Washington Update
EPA Accepting Comments on Water Reuse Action Plan through December 16
DOE Seeks Comments on New Prize to Advance Water Recycling Technology
Department of Energy Invests $4.6 Million to Advance Water Recycling in the Oil and Gas Industry
State Updates and Member Profiles
California: Governor Signs Legislation to Update Non-Potable Reuse Rules
On October 2, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed WateReuse California sponsored legislation, AB 1180 (Friedman). The bill requires the State Water Resources Control Board to update the state’s non-potable recycled water regulations, which have not been revised since 2000. An update to these regulations, incorporating the knowledge and lessons learned from nearly two decades of non-potable water recycling, will help the state to achieve its ambitious goals for recycled water use. The bill also promotes recycled water use for dual plumbed building and for commercial, industrial and institutional uses by requiring the State Water Resources Control Board, through its update of backflow regulations, to include the use of a change over device, such as a swivel ell. The bill was supported by many member agencies throughout the state. Full text of the bill can be found here.
California: Paso Robles Completes Facility to Recycle Water, Nutrients
WateReuse Association member the City of Paso Robles recently completed a new tertiary treatment facility that can recycle water to irrigate farmland and sports fields. The plant also added a harvesting system that collects nutrients — ammonia, phosphorus and nitrate — from the water and creates a commercial-grade fertilizer. Currently in the design phase, the Recycled Water Distribution System is the next phase in Paso’s Recycled Water Master Plan. Read More.
Nevada: WateReuse Nevada Launches 2019 Scholarship Program
WateReuse Nevada is offering undergraduate and graduate scholarships in the amount of $1,000 to assist students attending a Nevada institution of higher education. Up to two scholarships will be awarded to undergraduate students and up to five scholarships will be awarded to graduate students. Qualified students must be pursuing a degree in a field related to water reuse and submit an application by November 8. Learn More.
Suez and Wharton School Release New Report on Water Reuse Outlook
WateReuse Association member Suez and the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania released a new report exploring the scope of the global water crisis and the possible ways forward. Titled The End of Wasted Water: A Revolution in Reuse Is Underway, the report shares data on global water stress, discusses opportunities and challenges in water recycling, and explores the future of water reuse. The document is a follow up to a water reuse conference that the two organizations hosted in San Francisco on February 27, 2019. View the Report.
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
Call for Abstracts: 2020 WateReuse California Annual Conference
The California Section of the WateReuse Association is accepting abstracts for presentations at the 2020 WateReuse California Annual Conference to be held March 15-17, 2020 at the Hyatt Regency, San Francisco, California. The conference is designed for individuals, organizations, and agencies that are associated with or interested in the design, management, operation, and use of water recycling facilities and projects in California. Abstracts are due October 18. Learn More.
Upcoming Events
WateReuse Pacific Northwest State Workshop Series
Join Us!
11:00 am – 1:30 pm PT | 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm ET
Fee: Free
This webinar is hosted jointly by this year’s Water Week Water Association Partners and will provide attendees the opportunity to hear directly from key EPA officials and Members of Congress on the important regulatory and legislative water policies they are working on now and in the years ahead.
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Join us for a lively discussion with leaders from across the water sector about the future of water reuse and its importance as a tool to address the impacts of climate change and meet local water demands.
Please join us for a free webinar on April 29, 2021, from 2:00 to 3:30 PM EDT to celebrate the first year of the National Water Reuse Action Plan (WRAP), including accomplishments of action leaders and partners and anticipated 2021 outcomes.
The Resilience through Collaboration: First Year Highlights and Future Directions of the National Water Reuse Action Plan webcast will feature remarks from Radhika Fox (EPA’s Acting Assistant Administrator for Water), Felicia Marcus (William C. Landreth Visiting Fellow at Stanford University’s Water in the West Program), and a roundtable discussion with WRAP action leaders and partners and other water reuse practitioners from around the United States. This event is hosted by EPA in collaboration with the WateReuse Association and other water sector partners.
The roundtable panelists include:
- Gilbert Trejo, El Paso Water, WateReuse President (moderator)
- Pinar Balci, New York City Department of Environmental Protection
- Mike Markus, Orange County Water District
- Melissa Klembara, U.S. Department of Energy
- Brandi Honeycutt, Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment
- Paula Kehoe, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Chair of the National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Non-potable Water Systems
The WRAP collaborative was launched on February 27, 2020 with federal, state, tribal, local, and private sector partners to build technical, financial, and institutional capacity to spur further consideration and implementation of water reuse across the country. The story of the WRAP’s first year of implementation is one of incredible dedication and determination by a growing community of over 100 different organizations. The WRAP collaborative has enabled the formation of new action-based partnerships across the water community to help address local water resource challenges through holistic thinking and integrated efforts to ultimately strengthen our Nation’s water security, sustainability, and resilience.
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Join May Wu, Principal Environmental System Scientist with Argonne National Laboratory, for a webcast on the role of water reuse in bioenergy production.
11:00 am – 12:00 pm PT | 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET
WateReuse Members: Free | Others: $49
Production of bioenergy from a range of feedstocks and biorefining pathways requires a substantial amount of water for irrigation, conversion process, cooling, and steam generation. Because the feedstock varies with climate and soil regions, an increased production will have implications in the availability of regional and local freshwater resources across the U.S. It is critical to understand how fit-for-purpose water recycling can be used to conserve freshwater.
This webcast presents findings from an Argonne National laboratory analyses of potential recycled water use to produce biofuels from conventional crops and algae and generate power by incorporating technology, climate, and geospatial-temporal components. Findings suggest a significant potential of producing advanced biofuel while doubling the amount of recycled water in use nationally. Results from this project support informed decision-making and strategic planning for water sustainable bioenergy development.
Presenter
May Wu is a principal environmental system scientist at Argonne National Laboratory. Her research interests are water resource use, water quality, and wastewater management in the production of biofuels and conventional energy.
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WateReuse Pacific Northwest State Workshop Series
WateReuse Pacific Northwest State Workshop Series
WateReuse Pacific Northwest State Workshop Series
Save the date! More information to come soon.
Learn how digital platforms that include artificial intelligence and machine learning can be used to improve asset management strategies and operational efficiencies.
11:00 am – 12:00 pm PT | 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49
PDHs: 1
In this webcast, our presenters will introduce how digital platforms that include artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can be used to improve asset management strategies and operational efficiencies, as well as enhance source control, validate unit process performance, predict product water quality and make sound decisions for assessing suitability of product water for human consumption.
The data collected from pilot and full-scale potable reuse treatment trains have been used to develop artificial neuron networks as part of an ML platform. The platform clearly demonstrates that ML can be used to predict, for example, the product water total organic carbon (TOC) concentration of a pilot advanced treatment facility and the specific fluxes on the third stage of a full-scale advanced treatment facility as the feed quality and operating conditions are changed.
The methodology used and model outputs will be discussed during the webcast. The presenters will also examine how we can couple AI/ML concepts with the Internet of Things (IoT) and next generation of the SCADA systems to operate and maintain assets efficiently while significantly enhancing public and regulatory confidence in potable reuse projects.
Presenters
- Ufuk Erdal, Arcadis
- Jim Cooper, Arcadis
- Raluca Constantinescu, Arcadis
- Ozan Erdal, University of Washington
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