Business And Utility Leaders Convene To Chart A Course Toward Water Positivity

Representatives of America’s largest companies and key local and national government officials held a critical meeting this week to unleash manufacturing, industrial, and economic potential through water recycling.

Over 200 business executives, sustainability experts, water managers, and members of the WateReuse Association gathered for the 2024 Industrial Reuse Conference to explore the benefits of water recycling for growing markets such as data centers, automotive manufacturing, food & beverage, energy production, and more. Key themes that surfaced during the three-day meeting included the value of public-private partnerships in helping businesses meet water management goals and the need to address nontechnical barriers, such as regulations and costs, to advance industrial water recycling.

“It’s inspiring to see how these private sector leaders are approaching the pressing issue of water reliability with a spirit of creativity and partnership,” said Bart Weiss, Chief Officer for Innovation and Resiliency at Hillsborough County Public Utilities in Florida, and President of the WateReuse Association.

“Water recycling is an important water management tool to help industry ensure reliable supplies of freshwater for their operations. As we confront increasingly unreliable precipitation patterns, water recycling can provide a safe and sustainable solution for much of our freshwater demand.”

Commerce and manufacturing require significant water supplies to thrive. In the past few years, businesses have begun embracing water reuse at an exponential pace, often as part of ambitious “Water Positive” commitments. WateReuse launched the Coalition for Water Recycling to support this growing interest. The Coalition provides a forum for Fortune 1000 companies to collaborate on and advance their water reuse programs. WateReuse will continue to expand learning, networking, and technical offerings for industrial water users in the years to come.

Beginning next year, the WateReuse Association and the Water Environment Federation will host a single event that combines WateReuse’s Industrial Reuse Conference and Water Environment Federation’s Circular Water Economy Conference. This joint specialty conference will take place June 23—25, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio: a region that is at the center of much of the current industrial growth occurring across the country. The event will help to connect a growing audience of industrial leaders exploring water reuse to WateReuse Association’s expert community. Many of the innovators who met this week in Palm Springs will reconvene in Columbus to continue the momentum.

About The WateReuse Association
The WateReuse Association is the nation’s only trade association solely dedicated to advancing laws, policy, funding, and public acceptance of recycled water. Our membership includes utilities that recycle water, businesses that support the development of recycled water projects, and consumers of recycled water.

Water recycling, or water reuse, is the sustainable treatment and use of water multiple times before it is returned to the environment. It can serve many beneficial purposes including industrial cooling, environmental restoration, irrigation, and drinking and is increasingly seen as an imperative for continued economic growth with the increase in data centers.

For more information, visit www.watereuse.org