March 19, 2018
Washington Update
As FY19 Appropriations Process Underway, WateReuse Leads Coalition for Title XVI and Urges Increased Funding for SRF Programs
Congress Holds Flurry of Hearings on FY19 Appropriations and Infrastructure
Prepare for Water Week in April
State Updates and Member Spotlight
Florida: Potable Reuse Commission Holds Second Meeting
WateReuse Florida hosted the second meeting of the recently formed Potable Reuse Commission on Friday, March 16 at the Toho Water Authority in Kissimmee. The 11-member commission plans to develop a framework for implementing potable reuse in Florida. During Friday’s meeting, the commission reviewed Florida’s existing alternative water supply rules and made plans for a stakeholder workshop on April 6. Learn More.
California: IDE Technologies Opening Two New Water Recycling Demo Facilities
WateReuse Association member IDE Technologies announced that its technology will be used in two new water reuse demonstration facilities in California. IDE will demonstrate an energy-efficient solution with reduced chemical consumption to produce purified water at the Central Coast Blue Advanced Water Purification Facility, in partnership with the City of Pismo Beach. For the Regional Recycled Water Advanced Purification Center Demo Facility, IDE will demonstrate its reverse osmosis process for water reuse in partnership with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County. Learn More.
California: Modesto Completes First Phase of Project to Send Recycled Water to Farmers
WateReuse Association member the City of Modesto and other entities involved in the North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program gathered for a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, March 13 to celebrate the completion of the first phase of a project that will provide at least 30,600 acre-feet of recycled water for farmers. This initial phase of the project allows water from the City of Modesto’s wastewater treatment plant to flow into the Delta Mendota Canal. Learn More.
California: Elsinore Valley Invites Community to Tour Water Recycling Facility During Water Festival
WateReuse Association member Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District will present its Annual Community Water Festival on Saturday, March 24 to educate the local community about water issues. A crowd favorite is a tour of the facility’s sewer treatment plant, where visitors take a journey through the plant to see how wastewater becomes recycled water, which is used locally for irrigation. Learn More.
Market Update
Investment Firm Calls Water Reuse a Growing Market of Opportunity
The Raymond James financial services firm published an article last week explaining that investment in water reuse can benefit companies and communities alike. The article gives investors a detailed explanation of drivers and examples of water reuse across the United States—and notes the projections of a 37% increase in water recycling over the next decade. Learn More.
Conferences and Events
Save the Date: Pacific Northwest WateReuse Conference
WateReuse Pacific Northwest will host a conference on May 17-18 in Portland, Oregon with the theme “Roadmap to Reuse.” More than 200 utility operators and mangers, elected officials, engineers, regulators and equipment manufacturers are expected to attend. Presentations will focus on feasibility studies, regulatory updates, public outreach, funding, and more. Learn More.
Sustainable Water, Resilient Communities: Solutions for Dirty Water
In the third event of the “Sustainable Water, Resilient Communities” series, experts including WateReuse Association Board Member Jon Freedman of Suez Water Technologies, will discuss approaches to meeting the challenges of poor water quality such as increasing water supplies through water reuse, improving sanitation and hygiene, preventing the spread of waterborne diseases after disasters, and addressing agricultural pollution. The presentation takes place on Tuesday, March 20, 9:30am – 11:30am in person at the Wilson Center in Washington, DC or via live or archived webcast. RSVP Now.
Upcoming Events
Webcast
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Pacific; 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Eastern
Fee: WateReuse Members: Free; Others: $49
PDHs: 1
Singapore is a small island nation and is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. In the early years of its nation building, with limited land to collect and store rainwater, Singapore faced drought, floods and water pollution. These challenges inspired the Public Utilities Board (PUB), Singapore’s National Water Agency, to strategize and seek innovative ideas, develop capabilities and secure a sustainable supply of water. Today, PUB has developed a diversified and sustainable water supply strategy for Singapore with the Four National Taps. The Four National Taps are local catchment water, imported water, NEWater and desalinated water.
This Webinar focuses on Singapore’s third National Tap, NEWater. NEWater refers to the high-grade reclaimed water that is produced using advanced membrane and ultraviolet technologies. It is primarily supplied to non-domestic sectors such as wafer fabrication plants, petrochemical plants, manufacturing industries and commercial buildings for industrial and air-conditioning purposes. A small percentage of NEWater is also injected into the reservoirs before being treated at the waterworks for drinking water supply. Participants of this Webinar will learn about the development of NEWater in Singapore, including R&D efforts and strategies to overcome various operational challenges.
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.
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.