Home\WateReuse Review – October 22, 2018

October 22, 2018

Washington Update

Congress Enacts Major Water Infrastructure Legislation, includes Support for Water Reuse

On Wednesday October 10, 2018, Congress enacted HR 3021, America’s Water Infrastructure Act, legislation that authorizes several flood control and related programs administered by the Army Corps of Engineers, which also included several provisions to increase investment in water infrastructure, including water recycling projects undertaken by members of the WateReuse Association.

Several provisions contained in the Act enable greater adoption of water reuse by communities interested in pursuing this approach to water resource management. After months of active legislative advocacy, The WateReuse Association is very pleased that that package included Sec. 1164, Local government water management plans, which helps advance water reuse by aligning water resources development projects supported by the Army Corps of Engineers with local water management plans. Many local management plans include projects such as stormwater capture and reuse, water recycling, and aquifer recharge. The WateReuse Association led a coalition of water associations in support of this measure being included in the WRDA package. In the House, the provision was championed by U.S. Representatives John Duncan (R-TN) and Dan Lipinski (D-IL) and Grace Napolitano (D-CA); while in the Senate, we received support from Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL).

Other provisions included in this package that will also facilitate greater adoption of water recycling are listed below:

Sec 2004: encourages the use of non-potable water recycling to address water demand challenges, particularly for industrial applications, sends an important signal to both the private and public sectors to consider a water recycling approach for their water supply needs;
2007: Innovative Water Technology Grant Program provides $10 million annually to support investments in innovative water technology including water reuse or recycling and technologies to increase water supplies;
2013: Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability authorizes $ 25 million for investment in resilient and sustainable water infrastructure, including water recycling projects
Sec 4201: Reauthorizes the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act for $50 million annually through 2021, a critical financing tool for water infrastructure including water reuse infrastructure, which continues to provide low-cost financing tool for water recycling infrastructure.
Sec 4101: requires the EPA to establish a Stormwater Infrastructure Funding Task Force, a multi-government and non-profit task force, to examine ways to improve stormwater infrastructure, including infrastructure that can facilitate greater capture and reuse of stormwater resources.

America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 contains key provisions that will help advance the adoption of water recycling nationwide. A copy of the legislation is available here.

Show less

Membrane Technology in Water Reuse Highlighted in Washington Briefings

The WateReuse Association co-hosted a federal agency briefing on Membrane Water Treatment Technology Usage and Needs in the United States on October 10 at the headquarters of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), including how membrane technology is a critical technology for water recycling systems. The American Membrane Technology Association and Water Environment Federation led the effort with WateReuse to plan and deliver a two-hour session. The event was held in conjunction with “Imagine a Day without Water” activities around the United States.

Other federal agencies in attendance included the National Science Foundation and Department of Energy. Multiple offices of the EPA were present to learn more about membrane technologies and their use in water services.

David Ross, Assistant Administrator of the EPA Office of Water, provided opening remarks at the briefing. Ross shared his early career stories of working with membrane technologies in water reuse treatment in California. Noting his passion for the topic, he reported agency intentions to develop a national water reuse strategy and tasked EPA’s Office of Science and Technology to lead the effort. The briefing program included presentations from four speakers followed by a brief question and answer session. Ben Movahed, P.E., BCEE of WATEK Engineering led the program with a Basic Overview of Membrane Technologies – allowing the participants to hold samples of many different types of membranes to understand their composition. Four talks by the experts followed the introduction:

Robert Yamada, Director of Water Resources for San Diego County Water Authority, discussed the public-private partnership that facilitated the Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant, the largest in the U.S.
Mike Snodgrass, Membrane Technology Leader at OVIVO, presented information on Membrane Bioreactors (MBRs) and their application in the United States.
David Sloan, Senior Process Engineer at Freese & Nichols, Inc., reviewed the Big Spring, TX direct potable reuse effort.
John Nichols, Director of Utilities for Brunswick County, NC, discussed emerging contaminants in the Cape Fear River and the utility’s efforts to reduce them in the public water supplies.

