October 29, 2018
Washington Update
President Trump Signs Legislation in Support of Water Reuse
WateReuse Association Attends Grand Water Challenge Kick-Off Meeting and Summit
EPA Announces WIFIA Information Sessions
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced three new dates for Information Sessions designed to give utilities the opportunity to learn about funding opportunities for water, wastewater, and recycled water infrastructure available under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA). WIFIA program staff will provide an overview of the program, explain the financial benefits of WIFIA loans, and discuss the application process. The announced dates are:
- November 13, 2018, Chicago, Illinois
- December 11, 2018, Boston, Massachusetts
- January 15, 2019, Atlanta, Georgia
State Updates and Member Profiles
California: West Basin to Receive Up to $35 Million for Water Recycling in New Federal Package
America’s Water Infrastructure Act, the comprehensive infrastructure legislation signed by the president on Oct. 23, will allow West Basin Municipal Water District to access an additional $35 million in federal funding for its Harbor South Bay Water Recycling project. This major federal water infrastructure package includes a specific provision to allow West Basin to pursue significant funding through the Army Corps of Engineers to upgrade and increase capacity at the Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility in El Segundo. S. 3021 includes provisions to double the original project authorization from $35 million to $70 million, which will assist West Basin in ensuring that an adequate water supply for the Los Angeles region is met for current and future demands. Read More.
California: Mike Bloomberg Names San José Winner in Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge
WateReuse Association member the City of San José was one of 20 cities to win the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge, a $70 million program that will accelerate efforts to tackle climate change and promote a sustainable future for residents. Through the Climate Challenge – which is part of Bloomberg’s American Cities Initiative, a suite of more than $200 million in investments to strengthen city halls and advance critical policies – San José is accepted into a two-year acceleration program and will be provided powerful new resources and access to innovative support to help meet or beat the city’s near-term carbon-reduction goals. Bloomberg Philanthropies selected San José as a winning city because of its innovative and ambitious climate action plan, Climate Smart San José, which will reduce air pollution, save water, and improve quality of life. Read More.
Oregon: Clean Water Services Highlights One Water, Resource Recovery
WateReuse Association member Clean Water Services released its Annual Report highlighting a focus on “One Water” and the use of creative approaches to improve water quality, recover resources, gain efficiency, create value, and connect people to their ecosystems. In Oregon’s Washington County, Clean Water Services and a network of partners promote the healthy flow of One Water. As a Utility of the Future, Clean Water Services is committed to services the whole community – families and businesses, plants, and wildlife. View the Annual Report.
Conferences and Events
Webcast: Learn about the New Recycled Water User Network
Please join us on Thursday, November 15 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 StarTM 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
Join Us!
2:00 – 3:00 pm Eastern ; 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49
PDHs: 1
Project WET (Water Education Today) advances water education to understand global challenges and inspire local solutions including water reuse. With most of the world currently engaged in distance learning, Project WET has adapted their programs to provide valuable resources to a wide range of audiences, including utilities, parents, children, educators, community members, and corporations. Join us to learn how you can use Project WET’s interactive, hands-on activities to educate ratepayers, build community support for water recycling, and create home learning opportunities for your own children.
Project WET will also share details on new resources and opportunities, including:
- Water reuse student booklet (will be completed September 2020)
- New training guides for educators and parents (can be water reuse specific)
- Individual lessons for students (digital and print)
- Online training programs (educators, students, parents)
- Water education website for children DiscoverWater.org
Through its worldwide network of implementing partners, Project WET is active in all 50 U.S. states and more than 70 countries.
Presenters
- Morgan Close, VP of Projects and Programs, Project WET
- Julia Beck, VP of Networks, Project WET
- Marilyn Hall (Moderator), Senior Water Resources Planner, Athens-Clarke County Public Utilities (Georgia)
WateReuse Arizona Section Meeting & Webinar
11 am PDT | 11 am MST | 2 pm EST
Fee: Complimentary
PDHs: 1
In January 2018 the State of Arizona lifted the prohibition that restricted Direct Potable Reuse. This effort was to provide more options for communities facing problems with droughts and water shortages. Scottsdale Water has been at the forefront of water reuse starting with Indirect Potable Reuse in 1998 and has successfully recharged billions of gallons of highly purified water. Now once again Scottsdale Water continues to lead the way in Direct Potable Reuse innovation. In late 2018, joint discussions between ADEQ and the city led to a process that would have Scottsdale receive the first Arizona permit, at a permanent facility, to serve water for Direct Potable Reuse. The groundbreaking permit effectively establishes a model for cities across Arizona and elsewhere to begin working towards reusing their precious water resources for future, long-term water sustainability.
