
Washington Update

Mark Your Calendar for Capitol Hill Visits during Water Week 2020
Continuing Resolution to Maintain Funding for Water Recycling Programs as FY 2020 Negotiations Continue
House and Senate leaders have agreed to pass a second continuing resolution (CR) to keep the Government running until December 20. Congress uses CR’s to extend current federal funding levels when it is unable to reach an agreement on new funding levels for the upcoming fiscal year. The current CR expires on November 21. The House of Representatives will vote on the bill this week, and the Senate is expected to do so shortly thereafter, assuming the bill passes in the House. Under a second CR, Congress would have another month to negotiate funding levels for defense and non-defense spending for the remainder of FY 2020, which began on October 1. For a full breakdown of where funding stands for key water reuse programs, see our previous reports.
WateReuse Continues Work on National Water Reuse Action Plan
On September 10, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a draft of its National Water Reuse Action Plan, and began to solicit feedback through a public comment period, which closes on December 16. WateReuse recently held a meeting with our water sector association partners to discuss the Action Plan, its implementation, and opportunities for collaboration moving forward. We continue to work with WateReuse members and our Policy Committee to develop comments ahead of the December 16 deadline. Members may also submit individual comments through the public docket (docket number EPA-HQ-OW-2019-0174).
State Updates and Member Profiles
California: Palo Alto and Valley Water Partner on Recycled Water
WateReuse Association members the City of Palo Alto and Valley Water are moving forward with a regional recycled water deal in which Palo Alto will desalt its wastewater and ship it to Valley Water for reuse throughout Santa Clara County. While Palo Alto currently receives water supplies from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the deal will give Palo Alto a backup source of both potable and non-potable water from Valley Water. The terms of the agreement, which is supported by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is set for a city council vote on November 18. Read More.
California: WateReuse California Seeks Nominations for Awards of Excellence
WateReuse California is accepting nominations for the Annual Awards of Excellence, which will be presented during a ceremony at the 2020 California Annual Conference in San Francisco, March 15-17, 2020. The awards recognize agencies, customers, and individuals that have demonstrated exceptional leadership in advancing water recycling in California. Award nominations are due January 10, 2020. Learn More.
Florida: Manatee County Tests Treatment to Improve Reclaimed Water Quality
WateReuse Association members Manatee County Utilities and the Southwest Florida Water Management District are pilot testing a treatment technology aimed at reducing nutrients in reclaimed water. The pilot program will treat 1 million to 1.5 million gallons of the 8 million gallons of reclaimed water a day delivered from Manatee County. The pilot will test biochar filtration to meet Florida’s advanced wastewater treatment standards. Read more.
WateReuse Customer Communications Tools and Resources
How Can You Offer Recognition to Your Recycled Water Customers? Participate in the Recycled Water User Network
Are you interested in recognizing recycled water customers as community water stewards or offering an incentive for new customers to come onboard? Participate in the Recycled Water User Network, a members-only network for businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations that use recycled water, including customers of water utilities and organizations that recycle water onsite. The network gives businesses, governments and nonprofits that use recycled water the opportunity to receive a green designation, Water StarTM, and access to information and resources on recycled water. Learn More.
Conferences and Events
Green Building Professionals Learn about Onsite Water Reuse
Incoming WateReuse Association Board of Directors member Paula Kehoe of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission discussed onsite water reuse at GreenBuilder 2019, a conference hosted by the U.S. Green Building Council. The session focused on the drivers, practicable understanding, and resources for design and monitoring of onsite non-potable water systems and how these projects relate to LEED water efficiency credits. The session also highlighted the work of the National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Non-potable Water Systems, which includes a guidance manual and training materials. Read More.
Closing the Water Loop with NEWater: The Story of Recycled Water in Singapore
Singapore, a small densely populated island nation, has made international headlines with its innovative NEWater, a high quality purified water produced using advanced membranes and ultraviolet technologies. Please join us for a webcast on November 20 at 4:30 pm PST for an in depth presentation on Singapore’s NEWater. Two engineers will join us live from Singapore to discuss R&D efforts and strategies implemented to overcome various operational challenges. Register Now.
Upcoming Events

- Dr. Veronika Zhiteneva, Project Manager, Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin
- 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
Our next Bimonthly Member Meeting will be held in-person on Tuesday, October 10th at Rowland Water District, 3021 Fullerton Road, Rowland Heights, CA 91748. Lunch 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/itWNqv2xh9. Please 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.

11:00 am PT | 2 pm ET (1 hour)
WateReuse Members: Free; Others: $49
PDHs: 1
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
806-834-0823
Add to Calendar
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