Woodard & Curran has long supported indirect potable reuse projects from both the engineering and operations sides of our business. As climate change and population growth continues to stress our natural water supplies, communities across the country are looking for alternative water supplies and some states are responding by creating direct potable reuse regulations.
California is one of the first states to approve legislation that allows water systems to develop treatment protocols to convert wastewater into high quality drinking water. When the regulatory measure was adopted in December 2023, the State Water Resources Control Board Chair E. Joaquin Esquivel stated in a press release, “This is an exciting development in the state’s ongoing efforts to find innovative solutions to the challenges of extreme weather driven by climate change. On top of helping [California] build drought resilient water supplies, direct potable reuse offers energy savings and environmental benefits. And most importantly, these regulations ensure that the water produced is not only safe, but purer than many drinking water sources we now rely on.” In August 2024, the California Office of Administrative Law formally approved the regulations, effective as of October 1, 2024.
For decades, California has pioneered indirect potable reuse by leveraging multiple phases of advanced water treatment to recharge groundwater and to augment reservoirs. Now water agencies have more flexibility for advanced treated recycled water to be mixed directly into drinking water systems where it isn’t feasible to first blend it into the environment.
It appears Florida is following suit. On July 1, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) issued a Notice of Public Workshop and open comment period for its effort to adopt the Potable Reuse Commission’s 2020 report recommendations as law. Scott Ruland, O&M Project Manager, serves on the Florida Water & Pollution Control Operators Association’s Board of Directors, and was part of a committee that reviewed the proposed regulations and provided comments to the FDEP for consideration.Scott manages Water Conserv II, which was the first project permitted in Florida for agriculture irrigation of crops for human consumption. In addition to agricultural irrigation, any excess daily flows recharge Florida’s primary drinking water source. This form of indirect potable reuse is achieved by utilizing rapid infiltration basins (RIBs), which allows the treated effluent to enter the Floridan aquifer after filtering through surficial sand and permeable clay. Allowing direct potable reuse is the next step in helping maintain a resilient water supply in Florida.
“Whether it is indirect or direct potable reuse, it is considered an alternative water supply,” said Scott. “Municipalities have tried to minimize the impact on groundwater supply in Florida as we have experienced rapid growth by tapping into the Lower Floridan Aquifer or surface water supplies. Direct potable reuse is an alternative water supply that can help offset groundwater withdrawals, which Florida will need as the population and industry in the area continues to grow.”
Talking to the public about direct potable reuse
While regulatory measures have been years in the making with extensive participation from industry professionals, water agencies, and local lawmakers, the general public needs more education to understand how indirect and direct potable reuse work. In the November 2023 issue of Journal American Water Works Association (AWWA), I wrote about the Water Research Foundation (WRF) Project 4979, Purified Recycled Water Demonstration Design & Communication Toolbox, which provides water utilities with a road map for implementing substantial public outreach and education projects.
According to Scott, some Florida agencies are already planning facilities that include small scale pilot testing and educational opportunities. These types of demonstration sites, in conjunction with outreach campaigns, help make the case for water reuse by teaching the community about the treatment process. Seeing the process firsthand helps understand that the treated effluent is safe, environmentally responsible, and cost effective.
Additionally, the WRF Communication Toolbox offers water utilities guidance on how to establish goals, budgets, and outcomes based on community feedback. These tools are helpful, but with many small to medium water utilities lacking dedicated public relations staff, Woodard & Curran has additional resources to help our clients conduct market research and engage stakeholders to ensure when direct potable reuse projects come up in their communities, the public is on board with approving such work.
Getting projects underway
With California’s regulations in place and Florida’s on the horizon, many projects are still in the nascent conceptual phase. Of course, direct potable reuse will face the same funding hurdles as any major infrastructure project. However, there are state and federal funds earmarked for reuse projects, such as the Bureau of Reclamation’s (USBR) Title XVI – Water Infrastructure Improvement for the Nation (WIIN) grant program for projects that reclaim or reuse municipal, industrial, or agricultural wastewater; or impaired groundwater or surface water. Our funding team has already helped clients secure a significant portion of this available funding to overcome financial barriers that could prevent direct potable reuse projects from coming to fruition.
