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May 18, 2020

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

Oct
10
Tue
Germany’s Approach to Water Reuse for Agricultural and Landscape Irrigation
Oct 10 @ 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Germany’s Approach to Water Reuse for Agricultural and Landscape Irrigation
8:00 am PT | 11 am ET  | 5:00 pm CET (1 hour 30 minutes) WateReuse Members: Free; Others: $49 PDHs: 1.5 Germany’s Approach to Water Reuse for Agricultural and Landscape Irrigation Register Now! Despite Germany’s temperate climate and history of adequate water resources, the country is experiencing droughts and extreme weather trends as a result of climate change. Germany’s increasing interest in employing water reuse for agricultural and landscape irrigation can serve as a model for other temperate regions facing these trends. Join us for this 90-minute webcast covering the full timeline of reuse in Germany, including reuse initiatives which have existed for decades, future outlooks for reuse in Germany, and the recent European Water Reuse Regulation (2020/741) which went into effect in June 2023. Our panel of research and utility experts will also present ongoing research related to non-potable reuse of municipal wastewater for agricultural and landscape irrigation, which is part of the German BMBF Water Technologies: Reuse (WavE) funding program. Moderator:
  • Dr. Veronika Zhiteneva, Project Manager, Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin
Speakers:
  • Dr. Christina Jungfer, Project Manager, DECHEMA
  • Prof. Dr. Jörg E. Drewes, Chair of Urban Water Systems Engineering, Technical University of Munich
  • Markus Büttner, Environmental Engineer, Stadtentwässerung SCHWEINFURT
  • Prof. Dr. Thomas Wintgens, Chair of Urban Water Management and Institute of Environemtnal Engineering, RWTH Aachen University
  • Prof. Dr. Thomas Dockhorn, Director, Institute of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Braunschweig
  • Prof Dr. Aki S. Ruhl, German Environment Agency, Technical University of Berlin
WRCA Los Angeles Chapter Meeting @ Rowland Water District
Oct 10 @ 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Our next Bimonthly Member Meeting will be held in-person on Tuesday, October 10th at Rowland Water District, 3021 Fullerton Road, Rowland Heights, CA 91748Lunch will begin at 11:00 a.m., and the formal meeting will begin at 11:30 a.m. There will also be an option to participate in the meeting virtually. A Zoom meeting registration link will be sent out with the agenda about one week prior.

Whether you plan to attend in person or via Zoom, please RSVP by Friday, October 6th by filling out the form at this link: https://forms.office.com/r/itWNqv2xh9Please indicate if you plan on joining for lunch as well as the formal meeting so that we may get an accurate count. This meeting will have a capacity limit of 35 people.

Oct
12
Thu
Northern California/Central Valley Joint Meeting
Oct 12 @ 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Oct
17
Tue
Pacific Northwest Section Meeting
Oct 17 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Oct
19
Thu
WateReuse Arizona: High-Recovery Desalination: Tradeoffs in Reuse
Oct 19 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
WateReuse Arizona: High-Recovery Desalination: Tradeoffs in Reuse

11:00 am PT | 2 pm ET (1 hour)
WateReuse Members: Free; Others: $49
PDHs: 1

Register Now!

High-recovery desalination processes offer the benefit of increasing water recovery, generally with increasing cost and complexity.  Reverse osmosis and electrodialysis desalination processes will be reviewed and compared with respect to high-recovery water reuse applications.

Moderator:

Erin Young, R.G.

Hydrogeologist | Water Resources Manager

City of Flagstaff Water Services

eyoung@flagstaffaz.gov | w: (928) 213-2405

 

Presenter:

Shane Walker, Ph.D., P.E.

Director, Water Resources Center

Professor, Civil, Environmental, & Construction Engineering

Texas Tech University

shane.walker@ttu.edu

806-834-0823

Orange County Chapter Meeting @ Irvine Ranch Water District
Oct 19 @ 11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Oct
26
Thu
WateReuse AZ 4Q Section Meeting & Election
Oct 26 @ 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Nov
1
Wed
WRFL Annual Meeting @ Tampa Bay Grand Hyatt
Nov 1 @ 8:00 am – 1:00 pm
WRCA Los Angeles – Emerging Professionals Committee for a tour of MWD’s Weymouth Water Treatment Plant
Nov 1 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Please join the Emerging Professionals Committee for a tour of MWD’s Weymouth Water Treatment Plant on November 1, 2023, from 10 am – 12 pm! Tour capacity is limited to 30 people so please RSVP ASAP to reserve your spot at the link here: https://forms.gle/gxGhtcBLVwWMTG1F7

Constructed in 1941, the Weymouth Water Treatment Plant is the first water treatment plant constructed by the MWD and now has a treatment capacity of 520 million gallons per day! Please check out the fact sheet here for more information: water-treatment-plants-fact-sheet-final_web.pdf (mwdh2o.com)

Event Address: 700 Moreno Ave, La Verne, CA 91750

Parking is available on site.

Following the tour, anyone who is hungry is open to join us at In-N-Out Burger:

Restaurant Address: 2098 Foothill Blvd, La Verne, CA 91750

For more information, please contact Seto Cherchian at 714.944.4726 or SCherchian@brwncald.com.

Nov
5
Sun
2023 WateReuse California Annual Conference @ Indian Wells, CA
Nov 5 – Nov 7 all-day

Join WateReuse

WateReuse is the only trade association that focuses solely on advancing laws, policy and funding to increase water reuse. Our niche strategy sets us apart from other organizations in the water industry.

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