November 12, 2018
Washington Update
Election Update: Democrats to Chair Key House Committees in Next Congress
Interior Secretary Zinke Proposes Reorganization, including Bureau of Reclamation
EPA Recognizes WateReuse Association Members for Excellence and Innovation in Clean Water Infrastructure
State Updates and Member Profiles
California: Governor Cites Orange County’s Innovation and Efficient Water Use in TV Interview
Governor Gavin Newsom cited WateReuse Association member the Orange County Water District’s groundwater replenishment system as an example of the type of innovation needed to combat the state’s water challenges during an interview on Hulu’s I love You, America. In a comical exchange, host Sarah Silverman challenged the governor on the use of the term “Toilet to Tap” and the two engaged in a discussion of better ways to describe purified water. The clip was widely shared on social media.
California: East Valley Breaks Ground on State-of-the Art Treatment Facility
WateReuse Association member the East Valley Water District recently celebrated the groundbreaking of the Sterling Natural Resource Center, a state-of-the-art treatment facility in Highland, about 65 miles east of Los Angeles. The $150 million facility will be capable of treating up to 10 million gallons a day and will recharge the local groundwater basin. The center will also offer education and training, community space, neighborhood improvements, and new habitat for the Santa Ana Sucker fish. Read More.
Association Update
WateReuse Sees Growing Interest on East Coast
Research Update
CDC to Study Antibiotic Resistance in Recycled Water
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently awarded a contract to study antibiotic resistance in recycled water to Amy Pruden, a professor in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech. Pruden’s team will examine a range of markers of antibiotic resistance through local water reclamation facilities treating water for reuse purposes. The researchers will track a range of antibiotic resistant pathogens of concern and identify which water treatment and disinfection processes are most effective for their removal. They also plan to examine the potential for new strains of resistant bacteria to evolve during wastewater treatment through the use of advanced next generation DNA sequencing. Read More.
Conferences and Events
Webcast: Learn about the New Recycled Water User Network
Are you interested in recognizing recycled water customers as community water stewards or strengthening your marketing to potential new customers? Please join us for a webcast on Thursday, November 15 at 2 pm EST to learn about a new resource for WateReuse members and a new membership program for industrial and commercial users of recycled water called the Recycled Water User Network™. The network provides a member-only platform for users of recycled water, including customers of water utilities and organizations that recycle water onsite, and is designed to be a resource for members of the WateReuse Association to market and provide support to current and potential customers of recycled water, while building public acceptance of recycled water in your community. The network provides businesses, governments and nonprofits that use recycled water the opportunity to receive a green designation, Water StarTM and to access information and resources on recycled water. Members of the network would also receive access to the Association’s membership benefits, including access to monthly webcasts, weekly newsletter, and discounts on conference registration fees. To learn more about how your utility can take advantage of the Recycled Water User Network, register today for the webcast.
Webcast: Reducing the Cost of Concentrate Disposal: Using a Novel Hybrid NF-RO to Enhance Sodium Chloride Removal
Concentrate disposal is a major cost for desalting operations, and for many water-recycling applications only partial desalting is needed, often targeting sodium chloride specifically. Please join us on Wednesday, November 14 at 2 p.m. EST to learn about a pilot study that was conducted to demonstrate the viability of a two-pass system, combining an NF pass with a second RO pass and blending the NF concentrate with the RO permeate. Findings indicate that sodium chloride can be preferentially removed from the recycled water, chemical and power consumption can be reduced when operated at system recoveries comparable to typical RO systems, and much higher recoveries are achievable with modest increases in power and chemical usage. Register Now!
Save the Date – 34th Annual WateReuse Symposium
Marriot Marquis San Diego Marina, San Diego, California
September 8 – 11, 2019
The 34th Annual WateReuse Symposium is in San Diego, California September 8-11, 2019. This year’s theme is “Collaborate to Innovate.” We will showcase recycled water collaborations among utilities, farmers, and industry; regulators working together at both the state and federal level; sustainability; public/private partnerships; and, for the first time, the latest in reuse research led by the Water Research Foundation. The Annual WateReuse Symposium is the nation’s premier conference on water recycling. The event attracts more than 500 water professionals from around the nation.
Upcoming Events

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
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
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
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