Coronavirus pandemic is upon us all: The WateReuse Association is taking the coronavirus pandemic with the utmost seriousness it requires. The pandemic has already forced the postponement of several section conferences scheduled to take place through July.
At this point, the 35th Annual WateReuse Symposium scheduled for September 13-16 in Denver, CO will go forward as planned, and we will monitor the situation as we move into late Spring.
As many of our member organizations have done, Association staff in the national office is adjusting to telecommuting schedules to protect our health and make accommodations for our school children’s schedules; however, we remain open for business, so please reach out. Stay safe.
Washington Update
WateReuse Urges Investments in Water Recycling as Part of Coronavirus Stimulus Package
WateReuse Advocates for Increased Funding for Water Recycling in FY 2021
EPA Announces $62 Million WIFIA Loan for Water Recycling Facility in Morro Bay, California
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced a $62 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to the City of Morro Bay, California, a WateReuse Association member, to replace its 63-year old wastewater treatment plant with a new treatment and water recycling facility. These improvements will reduce discharges into the ocean as well as increase water supply and flood resilience. Morro Bay, which has a population of 10,600, is the first small community nationwide to receive a WIFIA loan. The $126 million project will help Morro Bay reduce reliance on imported water and improve groundwater quality with the addition of highly treated water. The California State Water Resources Control Board will finance approximately $64 million from its Clean Water State Revolving Fund Loan Fund.
Federal Agencies Provide Guidance on Water and COVID-19
Federal agencies, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are providing guidance to water professionals and the public on water transmission and COVID-19. There is no evidence that the COVID-19 virus survives the disinfection process for drinking water, wastewater, and recycled water, according to the CDC. No COVID-19–specific protections, beyond routine practices to prevent exposure to wastewater, are recommended for employees involved in wastewater management operations. Some WateReuse members, including the Dublin San Ramon Services District and El Dorado Irrigation District in California, are including information about the safety of recycled water in their COVID-19 messaging.
State Updates and Member Profiles
California: Fallbrook Selects Hazen and Sawyer to Design Potable Reuse Project
WateReuse Association member the Fallbrook Public Utility District (FPUD) has awarded a $745,000 contract to Hazen and Sawyer, also a member, to design an indirect potable reuse pilot project. The pilot project will determine the feasibility of developing advanced purification facilities to treat existing water both from U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and from FPUD. FPUD and Camp Pendleton currently discharge approximately 2.6 million gallons per day of treated water into the Pacific Ocean through the Oceanside Outfall. The pilot project will consist of two pilot facilities and a tracer study. Read More.
California: Valley Water Employee Tests Positive for Coronavirus, CEO Norma Camacho Enters Self-Quarantine
WateReuse Association member Valley Water announced that an employee has tested positive for coronavirus, and at least eight other employees, including CEO and former WateReuse Association board member Norma Camacho, were in self-quarantine as a result. In a statement, Camacho reassured the community that the virus is not impacting the safety of the drinking water or the district’s ability to supply water in Santa Clara County. Valley Water’s system includes three water treatment plants, a recycled water purification center, and a water quality laboratory. Read More.
California: Ukiah’s Recycled Water System Passes Vineyard Frost Protection Test
The City of Ukiah, a WateReuse Association member, conducted a successful recycled water system test last week to test the capacity of its new recycled water system that is providing recycled water to vineyards for frost protection and irrigation. The recycled water system was built to eventually deliver recycled water to approximately 650 acres of agriculture, 20 acres of pasture, and 15 acres of turf, including three parks and a school. The project also includes a 66-million gallon reservoir, and a pumping station that can deliver 3,500 gallons a minute. Read More.
California: Metropolitan’s Regional Recycled Water Program Receives National Recognition
Engineering News-Record California and Northwest, an engineering and construction publication, has recognized WateReuse Association member the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California as this year’s Owner of the Year. This recognition is for Metropolitan’s Regional Recycled Water Program and start-up of the Advanced Purification Center, an effort to meet Southern California’s need for an additional water source through innovation and efficiency. Read More.
