1) reclaiming and reusing wastewater makes environmental and economic sense when done safely,
2) such resource recovery efforts fall flat without sufficient public support,and
3) the “yuck factor” has to be tackled with good science, strategy, and patience.

An important new study will help boost the wastewater reuse movement and weaken the Yuck! Not-In-My-Water syndrome.  In January 2012, the National Academy of Sciences’ Water Science and Technology Board issued “Water Reuse: Potential for Expanding the Nation’s Water Supply Through Reuse of Municipal Wastewater” www.nas.edu  (Note: I serve on the Board but was not involved in writing or reviewing the report, although I offered EPA support for the study several years ago when it was first under consideration and I was EPA Assistant Administrator for Water.)

The NAS study analyzes the scientific, technical, legal, cultural, and psychological barriers and risks. It builds the case for more reuse, analyzing real versus perceived health risks, and growing problems with water scarcity in some regions. It claims advanced treatment and reuse of wastewater can boost water supplies of coastal cities by as much as 27%. Along the way, it interjects some phrases worth noting and understanding– such as “sewage farming” (which still occurs abundantly in Mexico City) and “de facto” or unplanned reuse.

As one might expect, and hope, it’s getting significant attention from the media world. Not all of the 125-plus “hits” are as comprehensive and thoughtful as the Felicity Barringer story in the New York Times (2-10-12), but most are getting the basic gist correctly and that’s a good thing. Citizens will learn more about some of the great feats occurring around the country, such as in Orange County California (with its world-renown ground water replenishment system that currently treats 70 million gallons of wastewater per day but will grow to 100 mgd); the West Basin Municipal Water District, L.A. County; Southern California’s Water Replenishment District; San Diego; El Paso, Texas; Scottsdale, Arizona; and beyond.

Readers of the report will also get a clearer picture about other types of recycling and beneficial uses, existing efforts, future trends, and major players. For example, the WateReuse Association, www.wateruse.org, has been around since 2000, successfully promoting the effort on a national scale.  States like California, Florida, Texas, and Arizona have done some of the most recycling work but others are gaining steam, which is all good news at a time when population, climate, and other stressors put a squeeze on existing supplies.

According to the California Recycled Water Task Force and California’s Local Government Commission, the state has the potential to recycle enough to meet 30-50% of household water needs of the state’s projected growth. California has more than 300 water recycling plants operating, with 4,800 sites using recycled water as of 2004. 46% of the water is used for agricultural irrigation, 21% for landscape irrigation, 14% for groundwater recharge, and 19%for all other uses. www.lgc.org

One aspect of the NAS report that hasn’t received much attention yet, but is destined to prompt lively debate: Should EPA issue national regulatory standards for wastewater reuse given the lack of consistency or attention among most states? The report lays out a range of thoughtful pro’s and con’s for and against such federal action. It points out various gaps in the current federal regulatory and statutory framework, such as the reuse gap between the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act. It mentions the potential for uniform standards that could propel the movement in states and better protect public health in the future but also the costs and unintended consequences of federal actions that compromise or complicate existing state efforts.

It’s a discussion worth having. If done well, Federal leadership on practices, strategies, and health-based guidelines can help states, tribes, cities, academia, and the private sector launch more innovative technologies and management measures. Even if the decision is not to legislate in the zone between the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act anytime soon or to have EPA issue regulations on wastewater reuse, there are a lot of actions Federal agencies, such as EPA, Interior, and Agriculture can take to keep making scientific and environmental progress. One obvious step, which EPA supports, is to update its useful, and entirely voluntary, 2004 guidelines on best practices for beneficial reuse.

The road to recovery is paved with good inventions… and supportive public attitudes. Innovative technologies are making reuse of wastewater (as well as desalination of marine and inland brackish water) more affordable and attainable. The key is to probe the science and communicate the risks and benefits so that a squeamish or skeptical public can make informed choices as water scarcity and economic stress loom larger.  When they do, I’m betting the public will increasingly choose to drink the purified water that was once the waste stream of communities and the pee of dinosaurs.

