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A Congressional briefing on Capitol Hill and a roundtable discussion at the U.S. Department of Interior were co-hosted by the WateReuse Association, the American Membrane Technology Association and the Water Environment Federation was held on Thursday to discuss the experiences of six WateReuse Association members with membrane technology to treat and recycle water and desalinate ocean water to produce potable water. The briefing and discussion highlighted how membrane technology can help address the nation’s water supply and quality challenges.
WateReuse Board Member Michael R. Markus, General Manager of the Orange County Water District in Fountain Valley, CA, discussed the role of membranes in shaping his district’s award winning indirect potable reuse project. Other members invited to share their experiences included Christine Owen, Water Quality Senior Manager, Tampa Bay Water, FL; Hector Gonzalez, Government Affairs Manager, El Paso Water Utilities, TX; Cedella Beazley, Commercial Director for the Americas, Dow Water & Process Solutions; Ben Soucy, General Manager of Memcor Products, Evoqua Water Technologies; and Geert-Henk Koops, Technology Leader UF/MBR, GE Water and Process Technologies.
The roundtable also included representatives from the Department of Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Congressional Research Service, and Bureau of Reclamation. The Department of Interior roundtable included an overview of the function and application of membranes, a discussion of how utilities are addressing emerging contaminants of concern, and examples of membrane use from utilities.
The briefing on Capitol Hill was an opportunity for participants to discuss their successes and challenges with members of Congress and congressional staff. The conversation focused on current and future initiatives in membrane technology. It challenged participants to consider how membrane technology can help address the nation’s water supply and quality challenges as well as the role the federal government plays in addressing those challenges. The roundtables are part of the Association’s efforts to elevate the importance of water reuse and recycling to the nation’s water management systems to policymakers in Washington, DC.
WateReuse is internationally-recognized as a thought-leader on alternative water supply development. Since its founding in 1990, WateReuse has advocated for policies, laws and funding at the state and federal level to increase the practice of recycling water.
