Partnering for Impact (PFI) is a one-day, highly focused, interactive meeting of thought-leaders, practitioners, academics, and regulators from throughout the wastewater industry. These industry leaders strive daily to advance technology and innovation through various local and regional partnerships. The 2024 PFI event had 96 attendees and was held at UC Irvine Beall Applied Innovation Beach…
After 16 years in the making, Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW) recently celebrated the official opening of its historic, award-winning $580 million Regional Environmental Sewer Conveyance Upgrade (RESCU) – an innovative revamp of its wastewater conveyance system that will support community and environmental health in Silicon Valley over the next century. The RESCU Program involved…
Last week, the WateReuse California Board of Trustees selected Brenley McKenna as its new Managing Director. McKenna currently serves as the Chief of Subscriber Services for The Water Research Foundation (WRF). Prior to joining WRF in 2017, McKenna served as Program Manager with Denver Water; as Reclaimed Water System Coordinator with the City of Westminster,…
On December 19th, the State Water Board made California history by granting approval for direct potable reuse regulations, also known as DPR. California’s water and wastewater associations are joining forces to celebrate this momentous achievement. United in the spirit of ‘One Water’ we are proudly working together to build California’s utilities of the future. Following…
Los Angeles water agencies dream big. That’s because local leaders are proactively leading the way here and across the country to provide equitable access to water, build resiliency, and address water supply amid climate change challenges, such as extreme weather, drought, and sea-level rise with water reuse innovation. Case in point: Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) regulations are progressing at the State…
Information from the State Water Board… NOTICE OF PROPOSED REGULATORY ACTION State Water Resources Control Board and Regional Water Quality Control Boards CHAPTER 3.5 – Urban Water Use Efficiency and Conservation ARTICLE 1 SUBJECT: MAKING CONSERVATION A CALIFORNIA WAY OF LIFE NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board or…
A joint venture of AECOM and Brown and Caldwell (AECOM-BC Team) has been chosen to provide program and project management support and engineering design services for the Pure Water Southern California program, one of the largest water reuse programs in the world. The innovative program, being developed by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan) in…
VenturaWaterPure (VWP) is a multi-benefit water reuse program that will recover, treat, and reuse water that is currently discharged into the Santa Clara River Estuary, creating a new, local, drought-resilient water source that isn’t dependent on rainfall. Ventura needs more water. A decade of comprehensive evaluations, studies, and piloting have allowed local leaders to consider…
VALLEY WATER Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center City/population served: Santa Clara County’s 2 million residents Plant commissioned: March 2014 FLOW RATES Average daily flow: 8 MGD Upgrade up to 9 MGD TREATMENT PROCESS Microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and ultraviolet disinfection. Recycled Water Usage Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center (SVAWPC) is designed to…
East Valley Water District held a community ribbon cutting to officially open the Sterling Natural Resource Center (SNRC) and celebrate the completion of the new community facility. Over 1,300 people enjoyed the event activities, which included a free community concert, food truck vendors, and facility tours. “East Valley Water District made a commitment to the…
On June 1st, the East County Advanced Water Purification Program broke ground, marking an important milestone for the project, East San Diego County, the region and the entire water industry.Program representatives, elected officials and water industry leaders gathered at the future site of the treatment facility in Santee to celebrate the Program that will create a new, local, sustainable and…
A new, large-scale local water supply in development for the region is getting a new name – Pure Water Southern California. The water recycling project, being developed by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan) in partnership with the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (Sanitation Districts), has for years been known as the Regional Recycled...
