WWEMA Window: Technology Advances Key To Meeting Future Water Needs

By Andrew Fraher, Greg Claffey, and Keel Robinson

Water scarcity is becoming more and more in focus these days as California enters into the fourth consecutive year of a historic drought, and even as torrential rains pelted the bay area recently, the Sierra’s snow pack, which is a key source of water for the region, is far below the seasonal average.  Governor Jerry Brown (D-CA) declared a drought emergency in January, and efforts are underway to enact measures to conserve water and to accelerate water reuse projects, with the goal to create long- term sustainable solutions to this challenge, including the Central Valley and State Water projects.  Additionally, CA Prop 1, the Water Bond, which was approved by voters in November 2014, authorizes $7.12 billion in general obligation bonds for state water supply infrastructure projects, including system improvements, emergency supplies, and protection for existing sources, as well as water recycling and advanced water treatment technologies.

The Water and Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Association (WWEMA) highlighted the need for a collective focus on advancing water reuse technologies in its annual meeting in December 2014 in Arizona, another state facing water scarcity challenges.  Michael Fulton, Director of the Water Quality Division of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, highlighted the fact that 90 percent of water reuse nationally occurs in four states (CA, AZ, TX, and FL) and that the distribution of reclaimed water to farmers in the region is critical to sustaining the state’s $12B agricultural industry.  A recent study published in 2014, titled “Water Reuse in Central Arizona” from the ASU Decision Center for a Desert City, shows that as much reclaimed water goes to power generation facilities as agriculture, highlighting its importance for ensuring a long-term viable industrial sector.

Water reuse is not a new concept; in fact, many parts of the world including Australia, Singapore, Israel, and California have been leading the way in innovation in the area of reclaimed water.  According to Wade Miller, former Executive Director of the Water Reuse Association, only 5 to 6 percent of wastewater is reclaimed in the U.S., so there is a significant opportunity to meet the nation’s increasing demands for water while reducing the cost of transporting water over long distances, as is the case in California.  However, the presence of emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, industrial and natural chemicals, viruses, and bacteria all pose significant challenges to treating wastewater to levels at which it can then be reused.

Given historic drought conditions, the need for water supplies that can be treated to reclaim water standards places increased attention on source water (surface and ground) regulation.  Additionally, the presence of aforementioned emerging contaminants combined with a need to meet disinfection standards highlights the urgency of policymakers in coming together to find new and innovative ways to address these challenges, including supporting the piloting of advanced treatment technologies.

It is important to recognize that although reclaimed water will help reduce the ongoing demand on potable water supplies, it will not fully address the need for potable drinking water, which requires a higher level of treatment.  Two methods currently being promoted are indirect potable reuse, which involves treating the wastewater and then returning it to a natural water source such as a reservoir or groundwater to be further treated, and direct potable reuse, which introduces treated wastewater effluent directly into a water supply or upstream of a water plant.

WWEMA is leading the way in promoting the development of new technologies for treating drinking water and wastewater.  As a member of the AWWA Innovation Initiative Steering Committee, WWEMA Executive Director Vanessa Leiby co-chaired an Innovative Technology session at the AWWA annual conference in 2014, and plans are underway for a similar session in 2015. The purpose of this initiative is to identify the major barriers preventing technologies from reaching the marketplace in a timely manner and to take concrete steps to eliminating these barriers.

Other technology initiatives are also underway, including EPA’s Cluster Initiative and EPA’s creation and funding of two national centers for research and innovation in small- to medium-sized drinking water systems.  The recipients of the $8 million in funding for these two new centers include the University of Colorado Boulder’s Design of Risk Reducing, Innovative Implementable Small System Knowledge (DeRISK) Center, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Water Innovation Network for Sustainable Small Systems (WINSSS) Center. WWEMA is also supporting the WEF Leaders Innovation Forum for Technology (LIFT) program and has reached out to Accelerate H2O in Texas and Isle, Inc., which is encouraging innovative technology use through regional Technology Approval Groups that bring new technologies to water and wastewater utilities. In December 2014, Leiby met with utility and university personnel in Easton, PA, who have formed a coalition to create a wastewater technology innovation center that can also function as a teaching lab for college students interested in pursuing careers in the water field. 

These initiatives to develop new solutions and drive progressive legislation to address the country’s (and the world’s) water needs are critical to ensuring a long-term sustainable water supply and highlight how wastewater and water treatment should be viewed as one continuous process, given their interdependency.  The willingness of lawmakers to fund new projects, of companies to come together to develop new and innovative solutions in conjunction with operators and consulting engineers, and of the ultimate users of the water to understand how important their role is in this process will ultimately secure a sustainable supply of water for future generations.

Andy Fraher is director of Marketing and Business Development at Xylem Inc. and is a member of the WWEMA Board of Directors. Greg Claffey is North American Director of Treatment Sales and Keel Robinson is North America Reuse Marketing & Business Development Manager for Xylem Inc.