Speaking Out On Water Reuse: Experts Make Compelling Case
By Kevin Westerling,
@KevinOnWater
A mix of quotes, notes, expert opinions, and beer — all made possible by water reuse.
The WateReuse Association recently held a media workshop featuring presentations from the leading minds in water reuse, which is growing rapidly in both practice and importance due to water scarcity. What follows are some cogent remarks I gathered over the course of the event, as well as some details from the evening reception. The latter featured a selection of craft beers made from recycled water — also reported on below — but, to be safe, the quotes are strictly from the workshop.
“Water should not be judged by its history, but by its quality.”
— Dr. Lucas van Vuuren, National Institute of Water Research, South Africa (as quoted by introductory speaker Linda Macpherson, Reuse Principal Technologist, CH2M HILL)
Jason Dadakis, Director of Health and Regulatory Affairs, Orange County Water District (OCWD)
“The risks for potable reuse are not fundamentally dissimilar [to conventional drinking water supplies], but it requires unique strategies of management.”
OCWD’s 5 keys to successful (indirect) potable reuse:
- Enhanced source control
- Multi-barrier treatment approach (microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and ultraviolet light [UV] with hydrogen peroxide)
- Real-time monitoring
- Rigorous operator training
- Regular and comprehensive laboratory testing
OCWD is expanding its indirect potable reuse (IPR) capacity, dubbed the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS), from 70 MGD to 100 MGD in early 2015.
Andy Salveson, Water Reuse Chief Technologist, Carollo Engineers
“Drought has pushed Texas to be the leader in the United States on direct potable reuse [DPR]. There are two permitted DPR projects that are operational; I’m leading two more in another part of the state, and there are handful being led by other people. It is happening fast!”
The Colorado River Municipal Water District (CRMWD) DPR system, near Big Spring, TX, has been online since May 2013. On Friday, Sept. 26, two days before the WateReuse workshop, Salveson received data from a public health audit of CRMWD’s advanced water treatment scheme. The results:
- Minimal (3) trace pollutants detected (at the nanogram/liter [ng/L] level, well below health risk levels
- No detected virus protozoa
- Very low disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation potential
CRMWD uses “the Cadillac of potable reuse treatment trains” (inspired by Orange County), consisting of microfiltration (MF), reverse osmosis (RO), advanced oxidation, and UV.
New rules for DPR…
“If you look at critical failures in structures, it has been because of two things: complexity and coupling. If you have an advanced process — of whatever type — and it is confusing or it involves a lot of technology, and each subsequent process is closely linked to the prior one, that’s where the critical failures occur. We took this and rolled it into our research program and the proper implementation of DPR [WRRF 11-10].”
Salveson’s keys to successful PPPs (public-private partnerships)…
- Transparency
- Demonstrated value
- Public policy driven by legislators
Erin Bonney Casey, Research Analyst, Bluefield Research
“Industrial reuse is on the rise. It is driven by cost considerations, water supply, risk mitigation, and regulatory changes.”
For example…
“In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection prohibited the discharge of high-salinity wastewater from fracking operations, which drove up the rate of reuse in the state. The rate of water reuse in this space increased from around 24 percent in 2010 to around 68 percent currently.”
“In addition to regulatory drivers, reuse can reduce industrial water demand by 50 to 95 percent. Industrial reuse systems that get installed generally have an ROI of less than 18 months, and so we [Bluefield Research] anticipate that more and more industries will embrace on-site water recycling going forward.”
“The biggest opportunity for growth is agriculture and industry, because of the volumes of water demanded for those applications. Agriculture is the largest water-user in the country, and industry is the second-largest — and both are growing.”
Key markets for water reuse:
- Agriculture and urban irrigation (~65 percent of total reclaimed water use)
- Industrial reuse (~15 percent)
- Potable reuse (~10 percent)
“In terms of overall capacity, the U.S. is the market leader in water reuse, but lags in rate of total water supply behind Israel and Singapore.”
“Scarcity is the ultimate driver” for U.S. potable reuse strategies (in California, Texas, and Arizona); policy and environmental concerns are also drivers (in Florida).
