WateReuse Association Announces Virtual 35th Annual WateReuse Symposium
Washington Update
HEROES Act Provides Assistance to Aid Low-Income Customers
EPA Issues Guidance on Addressing Water Quality Challenges as Buildings Reopen
During this time of extended building closures, EPA has provided guidance and associated checklists on how public water systems, building owners, building managers and businesses can minimize water stagnation. EPA issued the guidance documents in building water quality to aid businesses and communities as they re-open. EPA urges state and local health officials to share this information to ensure public safety when reopening commercial buildings. Read More.
Awards and Recognition for Water Reuse
Nomination Period for WateReuse Awards for Excellence Opens August 1
Water Sector Seeks Applications for Utility of the Future Today Recognition Program
State Updates and Member Profiles
Welcome New Members!
The WateReuse Association welcomes the following new members:
California: Study Finds Water Conservation and Reuse Need to be Planned in Tandem during Drought
A new University of California, Riverside study finds that water conservation during times of drought can negatively impact the ability of utilities to produce recycled water, a key source of water. Researchers tracked average monthly effluent flows and salinity levels throughout periods of droughts at 34 Southern California utilities to understand the impact of water conservation efforts on reuse. The findings highlight the necessity of holistic planning in providing secure water supplies for the future. Read More.
Florida: Annual Water Reuse Week Promotes and Encourages Water Recycling
The Florida water reuse community is celebrating Water Reuse Week, May 17-23, with community engagement and education on conserving and augmenting Florida’s water resources. WateReuse Association members across the state have issued resolutions formally recognizing Water Reuse Week. WateReuse Florida will host a webcast on Wednesday, May 20, Water Reuse – An Operational Discussion, to highlight important issues in water reuse operations and treatment. Since 2007, the State of Florida, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, water management districts, water utilities, local governments, and WateReuse Florida have declared the third week in May as “Water Reuse Week” to promote and encourage efficient use of reclaimed water.
Member Spotlight: Brown and Caldwell’s Melanie Holmer Explains How Innovations in Urban Water Reuse Bolster Water Supply Reliability
Brown and Caldwell’s Water Reuse Leader, Melanie Holmer, shares how one water planning for urban water cycles can maximize water supplies. Using water reuse as a tool, urban communities can utilize non-potable and potable reuse to protect and replenish water supplies. Holmer speaks to how One Water planning spurs innovation and challenges planners and engineers to recognize the value in water. Read More.
Global Spotlight
India: Think Tank Highlights Water Reuse and Recycling to Address India’s Water Demand
The Centre for Science and the Environment (CSE), a think-tank based in Delhi, recommends more decentralized treatment with a focus on water reuse and recycling options to address both water scarcity and pollution. In India, only 22% of wastewater is treated highlighting a need for a paradigm shift. CSE’s study framed India’s water demand stress in the context of the coronavirus and identified the need to re-think water and sewage management throughout the country to meet needs. Read More.
Research Spotlight
The Water Research Foundation Announces New COVID-19 Research Effort
To spur research in environmental surveillance of COVID-19 indicators in sewer sheds, The Water Research Foundation will release Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) and seek funding partners to accelerate research in three key areas:
- Interlaboratory and Methods Assessment
- Stability of Genetic Signal in Wastewater Matrix
- Impact of Storage and Pre-Treatment Methods on Signal Strength
The Water Research Foundation is actively seeking partners to leverage its investment in this research, and anticipates posting the first RFQ in the coming weeks. Read More.
WateReuse Communications Tools and Resources
Understanding Potable Reuse: New Video Educates Public Health and Medical Community
The WateReuse Association’s video, Understanding Potable Reuse: A Safe and Sustainable Supply, discusses the science-based treatment processes that are used safely in communities around the world. In the video, experts from academia, public health, and utilities discuss the value of engaging with the medical community and including discussions of water in public health education. The video was produced as part of the WateReuse Public Health and Medical Community Initiative.
Conferences and Events
Register for the 2020 WateReuse California Virtual Conference
Join WateReuse California for an easy to navigate, virtual conference experience beginning June 24-25 from the comfort of your office or home office. The conference will include more than 50 technical presentations with audience Q&A and handouts, live and interactive panel discussions, an interactive sponsor and exhibitor hall, and a virtual cocktail party reception. Kristin Peer, Deputy Secretary and Special Counsel for Water Policy at Cal EPA will give a keynote presentation on COVID-19 Challenges and California’s Water Resilience Portfolio. Sessions will be presented on June 24 and June 25 and continue to be available for viewing until July 31, 2020. Register Now.
Explore New Heights in Reuse: Registration Opens June 1 for the 35th Annual WateReuse Symposium
Webcast:EPA Expands Research on COVID-19 in the Environment
Join EPA scientists on May 27 at 2 pm ET to learn how EPA is collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to expand research on COVID-19 in the environment. Among other projects to be presented, the webinar will include information from EPA researchers studying whether SARS-CoV-2 can be detected in wastewater. 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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