The Clean Water America Alliance announced winners today of the 2012 U.S. Water Prize for watershed-based approaches toward water sustainability.  “These six water champions are showing America how to innovate, integrate, and educate for water sustainability and economic success,” explained Alliance President Ben Grumbles. U.S. Water Prize winners by alphabetical order are PepsiCo Frito-Lay, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, Philadelphia Water Department, Project WET Foundation, Salmon Falls Watershed Collaborative and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

PepsiCo Frito-Lay is deserving of the U.S. Water Prize because of its corporate-wide stewardship on water and energy conservation. Its Casa Grande, AZ snack facility is leading the way is energy efficiency and process-water reuse. Water is an essential ingredient to the food and beverage industry and both Frito-Lay and PepsiCo are demonstrating how to manage water efficiently and save dollars along the way.

The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District is being recognized for its pioneering watershed-based permitting (WBP) pilot program that many of its other cutting-edge approaches fall within. The pilot WBP extends to the natural boundaries of Menomonee and Kinnickinnic Rivers’ watersheds rather than being confined to political jurisdictions or industries. This has the potential to be more effective and efficient than traditional strategies in reducing water pollution within a watershed.

The Philadelphia Water Department is receiving the U.S. Water Prize for “Green City, Clean Waters.” This far-reaching program is uniting the city with its water environment, creating a green legacy for future generations and finding a balance among ecology, economics, and equity.

The U.S. Water Prize goes to Project WET Foundation for its success in building an extensive, grass-roots network of school and community educators.  The program reaches thousands of formal and non-formal educators and millions of children annually with water-science education locally and globally.

The selection of the Salmon Falls Watershed Collaborative for the U.S. Water Prize highlights the importance of inter-jurisdictional partnerships to protect and sustain drinking water supplies. This inter-state collaborative between Maine and New Hampshire unites local, state and federal partners to protect forests and reduce stormwater pollution from anticipated development.

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) merits the U.S. Water Prize because of its holistic approach to energy, water, and urban watershed management. Its strategy for stormwater includes innovative regulation, collaboration with other enterprises, and financial assistance and outreach campaigns to increase community awareness and participation to enhance the function of the city’s watersheds.

U.S. Water Prize winners will be honored in a special ceremony on Monday, April 23, 2012, at the Washington Marriott Hotel in Washington, D.C.  National water and environmental leaders will attend the celebration. Each recipient will receive a handcrafted, water-inspired, ceramic art work commissioned from internationally acclaimed potter Miranda Thomas.

The Clean Water America Alliance created and administers the U.S. Water Prize to recognize achievement and inspire action for water sustainability.  Brown and Caldwell, Veolia North America, CH2M HILL, MWH, Pirnie/ARCADIS, CDM Smith, and HDR are among the proud sponsors of the 2012 U.S. Water Prize.  For more information, visit www.CWAA.us.

“When it comes to the energy, food, and water sectors, one might think they are competing against each other, but in reality they’ve got to finish together as a team,” notes Ben Grumbles, president of Clean Water America Alliance and moderator of the webinar. “That’s why it’s more important than ever to hear the experts shed light on environmental impacts, facts, and governmental acts related to hydraulic fracturing, including timely topics such as earthquakes in Ohio, water in the west, and chemical disclosure at fracking sites throughout the country.”

Mr. Grumbles will set context and moderate diverse perspectives from an esteemed panel of experts including:

• Mike Paque, executive director of Ground Water Protection Council
• Richard Simmers, chief, Oil and Gas Resource Management Division, Ohio Department of Natural Resources
• Mike Baker, chief, Drinking and Ground Water Divisions, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
• Stephanie Meadows, senior policy advisor for the American Petroleum Institute-Upstream
• Patrick O’Toole, president of the Family Farm Alliance

Webinar objectives include:

• Identifying key facts, legal issues, and policy choices for hydraulic fracturing.
• Describing what states are doing across the country.
• Addressing recent events in Ohio with input from key state officials.
• Providing an industry perspective on hydraulic fracturing issues, opportunities, and actions to reduce environmental impacts.
• Sharing a western, agricultural perspective on concerns over water quantity and battles brewing over energy, water, and food.

To register for this webinar and obtain further information about CLE and CPE credits, go HERE Discount Code: CWAAWEB

Photo credit: Bruce Gordon / EcoFlight

The conference will combine virtual tradeshow exhibits and conference presentations to deliver attendees an innovative, and convenient, opportunity to network with and learn from leaders in the water and wastewater industries. VirtualH2O will offer attendees access to dozens of presentations addressing important topics in municipal drinking water, municipal wastewater, industrial water/wastewater, urban water management, and municipal water utility management. Conference sessions will be delivered as pre-recorded webcasts. However, the Alliance-featured session will be a LIVE presentation. Attendees will receive a certificate of attendance, which can be used to apply for Professional Development Hours (PDH) with state organizations. Click HERE to register for the free webcast.

