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March 2024

Publications and Websites

The EPA Releases Fourth WRAP Annual Update. The Year 4 WRAP Update on Collaborative Progress summarizes some of the incredible accomplishments of WRAP action leaders and partners in 2023. Congratulations to WRAP collaborators for your impressive achievements! (Action 10.3: Facilitate Implementation of the WRAP)

ReWater Center and Trussell Technologies Release Potable Water Reuse Report. The first issue of the Potable Water Reuse Report focuses on direct potable reuse regulations in California. The publication connects the water industry, regulators and academia and reflects on the rapid development and evolution of potable reuse. Sign up to receive this report here. (Action 7.10: Implement the DoD-funded Water Reuse Consortium for Water Resiliency at Military and Municipal Facilities)

The EPA Creates Webpage on Water Reuse and Nature-based Solutions. Nature-based solutions can be attractive to utilities interested in water reuse because of the multiple benefits they can provide to communities, including improved water quality, habitat restoration and recreational opportunities. This webpage features examples of water reuse projects that use nature-based solutions, benefits of nature-based solutions in water reuse projects and more!

REUSExplorer Tool Updated to Include International Content. The REUSExplorer tool now includes water reuse regulation or guideline summaries for Australia, Singapore and the World Health Organization. (Action 3.1: Compile Existing Fit-for-Purpose Specifications)

The EPA Launches Website on Household Medication Disposal. This website provides information to households about proper disposal of leftover medications, including how to use various pharmaceutical take-back programs. This new web area will help the public understand why proper disposal of household medication is needed and what households should and should not do with their unwanted medications. For example, the webpage notes you can protect the environment by reducing the flushing of household medicines, which prevents their release into ground water and surface water. (Action 2.9: Align Tools to Promote Best Management of Unused/Expired Pharmaceuticals)

Research Article: Evaluating Endogenous Viral Targets as Potential Treatment Monitoring Surrogates for Onsite Non-Potable Water Reuse. This article quantifies eight candidate PCR targets that represent potential monitoring surrogates from different viral classes to determine whether they could be used to verify the efficacy of treatment in onsite non-potable water reuse systems. (Action 5.2: Identify Water Quality Monitoring Practices for Reuse Applications)

Water Harvest Systems Technical Study: Lessons Learned and Recommendations. The General Services Administration teamed up with a water harvest system manufacturer, also active in an industry trade association, to draft a report that captures opportunities to make water harvest systems more viable. The report contains recommendations regarding system design, installation and operations and maintenance, as well as industry trends and overall keys to success.

Funding Information and Opportunities 

Learn More about Federal Funding Programs Available for Water Reuse. Various federal infrastructure funding programs exist to 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)

Notice of Intent for de facto Water Reuse Funding Opportunity. This EPA funding opportunity will solicit research on drinking water supplies with a significant fraction of wastewater effluent from upstream discharges and advance the understanding of potential impacts de facto water reuse poses on drinking water quality. Prospective applicants can receive a notification of when the application period opens by joining this listserv. 

The EPA Announces Funding Opportunity for Coastal Ecosystems Climate Resilience. This EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program funding opportunity solicits research needed to advance the understanding of the properties and processes important to climate resilience in estuarine and coastal marine ecosystems to better inform coastal ecosystem management strategies. The EPA anticipates funding approximately seven awards—up to $1.2 million per award. The solicitation closes on May 1, 2024.

State Updates

Austin, Texas Adopts Onsite Water Reuse Ordinance. Austin’s adoption of the Onsite Water Reuse Ordinance allows expansion of water reuse efforts to help address water scarcity issues related to population growth. Austin’s purple pipe system was installed in the 1990s, but this ordinance will facilitate the installation of onsite water reuse systems in commercial and multi-family buildings.

South Jordan, Utah Receives First State Permit to Reclaim Water for Drinking. South Jordan currently imports its entire water supply. The “Pure SoJo” system uses a carbon-based treatment process to produce potable water from onsite collected waters that have been treated by the South Valley Sewer District’s Jordan Basin Water Reclamation Facility. The project is under demonstration for five years, and within ten years, officials hope to have a fully operational system that can produce 3,500 acre-feet of water annually.