All communities need a supply of clean, safe water. Some communities, and the utilities that serve them, have the luxury of tapping into additional water sources when their primary supplies face quality or quantity issues. However, because traditional water sources, such as surface water and groundwater, are highly dependent on location, many utilities don’t have easy access to contingency supplies. As increased pressures from drought, extreme weather, and shifting populations make backup supplies more critical, many utilities are looking beyond traditional sources to diversify their supplies. Many communities are also grappling with political and institutional issues, like local control of water supplies, driving the need to identify new, local options to avoid the need to import water.
All of these circumstances make water reuse an attractive option. Potable reuse purifies water from wastewater treatment plants through advanced treatment methods to meet drinking water standards, while non-potable reuse recycles municipal wastewater and water from impaired sources for activities that don’t involve human consumption, such as landscape and crop irrigation, industrial processes, and other uses.
For more information, contact Lyndsey Bloxom.
In 2018, The Water Research Foundation received a grant totaling $4.5M from the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to support non-potable and potable reuse research. This funding has been leveraged by WRF and other key partners, including Metropolitan Water District (CA), utilities in CA and across the US, engineering firms, and manufacturing companies to fund WRF reuse research launched in 2017 – 2019.
Traditional water sources like surface water and groundwater are highly dependent on location, and many utilities don’t have easy access to contingency supplies. As increased pressures from drought, extreme weather, and shifting populations make backup supplies more critical, many utilities are looking beyond traditional sources to diversify their supplies. Learn how Orange County Water District’s dedication to innovative water research has made them a pioneer in the world of water reuse.