Scottsdale Water received the final permit on September 9, 2019 allowing DPR on a demonstration scale. This presentation will step through the internal processes and discussions that resulted in the final implementation. Considerations and evaluations made included constructability for both internal and external sources, overall timeline and milestones for completion of project, equipment selection, system design layout and size (permit), input by staff, system redundancy (UV), and lessons learned. It will also outline how ADEQ and Scottsdale Water worked to create criteria for the monitoring and regulation of this water allowing ADEQ to use this as a basis to create full permit program for pathogen removal, emerging contaminants, operator training, ongoing monitoring and reporting. Since September 9, tour groups, Scottsdale Water Citizen Academy and City employees, have had the opportunity to drink the advanced purified reclaimed water, in addition to the water provided to make beer for Scottsdale Canal Convergence event.
Presenter
David Walby is the Water Reclamation Services Director for Scottsdale Water. He previously served as the Wastewater Collection Manager. He is Responsible for direction and management of the Water Resources facilities and staff that ensure reliable and safe collection, treatment and reuse of reclaimed water. He is also responsible for the State’s first permitted state-of-art Direct Potable Reuse facility. Acts as a technical advisor and performs policy-level coordination, advisory and administrative functions relating to the operation of the City’s water reclamation (sewer collection, wastewater treatment, and reuse/recharge) systems.
Join Us!
2:00 – 3:00 pm Eastern ; 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49
PDHs: 1
In the words of California Governor Gavin Newson, “The greatest challenge facing California is access to water. And the greatest challenge facing water access is public understanding. The Rainbow will capture public imagination and accelerate popular acceptance of water recycling.”
The Rainbow is a planned public artwork by artist Michael Jones McKean, envisioned to catalyze the implementation of water reuse. An advanced purification system (MBR, RO, UVAOP) will treat raw wastewater to potable standards to produce water for The Rainbow. Set against the iconic landscapes of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay, and using only the site’s natural sunlight and the purified recycled water, artist Michael Jones McKean and partners San Francisco Art Institute and Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture (FMCAC) will create a massive water wall in which The Rainbow will emerge at daily intervals as well as use the water for non-potable reuse.
Presenters
- Hesse McGraw, Curator and Writer
- Brynne Weeks, Carollo Engineers, Inc.
- Andrew Salveson (Moderator), Carollo Engineers, Inc.
Join Us!
2:00 – 3:30 pm Eastern
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Pacific
NACWA and the WateReuse Association are partnering to gather a panel of experts for NACWA’s June Legal Hot Topics Webinar to discuss the recent US Supreme Court decision in the case of County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund. The panel will analyze the new “functional equivalence” test for determining whether a discharge is subject to Clean Water Act permitting and address what the decision means for public clean water utilities, the scope of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program, and water reuse projects.
Join Us!
2:00 – 3:00 pm Eastern | 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49
PDHs: 1
Although advanced water purification effectively and efficiently removes pollutants, there is potential for trace levels of unregulated constituents to be present in all treated drinking water. Improvements in analytical instrumentation now allow scientists to measure constituents of emerging concern (CECs) and disinfection byproducts (DBPs) at very low concentrations. Please join us for a discussion of the latest science on the prevalence of CECs and DBPs in water reclamation and water reuse and a framework for monitoring and controlling CECs and DBPs in potable reuse. The presentation will include an in depth overview of effective treatment practices, including source control, unit process removal efficacy, and overall treatment train performance. The guidance and best practices provided will help you ensure that you are incorporating the latest science and technology in your treatment approaches.
Presenters
- Larry Schimmoller, Global Technology Leader for Water Reuse, Jacobs
- Eric Dickenson, Water Quality R&D Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority
Join Us!
2:00 – 3:00 pm Eastern | 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific
WateReuse Members: Free
Others: $49
PDHs: 1
Sponsor: Brown and Caldwell
Early information about the wastewater coming into wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and even into advanced water purification facilities (AWPF) can provide insight into the treatability of that water, offering the opportunity for early notice about operational adjustments to make before that water reaches a treatment facility. This presentation will present a utility’s experience piloting an innovative approach to demonstrate how smart devices and cloud-based data platforms can support monitoring real-time discharges into the wastewater system, improve industrial pretreatment programs and how that approach could be applied to potable reuse applications in the future.
Presenters
- Tasha King-Davis, City of Memphis
- Joshua Balentine, Brown and Caldwell
- Kati Bell, Brown and Caldwell
- Melanie Holmer, Brown and Caldwell (Moderator)
Launching June 24 -25
Don’t Miss the FIRST EVER WateReuse California virtual conference!
Join us for an easy to navigate, virtual conference experience.This is MORE than just a Replacement Event for the March 2020 Conference, this is an opportunity for our community to stand TOGETHER in these unprecedented times to recognize the good work we do and share ideas for the future.
The WateReuse California virtual conference will be available online until July 31, 2020.