A question and answer period wrapped up the briefing where participants discussed roles in bearing the cost of treating water contaminated upriver, advantages of a private public partnership, feasibility of direct potable reuse, financial impact on utilities who are treating unregulated contaminants, and the future use and customers for highly treated recycled water.

In the afternoon, there was a Congressional Briefing on Capitol Hill to present the progress made with membranes to meet the water quality and supply needs in the United States. The briefing started with a review of membrane technologies followed by an opportunity for the staffers to view posters from the morning sessions and ask question of the presenters. The Honorable Representative Brian Mast (R-FL) hosted the session.

Show less

State Updates and Member Profiles

Welcome New Members!

The WateReuse Association welcomes the following new members:

Manav Global MB LLC
Purifics Water Inc.

California: New Law Will Expand On-Site Water Recycling

California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed a bill, SB966, which will expand water recycling in California by developing on-site water reuse regulations. Introduced by state Senator Scott Wiener, the new law requires the state water board to issue more comprehensive regulations for on-site water recycling. The new law will give businesses clear standard on how to permit on-site systems. WateReuse Association member the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, WateReuse California, and the US Green Building Council all supported the bill.

California: Malibu Opens $61 Million Water Recycling Facility

The City of Malibu recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new $61 million Civic Center Water Treatment Facility, which will recycle 70 million gallons of water each year to irrigate parks and public landscaping. The city formed a community facilities district to fund the design and then formed an assessment district among Civic Center properties to fund the construction. Attendees of the ribbon cutting took guided tours of the facility to view and learn about the system’s major features. Learn More.

Florida: Tampa Bay Times Publishes Editorial in Support of Potable Reuse

The Tampa Bay Times published an editorial October 12 in support of a proposed potable reuse project that would add purified water into the area’s drinking water supply. The editorial states, “this is a smart use of precious natural resources and an example of regional thinking, and the utility’s governing board should approve it.” Under the proposal, 50 million gallons of purified water would be injected into the aquifer each day. When the water is pumped back up, about half would go to Tampa’s drinking water treatment plant and the other half to the Hillsborough River reservoir. Read More

New Mexico: New Planned Community Required to Recycle Water

WateReuse Association member the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority is requiring a proposed 13,700-acre planned community to include water reuse as an integral part of its water management strategy. The developer would be required to build a drinking water system, a reuse system, and a wastewater system at an estimated cost of $600 million over the 50-year-build-out. Water Utility Authority officials have told developers that groundwater is available on the property, but no additional water capacity within the Water Utility Authority’s current infrastructure is available for the community. Read More.

Association News

Water Reuse Baseline Data Indicates Rate of Adoption in U.S.

The Water Environment Federation (WEF) released a report containing baseline data showing the degree to which water recycling is occurring in the U.S. The research was conducted as part of WEF’s ReNEW Water Project, which is supported by the WateReuse Association, Association of Clean Water Administrators (ACWA), National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), and The Water Research Foundation (WRF), as well as Réseau Environnement in Quebec. Preparation of Baseline Data to Establish the Current Amount of Resource Recovery sought to establish a baseline for current resource recovery practices in the North American water sector with respect to water, nutrients, and energy. The current status of resource recovery was quantified through a mass-balance approach for all three resources contained in wastewater effluent. According to this analysis, the total percentage of water reuse in 18 states at 6% (or 1.9 billion gallons per day) of the total municipal wastewater production in the U.S.

For this study, water from water resource recovery facilities (WRRF) is defined as “recovered” if it is used for potable or nonpotable reuse or groundwater replenishment; discharged to surface waters (other than oceans) for the intentional purpose of supplying water for downstream use or watershed protection; and/or contained in biosolids applied to land.

