November 19, 2018
Washington Update
WateReuse Association Urges Lame Duck Action on Western Water Investment Programs
WateReuse Association Joins Water Sector in Urging Passage of Legislation to Fund Water Research
The WateReuse Association signed onto a joint water sector letter sent to House and Senate appropriation chairs November 13 in support of swift action to pass the FY2019 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations bill upon returning into session, which includes $4.1 million for the National Priorities Water Research Grant program. This program is one of the few federal programs that sponsors extramural research to address the most pressing needs of the water sector, including water recycling research sponsored by the Water Research Foundation. Although Congress has supported funding for the program since 2012, funding of this grant program would be less certain under a Continuing Resolution.
State Updates and Member Profiles
Welcome New Member!
The WateReuse Association welcomes the following new members:
California: Water Board Set to Revise CWSRF Policy
On November 28, the California State Water Board will revise the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) Policy to help manage the extreme demand the program has experienced in recent years. The CWSRF is a major source of funding for recycled water projects in California. One of the significant changes contained in the draft CWSRF Policy is replacing a Project List with the “Fundable List.” The primary purpose of the Fundable List is to identify potentially eligible projects the Water Board intends to finance during a particular state fiscal year. Only the projects listed on the Fundable List would be eligible to receive financing. WateReuse California submitted comments to the Water Board and will testify at the hearing. WRCA has also asked the Water Board to request additional bond financing to help fund the huge backlog of recycled water projects.
Maryland: Water Reuse Initiative Aims to Increase Reuse; Update Regulations
Although water reuse is not new to Maryland, the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) is a year into a water reuse initiative intended to raise awareness, improve business certainty with clear reuse guidelines, offer financial and technical resources, and incorporate water reuse into long range planning for Chesapeake Bay restoration and Maryland’s statewide water supply plan. Maryland currently recycles water for non-food crop irrigation, golf course irrigation, power plant cooing, and data center cooling. As part of this initiative, MDE is exploring ways to remove barriers to increasing the volume of reuse and expanding the types of reuse. Learn More.
New Mexico: EPA, New Mexico Release Draft White Paper on Water Reuse in the Oil and Gas Sector
The State of New Mexico and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a draft white paper that addresses state and federal regulatory management of produced water, along with opportunities to treat and reuse the water to help alleviate water scarcity issues across the state. New Mexico is the third largest oil producing state in the United States and is seeking ways to reuse the water that is produced during oil and gas extraction and the EPA has a goal of promoting wastewater as a resource. The final white paper is scheduled for release at the end of 2018. Learn More.
Association Update
Webcast Introduces Recycled Water User Network
Conference and Events
Webcast: Using Onsite Water Recycling Systems to Transform Water Management
Please join us on December 11 at 2 p.m. ET to learn how communities such as San Francisco and Denver are incorporating onsite non-potable water systems to diversify their water supply portfolios and transform the way water is managed in buildings. Increased interest in sustainable resource management has resulted in the adoption of a diverse array of water recycling and reuse techniques that maximize valuable water supplies to meet the challenging water demands of the 21st century.
Paula Kehoe, the Director of Water Resources at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, will present on San Francisco’s innovative Non-potable Water Program. Established in 2012, San Francisco’s Non-potable Water Program allows for the collection, treatment, and use of alternate water sources for non-potable uses in buildings, and provides a streamlined permitting program for onsite water systems. In addition, she will present on the recent work of the National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Non-potable Water Systems, a group of public utilities and health agencies building consensus on water quality standards and permitting approaches, to help municipalities build local permitting programs for onsite water systems.
Brian Good, Chief Administrative Officer of Denver Water, will present on upcoming regulatory changes and remaining challenges for onsite water recycling in Colorado. He will also present on two of Denver Water’s projects that are moving forward with design and construction guided by a One Water approach to water management. Register Now!
Upcoming Events
Join us for our monthly New Technologies and Innovation committee virtual meetings. In August, we will have representatives from Raftelis share about the “Business Case of DPR”. As Florida’s traditional water supplies face increasing strain from population growth, aquifer limitations, and tightening environmental regulations, utilities are being forced to evaluate new strategies for securing long-term water supply. Direct potable reuse (DPR), the process of treating wastewater effluent to drinking water standards and reintroducing it into the potable supply, has emerged as a potentially cost-effective path forward.
This presentation explores the financial and strategic case for DPR in a future defined by reduced water availability and rising regulatory requirements. Using a representative Florida utility as a modeling framework, the analysis examines how the economics of DPR evolve as cheap supply sources are exhausted and emerging contaminant standards raise the baseline cost of wastewater treatment regardless of end use.
The analysis suggests that as treatment standards rise across the board, the incremental cost of advancing to full DPR becomes increasingly favorable, warranting a closer look at whether continued investment in conventional reuse infrastructure represents the best use of capital. Drawing on cost data from Florida utilities and national precedents from states already implementing DPR, the presentation provides a transparent, cost-based framework for evaluating DPR as a viable supply option.
The findings are intended to support informed public policy discussion and help utility leaders, regulators, and water management districts assess whether DPR warrants broader consideration as part of Florida’s long-term water supply strategy.
PRESENTERS:
Mark Tuma is a Manager at Raftelis whose practice focuses on rate design, cost-of-service analysis, revenue sufficiency, and impact fee development across water, wastewater, stormwater, gas, and solid waste utilities. With more than ten years of experience, he builds multi-year financial models and capital funding plans for local governments and utility authorities nationwide, including Fairfax County, the City of Orlando, Manatee County, Englewood Water District, and the Municipality of Anchorage. Mark constructs Excel-based analytical tools designed so that governing boards and community members can follow every calculation step by step. He is an active member of AWWA and the Florida Government Finance Officers Association, and has presented before the FSAWWA Finance and Rate Committee.
Thierry Boveri, CGFM is a Senior Vice President with Raftelis, a national financial and management consulting firm serving local governments and utilities. He advises municipalities across the United States on rate design, cost-of-service studies, capital planning, and long-term infrastructure funding for water and wastewater systems. Thierry is a lead author on several industry manuals of practice, including WEF Manual of Practice No. 27 and the WEF Water Reuse Roadmap. He works with city and county leadership teams to integrate financial forecasting with capital and operational planning, developing transparent rate structures that support resilient, financially sustainable water and wastewater programs.
If you would like to join, please email Jenny Taylor, WateReuse Florida’s managing director, at jtaylor@watereuse.org.
Join us in San Francisco for the 2026 WateReuse California Annual Conference! Hear from the leading practitioners of water reuse in California, learn about San Francisco’s leadership on onsite water recycling, and meet colleagues new and old in a fun and focused setting.
Register Now!
The National Water Reuse Action Plan 2.0 (WRAP 2.0) has officially launched and efforts have been live for a quarter! The U.S. EPA is focusing on incorporating the beverage industry, automotive sector, protein processing, and data centers into the WRAP 2.0. The reason behind this emphasis on industry is to align water reuse objectives with the EPA’s Five Pillars. Tune in to this webcast to get the full picture of how the water sector is building toward a more reuse-centric future!
Register Now!
Moderator:
- Greg Fogel, WateReuse Association, Director of Government Affairs and Policy
Presenters:
- Sharon Nappier, National Program Leader for Water Reuse, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Sargon de Jesus, Physical Scientist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Event Fees
- This event is free to the public
Professional Development Hours – 1 credit hour is available