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November 23 2020

Profiles in Reuse: New Flyer Showcases Opportunities for Industrial Reuse

The WateReuse Association released a new flyer, Profiles in Reuse: Industrial Reuse, that outlines the benefits of industrial reuse, makes the business case for industry to invest in water recycling, and presents brief case studies that illustrate the many ways in which businesses across the U.S. rely on water reuse to operate. The flyer is part of WateReuse’s Profiles in Reuse series and is designed to introduce new audiences to the concept of industrial water reuse. View and download flyer.

Resilience Redefined: Submit a Proposal to Present at the 36th Annual WateReuse Symposium

Washington Update

WateReuse Supports U.S. Army Corps’ Nationwide Reuse Permit Proposal

Last week, the WateReuse Association submitted a formal comment letter in support of a proposal by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to establish a nationwide permit related to water reuse. The new permit is for the discharge of dredged or fill material associated with the construction, expansion, and/or maintenance of water reclamation and reuse facilities. WateReuse supports the creation of this permit to add clarity and simplify the permitting process. Read full letter here.

EPA’s New Loan Program Announces $695 Million for Water Infrastructure Investments in Three States

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is inviting three state agencies to apply for a total of $695 million in Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans through EPA’s new state infrastructure financing authority WIFIA (SWIFIA) program. This funding will help states finance infrastructure projects, including water reuse, to improve water quality and protect public health.

EPA’s SWIFIA loans are available exclusively to State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs. The first three selected SWIFIA borrowers are the California State Water Resources Control Board ($500 million), the Iowa Finance Authority ($156 million), and the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank ($39.2 million). Read more.

Feedback Requested: WateReuse Seeks Member Guidance on Implementation of National Water Reuse Action Plan

The WateReuse Association is seeking member guidance on implementation of the U.S. EPA’s national Water Reuse Action Plan (WRAP). To help guide implementation of a range of actions, please complete our survey here.

The WRAP was developed in partnership with WateReuse and other stakeholders. WateReuse is leading or co-leading a variety of actions, including developing a database to track and report state-level policies and regulations related to water reuse; establishing a water reuse award to recognize significant achievements in adopting and promoting water reuse in the industrial and corporate sectors; and helping to organize events related to stormwater reuse, inter-state collaboration, and workforce development.

State Updates and Member Profiles

Welcome New Member!

The WateReuse Association welcomes the following new member:

Arizona: Watch now! Reclaimed Water Brings Life Back to River

Last summer, Tucson Water began releasing reclaimed water to the Santa Cruz River allowing two previously dry stretches of river to flow. The Santa Cruz River Heritage Project adds up to 2.8 million gallons of recycled water daily to the Santa Cruz River fostering abundant native vegetation and wildlife along with new recreational and economic opportunities. Watch here.

California: Recycled Water Provides Opportunity for the Tijuana River

The International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) heard proposals for two projects that would treat and recycle water from its South Bay plant. IBWC executes water-related treaties between the U.S. and Mexico. While IBWC’s South Bay facility is supposed to catch and clean effluent from the Tijuana River as it spills over the border, heavy rains on the Mexico side wash more water and sewage into the river than the plant was built to handle. San Diego-based WinWerks proposed a reuse project that would capture, treat, and resell the water to Southern California utilities. A Tijuana-based engineering consortium proposed pumping the water to a purification plant further down in the watershed. Read more.

Member Spotlight: Xylem Helps Alberta, Canada Produce Its First DPR Beer

WateReuse member Xylem partnered with Village Brewery and the University of Calgary to produce Alberta, Canada’s first beer brewed with water from a direct potable reuse (DPR) treatment system. The local wastewater was treated through ultrafiltration, ozonation, UV radiation and reverse osmosis. The team referenced direct potable water standards from Singapore, Germany, and California and met all Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines. Read more.

International Update

Delhi Government Turns to Water Reuse to Reduce River Pollution

The Delhi, India government announced plans to treat and reuse 400 million gallons of the 720 million gallons of wastewater produced locally each day. The project will reduce the Yamuna River pollution load by 90% by 2023. The treated water will be used for groundwater recharge, surface water augmentation, irrigation, and forest restoration. Additional interventions include reusing biosolids for biogas production, natural wetlands treatment, and upgraded aeration methods. Read more.

Digital Advances Allow for Remote Commissioning of Saudi Desalination Plant

Despite travel restrictions in the age of COVID-19, Madrid based Acciona successfully commissioned a Saudi reverse osmosis desalination plant from thousands of miles away using “digital twin” technology. The digital twin is an exact digital copy of the Al-Khobar 1 Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) plant, and allowed engineers in Madrid to begin testing and commissioning the plant. The team used  advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence coupled with remote supervision capability. Read more.

Member Resources and Benefits    

Find a Job or Recruit Talent at the WateReuse Career Center

Today’s high-tech water reuse programs require specialized skills to plan, manage, and operate. Use the WateReuse Association’s Career Center to find a new job or find the right talent to fill your position. As a job seeker, you can receive job openings in you inbox, post your resume, and access professional resources such reference checking and resume writing. As an employer, you can post jobs at a member discount and manage applications online. Visit the Career Center to set up your profile!

