Future of Water Reuse Forum draws proficient water experts

By Martha C. Koester
El Paso Water

Leaders from throughout the water sector gathered in El Paso, Texas, in late February for the groundbreaking on an historic purified water project and a Future of Water Reuse Forum to explore the next frontier in future water supply.

More than 100 water industry professionals – local, state, national and international – as well as community leaders helped El Paso Water break ground on the trailblazing Pure Water Center. The new plant will transform treated wastewater into fresh drinking water, sending purified drinking water

“We are proud to lead the way to a more sustainable water future for both El Pasoans and communities across the nation,” said Gilbert Trejo, vice president of operations and technical services.

“As far as providing water, what is happening in El Paso is going to be the model for over 50 years,” said American Water Works Association CEO David LaFrance at the forum. “It is going to be customized for what each utility needs and dependent on what their water supplies are, what growth is and the type of communities they are serving.”

Water reuse as a solution

Before the forum, Trejo encouraged the 100 participants to gain a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities of water reuse and its role in the future of water supply.

Moderator Eva Steinle-Darling, Carollo Engineers’ water reuse technical practice director, asked the first panelists what challenges water reuse will solve.

EPWater’s Wastewater Systems Division Manager Angel Bustamante called attention to dwindling  water systems, along with rivers and lakes.

“We are all trying to make sure that we provide safe drinking water for our communities and our customers,” Bustamante said. “Reuse is that next step, and it’s the way of the future.”

Former Public Service Board member Dr. Kristina Mena, El Paso Campus Dean of the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, said the reuse industry can help communities understand what is in their wastewater, such as viruses. Mena’s university has led several studies into El Paso’s wastewater monitoring for public health.

“The industry could be at the forefront of stakeholder communication,” Mena said. “There is so much the water reuse industry can help in terms of public health.”

Regulatory challenges were also a hot topic. Experts also considered the need for transparency and the potential for real-time monitoring of water quality.

“This is a perfect opportunity because technology has been advancing on potable reuse or water recycling,” said Dr. Lauren Kennedy, assistant professor of civil engineering at the University of Texas at El Paso. “As projects like the Pure Water Center become more common in the U.S., the industry might consider online drinking water distribution system monitoring because it can help people see their own water quality.”

Kennedy praised El Paso’s water quality and development of future water supply.

“We are lucky in El Paso that we have great water,” Kennedy said. “I have worked with the water that will come out of the advanced water purification facility, and it’s amazing. This is very advanced, and it’s exciting to bring that source into our water supply portfolios.”

On the horizon

Moderator and consultant Guy Carpenter prompted the second panel to consider the future of water reuse in the next 50 years.

“Everything that Gilbert Trejo and El Paso Water, and Wichita Falls has done has all been based on research,” said Daniel Nix, executive director of the Texas American Water Works Association. “Research provided by research foundations and academia is driven by grants and funding. If we want reuse to continue, that funding has to continue for research or it will stagnate.”

Experts also considered the reluctance of a few communities to embrace water reuse as a drinking water supply, even as groundwater supply dwindles.

Martha C. Koester is lead public affairs coordinator for El Paso Water. She is a veteran newspaper journalist for more than 25 years.