Water Recycling Highlighted during ‘Imagine a Day without Water’
On Wednesday, October 23, the WateReuse Association and several member organizations participated in “Imagine a Day without Water,” which promotes the value of water. Examples of member participation included an article in the Chicago Sun Times encouraging businesses to recycle water authored by a commissioner from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Chicago and a community meeting convened in Palo Alto, California to discuss regional opportunities for water reuse, among many other activities across the country. In addition, WateReuse Executive Patricia Sinicropi released a blog post discussing the essential value of clean and safe water and the benefits of water recycling.
Washington Update
Congress Negotiates Funding Levels for Water Recycling Programs
New Legislation Will Support Reuse to Build Resilience
WateReuse Adopts Policy Statement on PFAS
Congress is currently contemplating new laws that would direct federal agencies to regulate Per- and Poly-fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in a variety of ways. In response, the WateReuse Association adopted a set of principles to guide our engagement on the issue. The most likely legislative vehicle for new PFAS legislation is the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2020, which the House and Senate are currently negotiating. Both the House version and the Senate version of NDAA contain provisions related to the control of PFAS in water, land, and manufactured products.
EPA Invites Eight Water Recycling Projects to Apply for Low Interest WIFIA Loans
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last week that it is inviting eight water reuse projects sponsored by WateReuse Association members to apply for Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans. EPA received 51 letters of interest from both public and private entities in response to the 2019 WIFIA Notice of Funding Availability. In all, 38 projects in 18 states were invited to apply for WIFIA loans totaling approximately $6 billion to help finance over $12 billion in water infrastructure investments.
EPA Announces Workforce Initiative to Combat Staffing Shortages in Water Treatment
EPA recently announced the Water Workforce Initiative to help cities and communities across the country that are facing critical staffing shortages for the operation and maintenance of essential drinking water, wastewater, and recycled water infrastructure. The goal of this new initiative is to provide federal leadership, collaborate with partners and increase public awareness to bolster interest in water sector careers—a field that is charged with ensuring that all Americans have access to clean and safe water. The Water Workforce Initiative builds on recent efforts to promote water careers. Following further engagement with its partners, the agency intends to release a draft Water Workforce Initiative for public comment this winter.
State Updates and Member Profiles
Arizona: Scottsdale Uses DPR Water to Educate Community
Brian Biesemeyer, Executive Director of Scottsdale Water, was interviewed last week on KJZZ public radio about Scottsdale Water’s recent achievement of becoming the first Arizona utility permitted for direct potable reuse. Scottsdale is using its DPR permit to create educational opportunities for the community. The facility has given its water to 10 breweries to make beers that will be served at the One Water Brewing Showcase during Scottsdale’s Canal Convergence in November. Read More.
Nevada: WateReuse Nevada Partners with Girl Scouts on Water Reuse Education
WateReuse Nevada is hosting an outreach event for Brownie Girl Scouts on December 7 in Las Vegas that involves a series of activities and presentations to earn a badge called Wow! Wonders of Water Journey – LOVE Water. The activities will include learning opportunities on the water cycle, water pollution, and water recycling. The event is open to second and third graders. Read More.
New Mexico: State Agencies Discuss Water Reuse Opportunities in the Oil and Gas Industry
New Mexico state agencies held the first of five meetings last week to discuss opportunities to recycle water produced from hydraulic fracturing in the oil and gas industry. The Produced Water Act was signed into state law this year, which requires the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) to develop regulations and permit any produced water use outside the energy industry, such as crop irrigation or municipal drinking water supply. NMED and New Mexico State University recently announced a partnership to research produced water reuse. Read More.
WateReuse Members Recognized Across the Water Sector for Innovations in Water Reuse
Several WateReuse Association members were recognized last week by water industry organizations for their innovative water recycling programs. The Orange County Water District (California) received the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies’ 2019 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance for its Groundwater Replenishment System. Pasco County Utilities (Florida) received the Engineering News Record Southeast Award of Merit/Water Environment for the Central Pasco County Beneficial Water Reuse project. SUEZ received the Best Performing Company in Water Reuse award at the 2019 IDA World Congress in Dubai.
WateReuse Customer Communications Tools and Resources
Profiles in Reuse: Flyer Explains Safety and Reliability of Potable Reuse
The WateReuse Association released a new flyer, Profiles in Reuse: Potable Reuse, which members can use to inform ratepayers, elected officials, and other stakeholders about the safety and reliability of using purified water as part of the drinking water supply. The flyer also supports WateReuse’s Medical Community Initiative, which seeks to build support for potable reuse among medical and public health officials. This flyer is the first in a series of Profiles in Reuse that will serve as resources for member communication on water recycling. Download Flyer.
Conferences and Events
Upcoming Events
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.
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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.
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