WateReuse Communications Tools and Resources
Need to Illustrate the Value of Water Reuse Investment? Use Our Flyer and Infographic
Utilities must make a compelling case to ratepayers, policymakers, and other stakeholders that investment in water recycling is the right decision. Use our flyer and infographic to illustrate that Investment in water reuse builds communities that are modern, sustainable and stable—ready for families to flourish and businesses to grow. The infographic highlights examples of recycled water from coast to coast and documents the value they bring.
Conferences and Events
Webcast: Effective PFAS Treatment: Challenges and Solutions for Potable Reuse
Join us on March 25 at 2 pm ET to learn about the latest science on effective treatment for PFAS. This webcast focuses on the fate of PFAS in recycled water destined for potable reuse, and will include results from different advanced treatment processes ranging from bench-scale evaluations to permanent potable reuse treatment demonstration projects. The data illustrate important considerations during treatment selection, design, and operation to meet PFAS treatment goals. Register Now!
Webcast: Breaking Down Implementation Barriers for Onsite Non-Potable Water Systems
What are the key components of a successful onsite non-potable water system? Join us April 15 at 2 pm to learn about a Water Research Foundation guidance manual and interactive training modules to tackle critical knowledge gaps businesses and utilities. The presentation will cover treatment goals, effective design, strategies for effective operation and monitoring, and regulatory and permitting frameworks. Register Now!
Upcoming Events
Launching June 24 -25
Don’t Miss the FIRST EVER WateReuse California virtual conference!
Join us for an easy to navigate, virtual conference experience.This is MORE than just a Replacement Event for the March 2020 Conference, this is an opportunity for our community to stand TOGETHER in these unprecedented times to recognize the good work we do and share ideas for the future. The WateReuse California virtual conference will be available online until July 31, 2020.
Join Us!
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Pacific | 2:00 – 3:30 pm Eastern
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49
PDHs: 1
With many communities facing wastewater discharge limits for nutrients or temperature in Pacific Northwest waterways, reuse offers a water quality compliance strategy that can create wastewater, habitat and watershed benefits. This webcast will showcase two examples of how water reuse is being examined to address nutrient and thermal loading in marine and river water sources.
We will learn how water reuse is being looked at by the Bay Area Clean Water Agencies (BACWA) in the San Francisco Bay area to reduce nutrient loading to the estuary through a coordinated multi-utility assessment. With many parallels to Puget Sound in Washington State, BACWA’s planning can provide some ideas for how reuse might be part of the nutrient reduction plan for Puget Sound and other nutrient impaired waterways.
We will then shift attention to Western Oregon to hear from Clean Water Services in the Portland region. Clean Water Services has a long track-record of investing in innovative solutions to TMDLs. We will learn reuse is being examined to help their utility comply with thermal discharge limits.
Presenters
- Dave Clark, Senior Vice President, Wastewater Market Sector Director, HDR Engineering
- Jared Kinnear, Reuse Manager, Clean Water Services
- Susan Schlangen, Engineer, Water Systems Consulting
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Join Us!
2:00 – 3:15 pm Eastern | 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Pacific
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49
PDHs: 1
Lake Lanier is a major source of water supply to the North Georgia region. Many communities surrounding Lake Lanier rely on it for both discharge of effluent as well as their sourcewater for drinking purposes. This practice, known as indirect potable reuse or surface water augmentation, provides a sustainable water supply solution for the region’s growing population. Specifically, in Gwinnett County, Georgia, the majority of the county’s 56 MGD of treated wastewater is discharged to the Lake, which is also the primary drinking water source. This transformation of wastewater into a valuable supply of sourcewater requires careful planning, monitoring, and protection of Lake Lanier.
While there have been various water research projects and planning efforts implemented throughout the Lake Lanier Watershed in the past, there does not exist a centralized coordinated plan that documents, facilitates, and coordinates an approach to developing the ideation, planning, prioritization, management, resourcing, and funding of applied water research projects.
