Today, at an event at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters in Washington, D.C., EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, and U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhard joined federal, state, tribal, local and water sector partners to announce the National Water Reuse Action Plan: Collaborative Implementation (Version 1).
The actions that EPA and its partners commit to in the Action Plan will help strengthen the sustainability, security and resilience of our nation’s water resources by creating new partnerships, providing accountability and promoting communication and transparency with a new online platform.
“A reliable water reuse program provides great opportunity for alternatives to existing water supplies across the nation to enhance water security, sustainability, and resilience for communities, rural and urban alike, across the country,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “By launching this phase of the National Water Reuse Action Plan, federal agencies are driving progress on this national priority and delivering on President Trump’s commitment to ensuring a reliable supply of water for our nation.”
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to work with its federal partners and local sponsors to identify opportunities and include water reuse features in congressionally authorized Civil Works projects,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Ryan Fisher.
“The Department of Energy is delighted to support EPA’s efforts on the National Water Reuse Action Plan through our Water Security Grand Challenge,” said U.S. Department of Energy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Daniel R. Simmons. “Water is a critical resource for human health, economic growth, and agricultural productivity. We are calling on the power of competition and drawing on the strengths of our partners and stakeholders to advance transformational technology and innovation to meet the global need for safe, secure, and affordable water.”
“The U.S. Department of State is excited to use the WRAP as a tool to raise awareness about water reuse around the world. By encouraging partner governments to adopt water re-use policies, management approaches, and new technologies – many of which were made here in America – the State Department is helping to implement the President’s Global Water Strategy. And, through our outreach efforts, all of the people and agencies who contributed to the WRAP are also helping to make other nations more water-secure,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Marcia Bernicat.
Over the next decade, 40 states anticipate some freshwater shortages within their borders. The Action Plan supports the President’s memorandum on Promoting a Reliable Supply and Delivery of Water in the West and will help advance water reuse technology that has the potential to ensure the viability of our water economy for generations to come.
The Action Plan is a collaborative effort that represents the first initiative of its magnitude to be coordinated across the water sector and builds on more than four decades of water reuse experience and practice. It frames the business case that water reuse is a viable and growing means of supporting our economy and improving the availability of freshwater for farmers, industry, communities, and ecosystems.
The Action Plan identifies 37 specific actions across 11 strategic themes to be led by a spectrum of federal, state, local and private sector interests. The Action Plan reflects new partnerships, generates action through more than 200 initial implementation milestones and provides accountability through transparency and routine progress updates.
For more information, including opportunities to engage with EPA on this effort and to find implementation progress updates, visit: https://www.epa.gov/waterreuse/water-reuse-action-plan
This action supports EPA’s 50th anniversary celebration and its February theme of protecting America’s waters. For more on EPA’s 50th Anniversary and how the agency is protecting America’s waters, visit: https://www.epa.gov/50. Follow EPA’s 50th Anniversary celebration on social media using #EPAat50.
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