Conferences, Webcasts and Events

Webcast: Water Reuse in Palestine – Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainability, Food Security, and Economic Growth

Although a small country with many water resource challenges, Palestine relies on agriculture as a critical component of its economy. About 50 percent of the land is designated agricultural yet only 7 percent is irrigated, creating an opportunity for water reuse to play a key role in water conservation, food security, and economic growth. Join Dr. A. Rasem Hasan, a professor and researcher at An-Najah National University in Nablus, West Bank, on December 9 at 1 pm ET to learn about recent challenges, social and technical, and proposed solutions to increase water recycling in Palestine. Register here.

Save the Date: 36th Annual WateReuse Symposium – Resiliency Redefined

Mark your calendar for the 36th Annual WateReuse Symposium, presented virtually March 15-25, 2021 as a series of live, fully interactive roundtable discussions. Each live roundtable includes breakout rooms that allow you to turn on your camera and interact face-to-face with presenters and other attendees. To prepare attendees to fully participate in this unique interactive experience, a group of pre-recorded, on demand roundtables will provide prerequisite education. Experience the 2021 WateReuse Symposium from the comfort of your own office in manageable chunks, and earn professional development hours! Learn more.

Free Virtual Event: Water Utility Resilience Forum

Water utilities will come together on December 1-2, 2020 for a virtual discussion of how utilities can be resilient and sustainable now and for the next one hundred years. Featuring insights from industry leaders and subject-matter experts, the Water Utility Resilience Forum will be a rich dialogue on what utilities are doing today to be resilient and what a resilient future looks like. The Forum is free to attend and is being convened by the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) in partnership with the Water Research Foundation (WRF) and the Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterISAC). Learn more.

U.S. EPA Webinar: Workforce Technology Adoption – It’s All About the People

Join the U.S. EPA and speakers from MCES (Minnesota) and the Water Tower (Georgia) on December 9 for a discussion of Technology Adoption to support the workforce of the future. The speakers will discuss the motivations, challenges, and benefits they are experiencing as they work with their own employees and others to ensure their people get the best support possible to meet the technology and water quality challenges of the 21st century. This presentation is part of an ongoing webinar series sponsored by EPA, with support from water associations. Register here.

Upcoming Events

Apr
9
Tue
Water Policy Fly-In 2024 @ Hilton Washington DC National Mall The Wharf
Apr 9 all-day
WRCA Los Angeles Chapter Meeting
Apr 9 all-day
Apr
10
Wed
Onsite Water Reuse Summit
Apr 10 – Apr 11 all-day

The National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Non-potable Water Systems (NBRC) is partnering with WateReuse and the U.S. EPA, to host an Onsite Water Reuse Summit in Washington D.C. on April 10 and 11.

The Summit is a free, in-person event taking place over a day and a half. A fantastic line-up of presentations and panel discussions are planned and we hope you can join us!

To view the agenda and additional information, please visit the Eventbrite page. Please only register for the event if you are attending in-person: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/onsite-water-reuse-summit-integration-of-science-policy-and-operation-tickets-815887761257?aff=oddtdtcreator

Once you register, you will receive an email with info on the hotel options.

Reuse Happy Hour at Texas Water @ Refinery 714
Apr 10 @ 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm

The Happy Hour is at Refinery 714, address 714 Main Street in the Kimpton Harper Hotel on the 24th floor. We will have appetizers and free drinks for attendees until the drink tickets run out.

 

The Happy Hour is sponsored by Yokogawa.

 

Apr
12
Fri
WateReuse California Legislative-Regulatory Committee Meeting
Apr 12 @ 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm

Please find below the 2024 schedule for the Legislative-Regulatory Committee. All in-person meetings will be held at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s Sacramento offices located at: 1121 L Street, Suite 900, Sacramento.]

 

Both in-person and virtual meetings will occur from 12:30 to 2:00 pm. Those indicated as virtual will occur over Zoom and a link will be provided on the agenda.

 

The 2024 WRCA Annual Conference will be at the: Hyatt Regency Orange County.

 

Please save the date for our 2024 meeting dates:

 

1. January 19 – in person

2. March 8 – virtual

3. March 22 – in person

4. April 12 – virtual

5. May 10 – in person

6. May 31 – virtual

7. June 21 – virtual

8. August 9 – virtual

9. September 16 – in person (at annual conference)

Apr
16
Tue
Pacific Northwest Section Meeting
Apr 16 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Apr
25
Thu
WateReuse Texas Board Meeting
Apr 25 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am
May
10
Fri
WateReuse California Legislative-Regulatory Committee Meeting
May 10 @ 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm

Please find below the 2024 schedule for the Legislative-Regulatory Committee. All in-person meetings will be held at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s Sacramento offices located at: 1121 L Street, Suite 900, Sacramento.]

 

Both in-person and virtual meetings will occur from 12:30 to 2:00 pm. Those indicated as virtual will occur over Zoom and a link will be provided on the agenda.

 

The 2024 WRCA Annual Conference will be at the: Hyatt Regency Orange County.

 

Please save the date for our 2024 meeting dates:

 

1. January 19 – in person

2. March 8 – virtual

3. March 22 – in person

4. April 12 – virtual

5. May 10 – in person

6. May 31 – virtual

7. June 21 – virtual

8. August 9 – virtual

9. September 16 – in person (at annual conference)

May
16
Thu
WateReuse California Agricultural Reuse Committee
May 16 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
May
17
Fri
Northern California Chapter Meeting
May 17 all-day

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