JANUARY 2023

Administration Support for Water Reuse

L.A. Times Article: Kamala Harris Visits L.A. Stormwater Project in Wake of Record-Setting Rains. On January 20, Vice President Harris visited the Tujunga Spreading Grounds in Los Angeles, a facility that captures and infiltrates stormwater into the groundwater for later extraction and use. Recent storms in California have highlighted the need to capture stormwater, when it is available, to build resiliency to the ongoing drought throughout the southwestern United States. Construction of the Tujunga Spreading Grounds was completed in June 2022, and it has the capacity to recharge over 12,000 acre-feet of water annually. Check out this EPA compilation of stormwater capture and use resources here.

Improving Water Security Through Aquifer Recharge (AR) and Stormwater Capture and Use (SCU) Action leader Michael Kiparsky shares the benefits of groundwater recharge in an article in The Hill NEW topical resources for AR and SCU: Report: Water Recycling for Climate Resilience Through Enhanced Aquifer Recharge (EAR) and Aquifer Storage and Recovery (AR) (Action 7.4) Action: Advance Strategies for Permitting Innovative Wastewater Management Practices and Water Reuse (Action 2.19) Action: Evaluate the Potential of Urban Stormwater Capture and Use in Colorado (Action 5.8) Browse additional reuse resources on AR and SCU

New Reuse Webinars and Publications

Water Recycling for Climate Resilience through EAR and ASR. This week, EPA’s Water Reuse Program published a report summarizing different technical and policy considerations influencing how recycled water can be used to recharge groundwater. It includes a discussion of EAR and ASR drivers, current practices in the U.S., potential subsurface water quality changes and technical considerations, treatment needs, and regulatory considerations. The document was completed in coordination with other EPA program offices. (Action 7.4: Increase Understanding of Current Aquifer Storage and Recovery Practices)

Water Recycling in Israel: U.S. Lessons from Israel’s Water Reuse Approach Webinar. In this free webinar, featuring Israeli hosts and members of the U.S. delegation to Israel late last year, attendees learned about the innovative approaches Israel is taking to ensure adequate and resilient water supplies in their country and how others may apply these lessons in their own communities. U.S. water sector leaders from California, Oklahoma, and Washington, DC, who were part of the delegation, discussed their own experiences with water reuse and shared key takeaways on Israel’s approach and how it potentially fits within a U.S. context. (Action 11.1: Facilitate U.S.-Israel Collaboration on Water Reuse)

American Water Works Association (AWWA) Article Highlights Israel Delegation In this article, AWWA features key information about Israel’s water reuse systems, compares U.S. and Israel water management, and shares the perspective of attendee John Kmiec, Director of Tuscon Water. Pictured (left): John Kmiec. Photo source.

Research Report on Using Biochars as a Low-Input Treatment Technology for Removing Emerging Contaminants from Effluent Prior to Micro-Irrigation. Low-input reuse technologies, such as biochar produced from agricultural byproducts, are easily deployable. The Cotton Gin Waste and Walnut Shells Derived Biochar for the Removal of Pharmaceuticals and Humic Acids from Aqueous Solutions publication concluded that biochar from cotton gin waste and walnut shells could be used as cost-effective, environmentally friendly adsorbents for the removal of pharmaceuticals and humic acids from aqueous solutions. (Action 4.7: Evaluate Low-Input Methods to Remove Pharmaceutical Residues)

Join an Upcoming Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) Webinar on Low-Input Water Reuse Case Studies. ECOS invites state and local agency staff, reuse practitioners, and others to participate in a webinar on March 6 from 4-5 pm ET to learn about several examples of water reuse at the local level. Speakers from the City of Lincoln Transportation and Utilities, the City of Hugo, and the City of Tucson will share how water reuse can improve the sustainability of municipal wastewater systems, help conserve groundwater, recharge dry river beds, manage stormwater, meet state water quality standards, and improve resilience to flooding. (Action 1.5: Develop Case Studies of Low-Input Solutions)

Report on Standardizing Methods on Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (ARBs) and Genes (ARGs) in Surface Water, Wastewater, and Recycled Water. In this WRF funded report, researchers attempted to identify, develop, and validate standardized methods for monitoring ARBs and ARGs in water environments, including wastewater, recycled water, and surface water. Culture-, qPCR-, and metagenomic-based methods for monitoring antibiotic resistance in the environment were evaluated. Researchers found that no one method or target comprehensively captures all dimensions of antibiotic resistance for a monitoring program. Therefore, the research team developed a framework that aligns specific targets and methods with specific monitoring objectives.

Guide for Developing Onsite Water Systems to Support Regional Water Resilience. This guide, published by the Pacific Institute and supported by WRAP collaborators Anne Thebo and Heather Cooley, helps site developers consider how water systems can be planned, designed, and operated to provide multiple benefits and promote four desired outcomes: advancing water resilience, supporting equity, supporting the environment, and protecting public health. 

