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
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
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.
Section Meeting & Webinar at Stantec
– featuring Brian Biesemeyer, Scottsdale Water “Arizona’s First Direct Potable Reuse System”