Click HERE to view a list of participants.

An increase in funding would allow for additional product specifications, market research, partner collaboration, and program documentation. This change could yield substantial additional water and energy savings over time – savings that will be even more valuable to consumers and communities facing the uncertainties of a changing climate on the nation’s water supplies. Now more than ever, WaterSense is an especially good value due to its ability to leverage significant non-federal resources with a small amount of federal funding.

Click HERE to view the letter.

Details of the new magnetic soap are reported in the chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie, a peer-reviewed journal of the German Chemical Society.

Sources:

• University of Bristol
• Angewandte Chemie

Source: Mother Nature Network

One of Clean Water America Alliance’s goals is to change the way citizens and policy-makers view and value water–shifting our perception of water from “invisible” to “invaluable”.  And one way to do that is to highlight the “silent servants” as Andy Richardson would call them–the team of utility leaders driven by public interest more than profit making–behind every good system.

Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District comes to mind. Chief Engineer & Director Michael Mucha is leading the District forward with operating and capital budgets that respond to tough financial times and tightening environmental requirements. In 2011, the District was one of the first public agencies in the state to adopt employee insurance and retirement co-pay provisions in the Governor’s budget bill before the legislature enacted it. The agency also made strategic investments with farmers so as to reduce or eliminate the need for a new $4 million biosolids storage tank and worked on a framework with the state clean water agency for potential trading to find the most cost effective means to control nutrient pollution.

For 2012, the District is stepping up efforts “beyond the fence line” to prevent pollution and save dollars. The agency is partnering with others to embrace adaptive management and water quality trading in the Yahara watershed. If successful, they will not only meet phosphorus pollution limits but save ratepayers $55 million (by avoiding the need for a costly $90 million plant upgrade).

The District is also focusing on its 50 Year Master Plan, exploring the potential for reuse of treated effluent and for source reduction. According to Mucha, the Plan is setting the stage for building partnerships, prioritizing business investments, and building internal capacity in their workforce. They’ll need to do all of that and more to meet challenges involving chloride and pharmaceuticals as well as mercury and phosphorus. They’ll also need to develop a long range financial strategy to deal with tough issues such as the quadrupling of annual costs for debt service for future capital needs.

Outside of Madison and other well-run utilities in Wisconsin, such as Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, there’s a whole country of all-star utilities facing business competition and fiscal/political pressures, and responding with innovation to save more and waste less.

Efficiency improvements come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from workforce changes to new financing, better water monitoring (for stopping leaks and spills), and upstream water conservation and efficiency that can reduce chemical and energy treatment costs due to lower volumes.  The more numbers and statistics we have to drive home the point, the better.

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), a leading voice for clean water and lean management, is working to build the numbers and statistics. They’ve been touting, teaching, and training at the nation’s largest municipal “wastewater” treatment plants for decades, through thick and thin,  managed competition and privatization, water security and climate change.

They’ve also been at the cutting edge in educating and advocating for not cutting federal investment in water infrastructure. NACWA urges Congress to fund state revolving funds (SRFs) and come up with new mechanisms, as well, to boost water infrastructure investments. Proposals for national trust funds remain controversial but they also raise awareness about the growing crisis and prompt a good debate on ways and means to meet national and local needs.

While groups disagree over specifics, most agree on the need for a strong role for national investment and support. CSIS’s 2005 report, “Public Works, Public Wealth” underscored the need for investing in water and transportation infrastructure as well as focusing more on management of existing, rather than just new, assets.

Water and wastewater systems are community assets. Local citizens must be involved in answering questions of ownership, structure, operation, and funding and the system that oversees the particular community asset has to be accountable to the public. Citizens and ratepayers need to know the water and sanitation services will be there and they’ll get a fair shake. If faith in the system is lacking, even the best managers will ultimately fail.

The best water professionals, whether employed by public or private outfits, know they are, at heart, public servants duty-bound to deliver the elixir we all need to survive and thrive.