Assessing Water Quality Monitoring Needs, Tools, Gaps, and Opportunities for Potable Water Reuse Webinar. This WRF hosted webcast presents results from WRF Project 5079. Presentation topics include a database of technologies that are conventionally available or promising for the future, monitoring needs that future technologies can address, ways to select the appropriate water quality and treatment monitoring tools, and tips for optimizing the information the tools provide to ensure the quality of recycled water. To access the webcast, you must have or create a free login account with WRF. (Action 5.2: Identify Water Quality Monitoring Practices for Reuse Applications)

Transforming the Water Workforce Webinar. This EPA webinar features presentations from two leading utility workforce leaders—DC Water and AWWA—as they take steps to develop a truly sustainable workforce for their utility and help leaders across the sector develop skills to address the myriad of challenges they will face moving forward.

WRAP January 2023 Quarterly Update. This latest update included an introduction from EPA Senior Advisor for Agriculture, Rod Snyder, and added two action commitments to enable progress on reuse:

• Advance Strategies for Permitting Innovative Wastewater Management Practices and Water Reuse Through the NPDES Program (Action 2.19, led by EPA, University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University)
• Evaluate the Potential of Urban Stormwater Capture and Use in Colorado (Action 5.8, led by Pacific Institute)

 

“Efficiency first and foremost is the cleanest, cheapest, and smartest thing we can do, followed by water recycling and stormwater capture — all of which have multiple benefits while making our communities more resilient in the face of a pretty darn terrifying future.”      – Action leader Felica Marcus, Stanford University Water in the West Program. Interview featured in Smart Water Magazine.

 

U.S. Federal Grants, Funding, and Technical Assistance

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for DOI/BLM WaterSMART: Water Recycling and Desalination Planning Grant. Feasibility studies, planning activities, preliminary design, and environmental compliance activities funded under this NOFO support the development of water recycling and desalination projects that will supplement existing fresh water supplies in urban and agricultural areas in the West. Western states can apply by February 28, 2023.

Biden-Harris Administration Makes $80 Million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Funds Available for Projects that Conserve Water and Improve Watershed Health. The Bureau of Reclamation is making approximately $80 million from President Biden’s BIL available for water conservation, water management, and restoration projects that will result in significant benefits to ecosystem or watershed health. The Environmental Water Resource Projects selected in response to this funding opportunity are part of the WaterSMART Program, which received a $1 billion boost from the BIL. The funding opportunity is available at grants.gov. Applications are due by March 28, 2023, at 4 pm MDT.

DOE Notice of Funding Opportunity for Research and Development of Reuse of Industry Wastewater. The U.S. Department of Energy announced over $18 million in research and development funding for projects focused on the characterization, treatment, and management of produced water—or wastewater associated with oil and natural gas development and production—as well as management of legacy wastewater associated with coal-based thermal electric power generation facilities, primarily coal combustion residuals waste streams. DOE anticipates distributing nine awards between $1.5 and $3.2 million across three areas of interest. Applications are due by April 12, 2023.

EPA Provides Technical Assistance to Rural, Small, and Tribal Municipalities and Wastewater Treatment Systems. Click the link to find a technical assistance provider and discover more about how these providers can provide support by 1) ensuring that rural, small, and tribal communities that have difficulty in securing public funding receive the help they need to access resources to support infrastructure improvements and 2) supporting rural, small, and tribal wastewater treatment systems–centralized and decentralized–build their technical, managerial, and financial capacity to operate their systems well and maintain compliance.

 

?State Water Reuse Updates

WateReuse Colorado Publishes Frequency Asked Questions (FAQ) Document on Colorado’s Regulation for Direct Potable Reuse. This two-page FAQ provides information on Colorado’s Regulation 11, which was approved in October 2022. More information on the draft regulation can be found here.

2023 State Summit on Water Reuse. This state regulator focused summit will be held on March 5 in Atlanta, Georgia, in conjunction with the WateReuse Symposium. The summit will be the third reuse-focused, states-only workshop in a series co-hosted by ACWA, ASDWA, ASTHO, ECOS, and GWPC. It will provide a place for states to share and learn about a range of water reuse topics, approaches for developing reuse regulations and programs, and state-specific and national developments. Please contact Jake Adler for further information. (Action 2.2: Enhance State Collaboration on Water Reuse)

Upcoming Reuse Activities and Events February 21 – Standardizing Methods for Monitoring Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria/Resistance Genes in Wastewater, Surface Water, and Recycled Water, a WRF webinar. Register here. February 28 – Deadline to apply for DOI/BLM WATERSMART Grant. More information. March 5-8 – WateReuse Symposium in Atlanta, GA. Register here. March 6 – Case Studies on Low-Input Water Reuse, an ECOS webinar (4-5 pm ET). Join here. March 28 – Application deadline for Reclamation's Environmental Water Resources Projects Funding. More information. April 12 – Application deadline for DOE research and development funding opportunity for reuse of industrial wastewater. More information. April 28 – Clean Watersheds Needs Survey Closes. More information. For more details about water reuse highlights and events, please visit the Recent and Upcoming Water Reuse Activities page.