Home\WateReuse Review – October 1, 2018

October 1, 2018

 

Washington Update

WateReuse Supports Legislation to Extend NPDES Permits to 10 Years

WateReuse and Partners to Highlight Membrane Technology in Washington, DC

 

State Updates and Member Profile

Welcome New Members!

The WateReuse Association welcomes the following new member:

California: Study Documents Municipal Wastewater Discharges to Coastal Water Bodies

WateReuse Association member Heal the Ocean announced the release of The Inventory of Municipal Wastewater Discharges to California Coastal Water Bodies, an online interactive study that documents the 417 billion gallons of treated municipal wastewater discharged at fifty-seven coastal locations in the 2015 calendar year. The study notes that if California had recycled 63.3% of total municipal wastewater flows to coastal waters in 2015, it would have made its 2020 recycled water production goal. Learn More.

California: Padre Dam Hosts Successful Water Reuse Festival

WateReuse Association member Padre Dam Municipal Water District hosted more than 400 visitors during the East County Water Festival in Santee to celebrate water and learn about the East County Advanced Water Purification Program that will create a new drought proof drinking water supply using state-of-the-art technology to purify East San Diego County’s recycled water. The East County Advanced Water Purification Project is a regional partnership with Padre Dam, Helix Water District, City of El Cajon and the County of San Diego. Read More.

Florida: St. Johns River Makes Water Reuse a Budget Priority

WateReuse Association member the St John’s River Water Management District has set a budget of $142.5 million for 2018-19, covering projects including water reuse and aquifer recharge initiatives, and public-private partnerships. The budget provides for $54.92 million in cooperative funding, including up to $3.5 million to support water projects in economically disadvantaged rural communities and for innovative technologies, spring and priority water body protection and restoration, water conservation initiatives, and projects to enhance the use of reclaimed water. Read More.

Oregon: Clean Water Services Introduces Pure Water Wagon This Week

WateReuse Association member Clean Water Services introduces its new Pure Water Wagon at WEFTEC in New Orleans this week. Based in Hillsboro, Clean Water Services will take this wagon to public and industry events to provide a close-up look at technology that transforms what that goes down our drains into water that is clean and safe to reuse. Clean Water Services has been a leader in innovation and was the first utility to introduce reuse beer in 2015. Read More.

New York: New Facility Will Charge Electric Buses, Clean Buses with Reclaimed Water

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced last week $2 million in federal U.S. Department of Transportation funding for the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority to help construct a new $10 million Advanced Environmental Service Building. The building will both support charging of new, low-pollution electric buses and use reclaimed water to clean buses to reduce the environmental impact and lower operational costs. The U.S. Department of Transportation provided this funding through the Bus and Bus Facilities Infrastructure Investment Program. Read More.

Texas: New Research Center to Study Better Water Purification Methods

A new multi-university research center headquartered in The University of Texas at Austin’s Cockrell School of Engineering will seek more creative approaches — and new materials — to use and reuse existing water and improve upon existing water purification methods. The Center for Materials for Water and Energy SysTems (M-WET) unites researchers from UT; the University of California, Santa Barbara; and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The center has been launched through a four-year, $10.75 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and is part of the DOE’s Energy Frontiers Research Centers program. Read More.

 

Conferences and Events

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 November 14 at 2 p.m. 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!

Call for Abstracts: 2019 WateReuse California Annual Conference

WateReuse California is accepting abstracts through October 8, 2018 for a place on the program at the 2019 WateReuse California Annual Conference on March 17-19, 2019 at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Garden Grove, CA. The conference is designed for individuals, organizations, and agencies that are associated with or interested in the use, design, management, and operation of water recycling facilities and projects in California. The conference will feature more than 40 technical presentations, poster presentations, technical tours, receptions, an awards luncheon, the annual Gordon Cologne Breakfast, and the ever-popular exhibition component. Submit an abstract!

Upcoming Events

Oct
14
Tue
Q3 Inland Empire WateReuse Chapter Meeting @ Eastern Municipal Water District
Oct 14 @ 11:30 am – 1:00 pm

Join us on Tuesday, October 14, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the Eastern Municipal Water District Board Room in Perris, CA for the Q3 Inland Empire WateReuse Chapter Meeting.

This meeting will bring together nationally recognized leaders in potable reuse, offering a rare opportunity to learn about and engage with transformative projects in San Diego, Los Angeles, and the California inland region.

Why attend:

  • Hear directly from experts driving landmark reuse projects.
  • Connect with engineers, utilities, vendors, and regulators.
  • Gain insights that will accelerate innovation and resilience.

Lunch will be provided for all attendees.

👉RSVP here

We also encourage you to extend this invitation to colleagues in the field who would benefit from this unique opportunity to connect, learn, and collaborate. To help spread the word, we are providing a flyer which you can share or post in break rooms, lunchrooms, bulletin boards, or other common spaces (as allowed) where your teams and colleagues will see it.

Oct
16
Thu
WRAZ Section Meeting & Webcast
Oct 16 all-day
Orange County Chapter Meeting
Oct 16 all-day
How to Navigate Enhanced Source Control for AWP
Oct 16 @ 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
How to Navigate Enhanced Source Control for AWP

Date & Time:
Thursday, October 16, 2025
10:30AM PST _ 1:30PM EST

Register Now!

In Spring 2025 Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) codified the Advanced Water Purification (AWP) rule. Under this rule, an applicant is required to conduct an Initial Source Water Characterization (ISWC) and implement an Enhanced Source Control Plan (ESCP). These two requirements are intertwined and require coordination. The purpose of the ISWC is to understand the baseline Advanced Water Treatment Facility (AWTF) feed water quality. The ESCP serves as a mechanism to identify, control, or eliminate constituents of concern (COCs), as identified during ISWC sampling, that are discharged to the collection system.