The estimates in the study are based on databases published for 17 of the 50 U.S. states that had made detailed information accessible. Of the remaining states, eight reportedly do not have water reuse programs and therefore do not track data related to water reuse; and 24 U.S. states and the District of Columbia do not have accessible water reuse information. Consequently, the data used to develop the 6% number was estimated to be approximately 75 to 85 percent complete.

The report finishes with specific recommendations and data needs for future work to help advance resource recovery practices in North America. Briefly these are:

In general, existing databases cover water and biosolids end uses at WRRFs. Databases need to explicitly capture information on phosphorus, nitrogen, and energy.
The resource recovery data summary forms a basis for estimating resources that can be feasibly recovered by WRRFs. Technological limitations as well as financial cost-effectiveness need consideration.
Other than biogas, little to no information was available on other forms of energy content in wastewater. This data is needed to allow for developing aggregate baseline data at the state and national level.
Future utility survey efforts on resource recovery should include carbon mass balances to account for chemical energy content.
Data for biosolids production and uses would benefit from an updated national database.
Water reuse data by utility and state is needed in an up-to-date national database.
Develop national aggregates for resource recovery baseline performance in Canada and combine surveys conducted for Canada and the U.S. using survey tools applied in this study every 2-5 years.
Efforts should continue to complete the necessary information for small WRRFs to help reach their full resource recovery potential.

Additional information is on the ReNEW webpage.

Show less

WateReuse Executive Director Participates in Maryland-Israel Sister State Water Security Summit

WateReuse Executive Director Patricia Sinicropi participated in a panel discussion on water reuse and national security on October 10 as part of an all day summit organized by the Maryland-Israel Sister State project. The summit was the 3rd Israel-US Water Initiative Round Table held in collaboration with the American Water Works Association, and brought together leaders from the Maryland and Israeli business communities, as well as state, municipal and county authorities, and water management and technology experts from academia, industry, and environmental organizations. Sinicropi provided an overview of national trends in water reuse, discussed some of the drivers behind the growing interest in water reuse on the East Coast, and touched on how advancements in technology are facilitating adoption of water reuse by local communities and businesses. Summit participants also discussed water-related security challenges and technology needs facing the U.S. and opportunities for Israeli technology providers to assist in meeting these challenges.

Show less

Conferences and Events

Webcast: Learn about the New Recycled Water User Network

Please join us on Thursday, November 15th at 2:00 pm EST to learn about the WateReuse Association’s newest membership opportunity, the Recycled Water User Network. The network gives businesses, governments and nonprofits that use recycled water the opportunity to receive a green designation, Water Star^TM and to access information and resources on recycled water and 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!

Upcoming Events

Jan

Wed

Water Reuse Policy in the 117th Congress and Biden Administration (Webcast)

Tickets

Jan 27 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Please join Washington insiders to examine what’s on the congressional agenda for 2021 and what water-related priorities the Biden Administration is likely to push in its first year.

Register Now!

Join Us!
2:00 – 3:00 pm ET| 11:00 am – 12:00 pm PT
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49

January 2021 marks the beginning of both a new administration in the White House and a new Congress. While Congress passed a number of key pieces of legislation in the final days of 2020, much work remains to be done, including the reauthorization of important water recycling programs. At the same time, the Biden Administration is coming in with an ambitious agenda related to climate change, the environment, and infrastructure, among other issues.

Top Washington water sector lobbyists will discuss the status of key legislation and explain the opportunities to advance a water reuse policy agenda. Whether you plan to participate in our Virtual Water Week in the spring or are interested in what to expect from Congress and the new Administration in 2021, this webcast will be a national advocacy primer for water professionals.

Categories: Featured Webcasts

Feb

Wed

Stormwater Capture Drivers, Impediments, and Future Visions (Webcast)

Tickets

Feb 3 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Register Now!
Join Us!
2:00 – 4:00 pm ET| 11:00 am – 1:00 pm PT
Fee: Complimentary

Join a group of stormwater management leaders from around the US to discuss stormwater capture motivations and drivers, barriers to progress, and future directions. This group will touch on questions like- Why are communities pursuing stormwater capture for use now? How do community interests in stormwater harvesting vary across the country? What factors get in the way of progress? Where do we want to be with stormwater capture in 20 years? The audience will learn about the different motivators, unique strategies, and opportunities to market and advance stormwater capture across the U.S.

