the on-demand, virtual content. The program will include 48 technical sessions, seven panel presentations, two tours, and many networking opportunities. For those who do not wish to attend in person, all major sessions will be simulcast, and technical sessions will be available on the virtual conference platform. Learn more and register.

WRAP Webcast: Multi-Agency Water Reuse Programs: Insights in Interagency Collaboration

July 7, 2021
11 am PT | 2 pm ET (1 hour)

Join our panel of experts for a lively discussion of lessons learned through a year-long effort to interview and document the work it takes to bring multi-agency water reuse projects to fruition. The webcast will cover the lessons learned by key regional projects and share insight on governance, regulations, economic and financial barriers, technical and operational issues and leadership.  Register here.

Webcast: Discussion on Desalination – Treatments, Research, and the Future

August 11, 2021
11 am PT | 2 pm ET (1 hour)

In this webcast, a panel of experts from the National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) and CalDesal will discuss the state of desalination in the United States. The panel will explore current practices, technologies, treatments, on-going research, and the future role of desalination in the resiliency of the country’s water supply. You will also learn about NAWI’s research and development roadmap series on desalination and treatment of nontraditional source waters. Register here.

Save the Date: 37th Annual WateReuse Symposium in San Antonio, Texas

ark your calendar for the 37th Annual WateReuse Symposium to be held March 5-9, 2022 at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio, Texas. The 2022 Symposium will be our first national conference with an in-person component since 2019! This is a not-to-be missed opportunity to learn about the latest trends in water recycling and network with colleagues in person.

Upcoming Events

Agenda
Agenda
June – July 2023 Jun – Jul 2023
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Jun
13
Tue
WRCA Los Angeles Chapter Meeting
Tickets
Jun 13 all-day
Our next bimonthly meeting of the Los Angeles WateReuse Chapter will be hosted by the Water Replenishment District of Southern California, and the meeting will be held at: Albert Robles Center (ARC) for Water Recycling and Environmental Learning 4320 San Gabriel River Pkwy Pico Rivera, CA 90660 Many thanks to PERC Water for also sponsoring our lunch, which will begin at 11:00 a.m. The formal meeting will begin at 11:30 a.m. A tour of the ARC will follow the formal meeting, starting at 1:15 p.m. If you plan to attend in person, please RSVP by Friday, June 9th to Jennifer Jacobus via e-mail at jjacobus@rinconconsultants.com. Please indicate if you plan on joining for lunch, the formal meeting, and/or the tour, so that we may get an accurate count. There will also be an option to participate in the meeting virtually. A Zoom meeting registration link will be sent out with the agenda about one week prior. If there are others in your organization interested in attending, please forward a copy of this meeting notice to them.
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Categories: Los Angeles WateReuse California
Jun
15
Thu
Orange County Chapter Meeting @ South Coast Water District
Tickets
Jun 15 @ 11:30 am – 1:30 pm
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Categories: Orange County Chapter WateReuse California
Jun
16
Fri
IN PERSON/HYBRID Sacramento Meeting
Tickets
Jun 16 @ 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
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Categories: WateReuse California WRCA Leg-Reg
Jun
20
Tue
Pacific Northwest Section Meeting
Tickets
Jun 20 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
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Categories: WateReuse Pacific Northwest
Jun
21
Wed
MAWRA Monthly Meeting
Tickets
Jun 21 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
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Categories: WateReuse Mid-Atlantic
Jun
22
Thu
WRTX Board Meeting
Tickets
Jun 22 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
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Categories: WateReuse Texas
Innovations in Agricultural Water Reuse: Successes, Challenges, and Funding Opportunities
Tickets
Jun 22 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Innovations in Agricultural Water Reuse: Successes, Challenges, and Funding Opportunities

1 pm PT | 4 pm ET (1 hour)
WateReuse Members: Free; Others: $49
PDHs: 1

Register Now!

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, agriculture accounts for more than 80% of the nation’s water consumption. Water reuse is uniquely suited to provide resilience, local control, environmental protection, and high water quality for this critical demand. Join our webcast to learn about two innovative approaches to securing America’s food supply with water reuse, strategies for overcoming obstacles, and gain insight on how USDA conservation programs can be a valuable resource in funding these projects.

Presenters:

  • Dr. Chris Hay, Conservation Design Scientist, Iowa Soybean Association
  • Julie Hawkins, State Conservationist, USDA-NRCS
  • Mike McCullough, Director of External Affairs, Monterey One Water
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Categories: Featured Webcasts
Jun
29
Thu
WRFL Board Meeting
Tickets
Jun 29 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
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Categories: WateReuse Florida
Jul
18
Tue
Pacific Northwest Section Meeting
Tickets
Jul 18 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
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Categories: WateReuse Pacific Northwest
Jul
20
Thu
MAWRA Monthly Meeting
Tickets
Jul 20 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
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Categories: WateReuse Mid-Atlantic
June – July 2023 Jun – Jul 2023

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