An ESCP extends beyond federal Industrial Pretreatment Program (IPP) requirements. Given the lack of environmental buffers inherent to AWP, a primary goal of an ESCP is to provide additional control measures to protect public health, as well as instill public confidence in the safety of AWP. As part of the AWP rule, an ESCP must incorporate monitoring of industry and regulated contaminants as required through an IPP, as well as consider monitoring of unregulated but possibly problematic chemicals (harmful or pass-through/interference) discharged to the sewer. The regulations also stipulate the development of an excursion response plan covering the source(s)/collection system, the Water Reclamation Facility, and the AWTF.

The ISWC lays the groundwork for developing the ESCP. Several approaches used at various utilities implementing potable reuse programs will be showcased to help navigate the requirements of the AWP rule. Additionally, utilities will need to consider other complexities, such as overlap with Tier 1 (Safe Drinking Water Act) constituents and chemicals that undergo changes during advanced treatment as part of the chemical inventory. Ultimately, the core questions that this presentation aims to address are: a) How do the ESCP and ISWC support safe and successful implementation of Arizona’s AWP rule, and b) What are strategies, using examples as a guide, Arizona utilities may use to meet their ESCP and ISWC regulatory requirements?

 

In-Person Location: Black & Veatch 2231 E Camelback Rd, Ste 300, Phoenix, AZ 85016

Moderator:    

  • Erin Young, Water Resources Manager, Flagstaff Water Services, WRAZ President

Presenter:    

  • Doug Rice, Process Engineer, Black & Veatch
  • Mary Kate Forkan, Lead Scientist, Carollo Engineers
Oct
21
Tue
Water Reuse Europe – Knowledge Exchange Day
Oct 21 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

The third edition of Water Reuse Europe’s Knowledge Exchange Day will take place on 21 October 2025 in Brussels, Belgium.

This event will showcase the outcomes of recent and ongoing water reuse research projects delivered across Europe, providing a valuable platform for knowledge transfer between WRE members and non-members.

Water Reuse Europe’s Knowledge Exchange Days offer an excellent opportunity for researchers to present their findings, share innovative tools, and engage with potential partners in the water reuse sector. The event fosters collaboration among researchers, commercial companies, utilities, and public bodies, driving innovation and advancing the sector.

Professionals involved in the design and operation of water reuse schemes will benefit from insights into cutting-edge research, networking with key industry players, and discussions on the future of water reuse.

This edition will particularly highlight the impact of EU and nationally funded water reuse projects, including those supported by Horizon Europe. Attendees will gain insights into the latest advancements in R&D, connect with experts, and explore opportunities for future funding and collaboration.

Pacific Northwest Section Meeting
Oct 21 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Oct
23
Thu
Central Coast Chapter Meeting
Oct 23 all-day

Chapter Meeting: Agenda and Details TBD

2025 WateReuse Florida Annual Meeting @ Loews Sapphire Falls Resort Universal Orlando
Oct 23 @ 8:00 am – 1:00 pm

Join Florida water reuse professionals to hear about legislative efforts, new technologies, WRFL will provide an update on our future activities, plus hear from a Florida representative.

COST:
Members: $50
Non-Members: $75

Do you need  a hotel? Check out these hotel options:
Universal Cabana Bay Beach Resort (across the street from Sapphire Falls Resort)
Universal Terra Luna Resort
Drury Inn & Suites Universal Orlando

Parking for the event at the Sapphire Falls Resort has been discounted to $15/day.

Register Now!

Become a Sponsor

Draft Agenda

Oct
24
Fri
WRCA Legislative & Regulatory Committee
Oct 24 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

The in-person Sacramento location is different for this meeting only:

925 L Street, Sacramento, CA  95814
First Floor Conference Room

Nov
13
Thu
Water Recycling: Past, Present, and Future Through the Eyes of the Nation’s First Potable Reuse Project to Use Surface Water Augmentation
Nov 13 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Water Recycling: Past, Present, and Future Through the Eyes of the Nation’s First Potable Reuse Project to Use Surface Water Augmentation

10:00 am EST | 7:00 am PST (1 hour)
WateReuse Members: Free; Others: $55
PDHs: 1

Register Now!

Join WateReuse Ohio to learn about Upper Occoquan Service Authority’s water recycling history & journey.

Upper Occoquan Service Authority (UOSA) is a regional water recycling facility that protects public health and the environment as trusted stewards of our most precious resource – water. They have a long track record and will discuss their story along with how they are facing new challenges, such as emerging contaminants (PFAS), changes to influent load from water conservation, and changes to treatment targets.

UOSA was formed on March 3, 1971 by concurrent resolution of the governing bodies of Fairfax and Prince William Counties and the Towns (now Cities) of Manassas and Manassas Park. UOSA’s product water flows via Bull Run to the Occoquan Reservoir, one of two major water supply sources for Virginia residents served by Fairfax Water. Fairfax Water serves nearly two million people in Fairfax County, the City of Alexandria, and portions of Prince William County and Loudoun County.

Moderator:    
  • Jessica Langdon, Assistant Policy Director, Ohio EPA
Presenter:    
  • Brian Steglitz, Chief Executive Officer, Upper Occoquan Service Authority

Join WateReuse

WateReuse is the only trade association that focuses solely on advancing laws, policy and funding to increase water reuse. Our niche strategy sets us apart from other organizations in the water industry.

Join Today