Presenters

Randy Bartlett, Fairfax County VA
Sharlene Leurig, Texas Water Trade/Austin Water Forward
Mark Doneux, St. Paul, MN Capitol Region Watershed District
James Moore, Georgia Association of Water Professionals
Enrique Zaldivar, City of Los Angeles
Lynn Broaddus, Water Environment Federation
Drew Wenzel, Google

This webinar will be the first of a series of four webinars as part of the National Water Reuse Action Plan, Action 2.3.3. Co-sponsors include the WateReuse Association, U.S. EPA, National Association of Municipal Stormwater Agencies (NMSA), Re-Inventing the Nation’s Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt), Water Environment Federation, and Johnson Foundation at Wingspread (JFW).

Save the Date

Join us for the second webinar in this series.

Developing Stormwater Treatment Standards – Where’s the Action?
February 23, 2021
2:00 – 4:00 pm ET

Categories: Webcasts

Feb

Fri

Containment of Covid-19 on a College Campus via Wastewater-Based Epidemiology

Tickets

Feb 5 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Join Us!
9:00 am – 10:00 am Pacific | 12:00 – 1:00 pm Eastern
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49
PDHs: 1

Register Now!

Wastewater-based epidemiology was utilized to detect SARS-Cov-19 in the wastewater of student dorms upon re-entry of University of Arizona students in the fall semester of 2020. Positive wastewater samples allowed for subsequent targeted clinical testing of dorm students and the identification of both symptomatic and asymptomatic Covid-19 infections. Early detection of infected individuals resulted in reduced exponential spread of Covid-19 and allowed the university to remain open throughout the semester.

Presenter

Ian Pepper, Director, WEST Center & Professor, Environmental Science

Dr. Pepper is an environmental microbiologist whose research has focused on the fate and transport of pathogens in air, water, soils and municipal wastes. More recently, he has investigated the potential for real-time detection of contaminants in water distribution systems. Dr. Pepper is Professor in the Community, Environment, and Policy Department in the UA College of Public Health, as well as Professor in the Department of Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering. In addition to his duties at the WEST Center, he is director of the National Science Foundation Water Quality Center at the UA.

He also teaches a graduate level laboratory class on Environmental Microbiology, and an undergraduate class on Pollution Science. He has co-authored numerous books and journal articles on Environmental Microbiology and Pollution Science, and is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Microbiology, the American Society of Agronomy, and the Soil Science Society of America.

He received his Ph.D. in Soil Microbiology from The Ohio State University, M.S. in Soil Biochemistry from Ohio State, and B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Birmingham, Great Britain.

Categories: WateReuse Arizona Webcasts

Feb

Wed

Communicating about Potable Reuse and Public Health: Tools for Success

Tickets

Feb 17 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Register Now!

Join Us!
2:00 – 3:00 pm ET| 11:00 am – 12:00 pm PT
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49

As more communities face water quantity challenges, water reuse is a viable option to expand drinking water sources. Although all water is recycled as it moves through the environment, the practice of treating wastewater to be used for potable water is sometimes met with skepticism. Some of this stems from the “toilet to tap” campaigns that may have led to more rejection of water reuse than acceptance.

Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) is a framework that evaluates the many factors impacting water reuse practices and management, as well as those influencing community perception. With the emergence of new pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2, the acceptance of water recycling as part of a community’s drinking water sustainability plan may be even more challenging. This webcast will describe how QMRA may be used to communicate with stakeholders – including healthcare providers – the human health safeguards associated with water reuse implementation.

Presenters

Karla Mendez, PhD Candidate, UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, El Paso campus
Kristina Mena, MSPH, PhD, Regional Dean and Associate Professor, UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, El Paso campus