March 26, 2018
Washington Update
Significant Funding Increases for Key Water Reuse Infrastructure Financing in FY18 Omnibus
Bureau of Reclamation Releases Updated Title XVI Evaluation Criteria
Senate Committee Discusses Western Water Challenges
Make Plans for Water Week in April
State Updates and Member Spotlight
California: Aerospace Manufacturer Partners with City to Treat and Reuse Industrial Wastewater
UTC Aerospace Systems held a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, March 20 for its first U.S.-based water recycling initiative at its manufacturing facility in Santa Fe Springs. Developed in partnership with the state of California and the local municipal water district, the project will flow site-generated industrial wastewater to a city treatment facility, which will return the treated water UTC Aerospace for use in manufacturing carbon friction material utilized in civil and military aircraft brakes. The project reduces the facility’s use of the community’s drinking water by 25 million gallons per year. Learn More.
California: New Natural Resources Headquarters to Include Water Recycling
The State of California will begin construction this summer on a new 838,000-square-foot headquarters for the Department of Natural Resources. The property is designed to meet LEED Platinum and zero-net energy standards, with such features as radiant floor heating and mechanical chilled sails, as well as recycled water systems. The building is expected to use at least 50 percent less water than a typical, comparable office building. The downtown Sacramento office development carries a project cost of approximately $597 million. Learn More.
California: Western Municipal Completes Recycled Water Pipeline
WateReuse Association member the Western Municipal Water District is celebrating the completion of the Meridian Recycled Water Pipeline project, which provides 32 million gallons recycled water annually for irrigation. The recycled water transmission pipeline is about two and a half miles long. As part of the project, 112 commercial and landscape meters were inventoried and inspected, of which 40 meters were converted. Learn More.
California: Researchers Find Consumers Prefer the Taste of Purified Water Over Tap Water
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, recently published a study of recycled water that did not focus on its safety—which has long been established—but rather its taste. The study included 143 people, who were asked to compare purified recycled water with conventional tap water and commercially bottled water in a blind taste test. At the outset, researchers hypothesized the three waters would score equally. However, tap water emerged as the least preferred. Learn More.
Florida: Naples Considers Expanding Recycled Water Program
Naples is considering spending up to $20 million to expand its water-recycling program to support a growing population. The local utility is recommending an initial investment of $1.2 million to construct a pipeline connecting additional customers to the current recycled water supply. City staff is working on a financial plan for the project. Learn More.
Idaho: Sugar Company Seeks to Continue Agricultural Reuse
WateReuse Association member the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality is seeking public comment through April 18 on a draft water-reuse permit renewal for the Amalgamated Sugar Company of Twin Falls. The permit will authorize the company to continue operating a wastewater treatment facility and reuse system for another five years. It will allow recycled water to be used to irrigate agricultural fields and the conditional use of condensate wastewater for dust suppression. Learn More.
Nevada: Water Innovation Campus Receives Funding from Utilities
The Truckee Meadows Water Authority approved $172,707 on March 21 to support the new Nevada Water Innovation Campus and water reuse pilot testing operations. Washoe County, Reno, Sparks and the Western Regional Water Commission also plan to help fund the innovation campus, which will study the feasibility of expanding water recycling locally. The initiative will help the partners with the assembly, start-up, and optimization of advanced water treatment technologies. A regional indirect potable reuse feasibility study is also part of the plan. Learn More.
Conferences and Events
Austin: Live Music and the Location of the 33rd Annual WateReuse Symposium
It’s not too early to start planning your trip to the 33rd Annual WateReuse Symposium on September 9 – 12, 2018 in Austin, Texas. To make the most of your trip, combine learning with live music. During the day, learn what’s working, what’s new, and what’s next at the premier conference on all things water reuse. At night, enjoy live music at one of 250 venues across the city, which earned Austin the reputation as the “live music capital of the world.” Whether it’s rock, country, or blues, Austin offers up the music you love to listen to. Learn More.
Webcast: Water Recycling and Wet Weather Management
Please join us on April 12 at 2 p.m. EDT for a webcast showcasing successful urban and suburban-based decentralized water recycling installations in the Northeastern United States. You will learn about the decentralized water recycling revolution occurring in and around cities located in wetter regions, including why these cities are turning to decentralized water reuse and how your city can integrate decentralized water recycling systems into your overall wastewater and wet weather management strategy. If you are a wastewater utility manager facing challenging weather conditions and population growth, this webcast is for you. Learn More.
Register for the Pacific Northwest WateReuse Conference
WateReuse Pacific Northwest will host a conference 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.
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.