Be part of the inaugural 2024 Enhanced Source Control Workshop on February 6 at the Delta Hotels in Anaheim. Learn more > What’s driving the need for enhanced source control research and regulations? AB 574 requires the State Water Board to develop draft direct potable reuse (DPR) regulations by December 31, 2023. An expert panel…
Today, the first operating advanced water purification facility in San Diego County was officially dedicated in the City of Oceanside. Elected officials and water leaders throughout southern California commemorated the milestone aptly celebrated on “World Water Day.” Pure Water Oceanside purifies recycled water to create a new local source of high-quality drinking water that is…
Governor Gavin Newsom visited a Metropolitan Water District of Southern California water recycling facility to discuss the administration’s response to the ongoing megadrought affecting the western United States. January through March were the driest first three months in the state’s recorded history, the state’s largest reservoirs are currently at half of their historical averages, and…
The City of Santa Monica has taken a significant step toward a self-reliant water future as expansions to the Arcadia Water Treatment Plant (WTP) and restorations to the Olympic Well Field break ground. The key water infrastructure improvements are a component of the City’s goal of becoming water self-sufficient by 2023. Santa Monica’s water system…
This opinion article originally appeared in the Marin Independent Journal newspaper and website. Subscription required. Republished with permission. We are water, literally, by weight and so much more. It’s the sparkle in your eye, the sweat on your brow and the blood in your veins. All life and communities are totally dependent on a healthy water…
At CWEA, we’re proud to lead the way with an inspiring, new Strategic Plan that elevates our core priorities—empowering, educating and connecting water professionals to protect public health and the environment. Join us in marking this milestone moment and advancing on our collective goals. Working together, we will build a stronger wastewater profession and a…
Late this summer, the water features in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, as well as the irrigation systems at the nearby Lincoln Park golf course, will begin using recycled water from the Westside Enhanced Water Recycling Project located at the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant on The Great Highway. The new $214 million plant will…
In 2010, the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (Regional San) faced a daunting task—upgrading its wastewater treatment process to tertiary to meet new National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements. That meant removing nearly all ammonia and nitrates from more than 100 millions of gallons of wastewater received every day. To meet the requirements,…
With a tweet on January 4th, the City of Oceanside officially announced its brand-new advanced water purification facility was operational. Kicking off 2022 with another large-scale water reuse facility serving California. The project, called Pure Water Oceanside, is the first AWTF to become operational in the San Diego region and will purify recycled water to…
CWEA member in the news #membermonday. “We recycle (about) 100M gal of water a day and at least half of that goes to a spreading basin in LA County and percolates into our aquifer,” said Basil Hewitt, LACSD. Great @GOVERNING article about CA #waterreuse https://t.co/IGyM5ouyUw — CWEA (@cwea) August 9, 2021 CWEA Members Featured East…
A team of researchers from California State University and the University of California are assessing the economic and environmental impacts of forthcoming water use efficiency standards (AB 1668-SB 606) on urban retail water suppliers. This assessment is funded by the State of California through a mutual agreement between the SWRCB and California State University. The…
With water usage in San Francisco already down seven percent since the advent of voluntary restrictions, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is already on track to meet Governor Gavin Newsom’s 15 percent water reduction goal. Last week, Governor Newsom asked California residents to voluntarily reduce their water usage 15 percent below 2020 rates. Since…
The Los Angeles Basin Section (LABS) of CWEA would like to congratulate Adel Hagekhalil on being selected as the next General Manager of Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD). In his 30+ year career with the City of Los Angeles, he has long been a champion of recycled water as a valuable and viable…
On June 24th, WateReuse California submitted comments on the Water Board’s draft Direct Potable Reuse regulations. The coalition letter included ACWA, CUWA, CA-NV Section of AWWA and CASA. WRCA developed these comments after holding a webcast and panel discussion in April to review the draft regulations and solicit comments. A DPR Working Group was formed that assisted…
View LA Sanitation and Environment’s project webpage to learn more.
With opioid overdose deaths increasing during the pandemic, the Drug Enforcement Administration announces its 20th Take Back Day is scheduled for April 24th. At its last Take Back Day in October, DEA collected a record-high amount of expired, unwanted, and unused prescription medications, with the public turning in close to 500 tons of unwanted drugs….
The new documentary film Brave Blue World examines how new technologies and innovations can create a more sustainable water future. It’s important to convey a sense of hope and spirit of optimism for water. The film includes interviews with a variety of water experts, as well as high-profile advocates Matt Damon and Jaden Smith. By…
From the State Water Board… The National Water Research Institute (NWRI) convened a panel of experts to provide recommendations on enhanced industrial source control for DPR. The Expert Panel has submitted their recommendations to the State Water Board in March 2020. Their report is available to download here: Download the report Enhanced Source Control Recommendations…
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