WRAP MONTHLY UPDATE – SEPTEMBER 2021

Action Highlights

Activities and Events October 12 – Optimizing Reuse in Centralized Water Systems webinar hosted by Global Water Works (registration link). October 15 – EPA to issue $21.7 million grant for assistance to small public water systems (announcement).

For more details about the below action highlights and upcoming events, please visit the Recent and Upcoming Water Reuse Activities page.

• Catalyzing Stormwater Capture and Use – A cross-sector group of stakeholders convened at the Johnson Foundation at Wingspread with the following objectives: identify opportunities for, and barriers to, stormwater capture and use, and recommend actions needed to address these challenges. A report from the convening is anticipated for release this winter (Action 3.3: Convene Experts on Urban Stormwater Capture and Use).
• Water Security Grand Challenge Winners – The U.S. Department of Energy announced five winners of the Water Security Grand Challenge’s stage 4 Waves to Water Prize (Action 4.3: Support Water Reuse Through DOE’s Water Security Grand Challenge).
• Water Research Foundation (WRF) Stormwater Survey – WRF conducted a survey to understand programs’ stormwater harvesting practices; drivers, challenges, and barriers; and research needs. Initial findings were discussed at the stormwater convening at Wingspread in September and at the 2021 WaterReuse California Annual Conference (Action 7.2: Develop a Coordinated National Research Strategy).
• Water in Circular Economy and Resilience (WICER) Report – This World Bank report presents the WICER Framework that shows the benefits of becoming circular and resilient. Proposed WRAP Action 11.3 aims to leverage World Bank and EPA resources to develop case studies tailored to the needs to underserved communities (Proposed Action 11.3: Develop and Highlight Case Studies Relevant to International Contexts).

Spotlight on Climate Change

Incorporating water reuse as part of a community’s water portfolio can provide resilience against climate-induced impacts like drought, flooding, saltwater intrusion, and land subsidence from groundwater overdrafts. The following climate change-related resources are largely activities and outputs of WRAP action teams. For more topical reuse resources, visit this page.

• Innovative Approaches to Water Resources Management in Adapting to Climate Change Webinar. This interactive webinar hosted by the U.S. State Department highlighted innovative water management solutions to build water security and climate resilience. The panel of U.S. and Latin American water experts educated key stakeholders about institutional structures, technologies, and stakeholder engagement strategies relevant to the water sector in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Non-Potable Environmental and Economic Water Reuse (NEWR) Calculator. Thoughtfully scaling up decentralized onsite non-potable reuse in buildings can optimize efficiencies to reduce overall building energy and water consumption and lower carbon emissions. The NEWR Calculator was developed by EPA in partnership with the National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Non-potable Water Reuse Systems. It is a web-based tool for screening-level assessments of source water options for urban building locations across the U.S. (Action 3.4).
• Fit-for-Purpose Water Updates and Life Cycle Comparisons of Non-Potable Water Reuse Scenarios Webinar. This webinar presented updated fit-for-purpose risk assessments and life cycle comparisons of non-potable reuse scenarios comprising different water sources collection scales and onsite end uses (Action 3.4).
• Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC) Webinar Series. Aquifer recharge is a growing practice in response to community water scarcity concerns because it is a resilient subsurface storage technology that is more protected from evaporation, extreme weather events, and pollutants than surface storage. GWPC’s Aquifer Storage and Recovery-Managed Aquifer Recharge Workgroup hosted a series of webinars to promote understanding and consideration of aquifer storage and recovery practices and system designs that are appropriate for specific community goals (Action 7.4). 
• Water Reuse Technology in Federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Programs. All technologies funded by the EPA SBIR program use a lifecycle approach to account for energy use and carbon emissions that affect climate change. Nine small businesses were awarded EPA SBIR funding of up to $100,000 to develop and commercialize novel water reuse monitoring and treatment technologies. The solicitation for 2022 emphasized decentralized non-potable technologies that could support smaller communities where more expensive, centralized reuse systems may not be a good fit (Action 7.5).