In response to this identified need, The Water Tower, the new global innovation hub in Gwinnett County, Georgia, is leading the effort to create a forum through which stakeholders and researchers will work together to develop a Lake Lanier Watershed Research Master Plan. The Plan will provide a multi-year research roadmap of project concepts to address critical needs in the Lake Lanier Watershed. Funding for prioritized projects will be crowdsourced among the stakeholders and the be the focus of nonprofit, public and private grant applications. The research projects will be competitively bid, with regional and international third party technical expert oversight, and managed by The Water Tower, a 501c3 focused on research and innovation.
Presenters
- Kristan VandenHeuvel, Strategic Director of Research and Engagement, The Water Tower
- Steve Leo, Client Service Manager, Constantine Engineering
- Jeff Mosher, Principal Technologist, Carollo Engineers
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WateReuse Arizona Section Meeting & Webinar
10 am PDT | 10 am MST | 1 pm EDT
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49
PDHs: 2
Arizona’s water managers and policy makers have long touted the practice of using treated wastewater in many areas of the state and putting it to beneficial use. However, every community uses effluent differently depending on their community’s needs, history, and make-up the other sources of their water resources portfolio. Differences range from the size and locations of their reclaimed purple pipe system, to recharge facilities for Long Term Storage Credits, to exchange agreements, and the next horizon of DPR. What kind of investments are communities making to secure their water future using effluent? How and why are there differences and similarities between these communities. This panel discussion aims at asking how communities from Northern to Southern Arizona, and from East to West Valley use treated effluent as a component of their water resources portfolio.
Panel Members
- Brian Biesemeyer, City of Scottsdale
- Eric Braun, Town of Gilbert
- Barbara Chappell, City of Goodyear
- Kathryn Sorensen, City of Phoenix
- Tim Thomure, City of Tucson
- Erin Young, City of Flagstaff
Moderators
- Troy Walker
- Gretchen Baumgardner
Panel Outline
| START TIME | END TIME | DURATION | TOTAL | Description |
| 10:00 AM | 10:05 AM | 0:05 | 0:05 | Moderator Introduction to Webinar and panelist |
| 10:05 AM | 11:05 AM | 1:00 | 1:05 | Each Panelist gives a brief (10 min) presentation on their effluent uses and how that equates to their water resources portfolio |
| 11:05 AM | 11:25 AM | 0:20 | 1:25 | Q&A |
| 11:25 AM | 11:40 AM | 0:15 | 1:40 | Audience Q&A |
| 11:40 AM | 11:50 AM | 0:10 | 1:50 | Panelist each give a closing remark |
| 11:50 AM | 11:55 AM | 0:05 | 1:55 | Moderator closes panel discussion |
Questions
- Are there plans to build additional infrastructure to increase or change the way your organization uses its effluent?
- What hurdles to you see do drive that infrastructure investment, if any?
- How important do you see effluent as being a portion of your water resources portfolio? Does it play a significant role in planning for the future?
- What role has getting public buy-in to developing reuse projects?
- Regarding buy-in from your organization’s leadership as well.
- In looking back over your organization’s history, and hindsight is always 20/20, but can you talk about lessons learned or are there things about how the way your organization uses its effluent you would change if you could go back, knowing what you know now?
- Are there currently any regulatory hurdles that are preventing greater use of recycled water?
- In 2019 the prohibition for Direct Potable Reuse was lifted. What are your thoughts about the viability of this for your organization?
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Join Us!
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Pacific | 2:00 – 3:30 pm Eastern
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49
PDHs: 1.5
Join us as we learn how water reuse is being reimagined and employed in different ways and scales. We will hear from the Portland Water Bureau regarding decentralized on-site non-potable water reuse to address water resource challenges for the City of Portland. Chris Wanner is a commissioner of the National Blue Ribbon Commission on On-site Non-Potable Reuse and will discuss how Portland’s efforts fit into the Commission’s work on advancing on-site non-potable water reuse. We will then shift attention to a smaller community in the Pacific Northwest, the City of Hagerman, Idaho, to learn how they transitioned from discharging to the river to recycling their water and putting it to good use.
Presenters
- Chris Wanner, Portland Water Bureau
- Dan Ayers, JUB Engineers
- Justin Hulme, Public Works Superintendent, City of Hagerman, ID
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