Recent and Upcoming Water Reuse Activities
This page highlights recent or upcoming accomplishments and activities relevant to water reuse. Most items on this page are associated with the National Water Reuse Action Plan (WRAP), which is a coordinated and collaborative effort across the water community to advance consideration of reuse to ensure the security, sustainability, and resilience of our nation’s water resources.
Upcoming Reuse Activities and Events
- May 13—Public hearing on New Mexico’s proposed regulations for water reuse hosted by the Water Quality Control Commission. Learn more here.
- May 15—WateReuse New Mexico Webcast: Road Maps to Potable Reuse in the Inland Southwest. Register here.
- May 21—EFAB public listening session for the Water Reuse Tax Incentive Workgroup. Register here.
- June 5—EPA 2024-2025 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Funding Opportunities Informational Webinar. Nature-based solutions and water reuse are proposed topics. Register here.
- June 26—Infrastructure Finance Webinar: Opportunities to Advance Water Reuse. Register here.
- June 28—Deadline to apply for a water reuse ORISE Research Fellowship. The EPA Water Reuse Program is now accepting applications on a rolling basis. Apply here.
- July 9—Applications due for Reclamation’s WaterSMART Grants on Small-Scale Water Efficiency Projects. Apply here.
- August 31—Deadline for Industrial Reuse Champions Award nominations. Submit here.
- September 30—Applications due for Reclamation’s Title XVI WIIN Act Projects (apply here); Title XVI Congressionally Authorized Projects (apply here); and WIIN Act Desalination Construction Projects (apply here).
Events, Publications and Research
Onsite Water Reuse Summit: Integration of Science, Policy and Operation for Safe and Effective Implementation. Over 200 attendees participated in the Onsite Water Reuse Summit held in Washington, D.C., including technology vendors, academia, code agencies and the private sector, among others. Over the course of two days, attendees learned how to help pave the way for the adoption of onsite non-potable reuse, including sessions on health risk-based frameworks, aligning codes and standards to facilitate onsite reuse implementation and lessons learned from designers and operators. Thank you to the National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Non-potable Water Systems (NBRC for ONWS) and WateReuse Association for partnering with the EPA to host this event! An event summary document is under development, and presentations slides are available here. (Action 2.18: Incorporate Onsite Reuse Research into Codes and Standards for Premise Plumbing and Action 3.4: Develop Research and Tools to Support ONWS)
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Announces $75 Million for the National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI).
At the Onsite Water Reuse Summit, DOE’s Deputy Secretary David M. Turk announced that the NAWI energy innovation hub will continue to convene industry and academic partners to examine the technical barriers and research needed to lower the cost and energy of desalination and water reuse technologies. This second five-year phase of NAWI will emphasize the reuse of a variety of wastewaters, increase focus on piloting integrated energy efficient and decarbonized water systems and convene partners to optimize water supply management. (Action 4.6: Implement and Manage the NAWI Energy-Water Desalination Hub)
University of Miami Publishes Study on Leveraging Water-Efficient Building Standards to Highlight Water Scarcity and Reuse. This study emphasizes the urgent need for municipalities to adopt the International Code Council’s (ICC’s) International Water Conservation Code Provisions® (IWCCP) due to rising global water scarcity. The report highlights the potential for significant water savings through strategies including decentralized reuse, stressing the importance of integrating these measures into building codes. If fully implemented, the researchers estimate that billions of gallons of water could be saved by 2029.
Water Research Foundation (WRF) Publishes Report: Occurrence of PFAS Compounds in U.S. Wastewater Treatment Plants. This project closely evaluated per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) at 38 water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs). The data gathered provides scientific justification to develop appropriate guidance for site managers that benchmarks typical PFAS mass flows from WRRFs, sampling procedures and analytical methods, as well as potential mitigation strategies specific to WRRF unit processes. The full report is accessible with a WRF Public Plus or Subscriber account.
Funding
The EPA Publishes 2023 Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Annual Report. In 2023, the EPA closed $3 billion in WIFIA loans supporting water infrastructure in ten states. Through these loans, communities and water systems are saving approximately $1 billion, while project construction and operation are creating nearly 20,000 jobs. The WIFIA program selected over 30 water infrastructure projects for future funding, five of which support water reuse. These projects result in 400 million gallons per day (MGD) in water recycled, recharged or redirected for beneficial uses. Congratulations to the 2023 WIFIA recipients! (Action 6.2B: Support and Communicate WIIFA Funding)
- Monterey One Water, CA ($76 million)
- San Bernardino, CA ($70 million)
- Santa Cruz, CA ($128 million)
- Ventura, CA ($63 million)
- Yucaipa Valley Water District, CA ($81 million)
Upcoming Webinar on Federal Funding Programs Available for Water Reuse. Various federal infrastructure funding programs support community and state water management and infrastructure funding needs, including water reuse. In this June 26 webinar, representatives from across the federal government will discuss their funding programs, application requirements and examples of previous water reuse projects funded under those programs. (Action 6.1: Compile Federal Funding Sources and Develop Interagency Decision Tool)
State Update
California Department of Water Resources (CDWR) Releases 2023 California Water Plan. The 2023 California Water Plan reflects current water conditions and state priorities. It includes updates on the conditions of the state’s water resources and objectives, including: (1) supporting watershed resilience planning and implementation, (2) improving resiliency of built and natural water infrastructure and providing guidance and support, (3) advancing equitable outcomes in water management, (4) supporting and learning from tribal water and resource management practices and (5) supporting and increasing flexibility of regulatory systems. Recycled water is mentioned throughout the report as a critical water supply for the state’s resilience and a resource necessary for water supply diversification.
Looking for something?
This page is updated frequently. If you’re looking for previously posted content that is no longer here (e.g., a past webinar, published report), you may be able to find it in our Water Reuse Information Library or Curated Topical Reuse Resources page. The latest entry on the Topical Resources page spotlights onsite non-potable reuse.
Links to websites outside of the EPA website are provided for the convenience of the user. Inclusion of information about a website, an organization, a product, or a service does not represent endorsement or approval by EPA, nor does it represent EPA opinion, policy or guidance unless specifically indicated. EPA does not exercise any editorial control over the information that may be found at any non-EPA website.