“Conservation is the only measure that provides significantly better CAPEX cost per acre-foot of new water supply. In Texas and Southern California, water reuse is able to compete on a cost basis with other water supplies.”
Bill Gaffi, General Manager, Clean Water Services
“The conversation on water isn’t over, it’s only begun. Given the challenges we have of having to apply extreme levels of technology to overcome public resistance, there’s a lot more talking that needs to be done.”
“Utility rates in this country are growing at a pace that is dramatically outpacing the growth in household income, yet there are massive needs for repair and replacement of our infrastructure. So we need to press continuously to do more with less and meet some of these challenges for reuse with more elegant solutions.”
“When water reuse projects are not successful, the alligator of public opinion can eat you alive. We know a lot more today about the technical side of how to address treatment needs for water reuse; I think we’re still learning about the social elements of how we relate to our communities and convince them that these reuse strategies are safe.”
“Water reuse shouldn’t be scary, it shouldn’t be strange, and it shouldn’t provoke fear as it sometimes does. We, as a society, haven’t quite reached the age of enlightenment when it comes to water and water management. That’s a goal that is yet before us. Reaching that goal will be a gateway to sustainable water management.”
Eleanor Torres, Director of Public Affairs, Orange County Water District
“It’s not cookie-cutter. Every community has different needs, and therefore the projects are going to be different. But there are similarities across the board. We’re all using technology that works — that is safe, reliable, and cost-effective.
“[Orange County’s] cost right now is just under the cost of imported water supplies, which aren’t reliable anymore. But what if it were double? What is the value of water reliability in each community?”
“Water reuse represents the lowest risk — it’s drought-proof — as opposed to a lake or river, which is high-risk.”
A suggestion for municipal managers…
“Don’t hide behind a paid consultant; be out there as a municipality. Taste-testing is critical.”
Laura Belanger, Water Resources & Environmental Engineer, Western Resource Advocates
“Associated with our ecosystems and river flows are tremendous recreational and economic benefits. When we can effectively use the water supplies that we have at hand, we can leave some of that water in our streams, and potentially put some of it back over time.”
Polls conducted in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming show that 80 percent of respondents recognize that “low flows in rivers and streams are of significant concern.”
“In the West, the majority of water supplies come from streams and rivers. If we can decrease how much we need to divert, we can leave that in the rivers … and reuse is our biggest wedge.”
“I think everyone acknowledges that we’re going to get there, where we are going to be reusing, but from an environmental perspective, we want to get there now — before we make significant diversions.”
“When [Western Resource Advocates] talk to water planners in Colorado, all we’re hearing is why it can’t be done. We’re trying to link the technical experts, the folks that know it can be done and are doing it, to our water supply planners so that reuse is what we’re doing now and doing next – versus some new, big project where you have to pump water 450 miles through a pipeline.”
Sustainable Beer Challenge
As the media workshop segued into the WateReuse Association’s One Water Innovations Gala, held at Republic New Orleans in the heart of the Big Easy, the coffee and presentations of the day gave way to networking and libations at night.
The star of the reception was the Oregon Brew Crew, the home-brewing club that collaborated with Clean Water Services and Carollo Engineers to put together the Pure Water Brew Competition. Thirteen brewers crafted 16 styles of beer using water from the Tualatin River, including 30 percent effluent from Clean Water Services’ upstream wastewater treatment facility. The source water was further treated by Clean Water Services, beyond drinking water standards, and then offered to Portland-area home brewers to concoct the best beer possible.
We at the reception had the privilege of sampling the top entries. The honor roll included:
- Best in show – Ted Assur, Vox Max Belgiean
- Second place – Jeremie Landers, German Pilsner
- Third place – Mike Marsh, Single Grain Saison
- Fourth place – Nick Dahl, Kolsch
By putting on the competition, the Oregon Brew Crew proved that you don’t have to work in the water industry to understand the cycle of use and reuse. As Brew Crew member Jason Barker stated, “All the water we drink has been consumed before and will be consumed again. What better way to showcase that than in great beer?”
Cheers to that!