Daniel Salzler No. 1265
EnviroInsight.org Four Items August 9, 2024
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1. The Water Reuse Revolution. Sustainable Water For A Stable Future.
Year-over-year drought conditions, reductions in snowpack, continued population growth and other factors have strained water resources and water supplies in the U.S. West and Southwest
Communities in the desert areas of the nation have instituted new laws and local policies on conservation, irrigation and water use to ensure every drop matters.
While those efforts are admirable, they do not solve the problem on their own. The ultimate solution will require a marriage of technology, regulatory and policy changes, and public outreach efforts in addition to water conservation measures. States and local municipalities will also need to keep the water use of local industry and agriculture in check to ensure the longevity of their cities, towns and villages from a water supply perspective.
Consider as well that California approved direct potable reuse rules in December of 2023, a critical step in the future of water reuse for the state and the country. States like Arizona, Texas and Florida are all watching California closely to see how the rules will work, challenges the state and local water systems will face, and regulatory nuances that are certain to crop up.
The Golden State has a long history of water reuse, although that history has primarily been indirect potable reuse. Orange County Water District is renowned for its Groundwater Replenishment System, which uses microfiltration, 28,000 reverse osmosis membranes and ultraviolet disinfection to create clean water it then uses to restore local groundwater aquifers. This method uses an “environmental buffer” before the water is taken in by a drinking water plant for treatment and distribution to residences and businesses for consumption.
But this is only one potential source of water for reuse. Calls also exist for better reuse of harvested rainwater, which historically has been used for grey water purposes such as toilet flushing, irrigation or washing in industrial contexts, such as carwashes. But there are fewer and fewer reasons the industry can find to not use this water for potable purposes after treatment as well.
All of the above are explored in the following pages of this eHandbook, which is designed to showcase the latest technologies, concepts and ideas behind the future of water supply management both domestically and internationally. Reuse is on the rise, and it is time to join the water reuse revolution.
A. IDENTIFY THE NEED AND COST IMPACTS FOR WATER REUSE
First, water agencies must determine the need for reuse applications in their community. Engineering firms and consultants can help identify potential customers and users, whether that is high water use industrial applications, such as semiconductor manufacturing or food and beverage suppliers; irrigation for golf courses or parks; agricultural use; or, at the most advanced level, potable reuse.
There are also long-term considerations, including future population growth and capacity demands; reliability of supplies; planning for natural disasters; etc. Measuring the need and demand against the available source supply and risk profile for reliability and resilience will help develop.
Orange County Water District Groundwater Replenishment System in Fountain Valley, California a strategy for implementing reuse into an agency’s program or master plan. There is obviously an economic impact that must be considered as well. By determining what level of treatment will be required to achieve the most beneficial use and what approach to take — direct potable reuse (DPR), indirect potable reuse (IPR), recycled water, or a combination of approaches — the agency can better understand the high-level cost impacts they should expect.
The agency must then consider its ability to secure funding for any capital improvements, as well as the additional cost of operating and maintaining such changes. Ultimately, it must decide whether it is worth changing or adding to its treatment approach.
B. EXAMINE STATE AND LOCAL WATER REUSE REGULATIONS
Assuming the need exists and is justifiable, the next major consideration involves a review of existing state or local regulations for achieving the target treatment goals.
For example, consider the Orange County Water District Groundwater Replenishment System (OCWD GWRS) in Fountain Valley, California. GWRS expanded from 70 Million gallon per day (MGD) to 100 MGD in 2015. The need and best approach was determined to be indirect potable reuse through groundwater replenishment of the aquifer OCWD manages.
The state of California’s regulations for IPR dictate that treatment requirements, in simplistic terms, must meet the “12/10/10 Rule,” that is Log Removal Value (LRV) targets of 12-log for virus, 10-log for Giardia, and 10-log for Cryptosporidium using three separate treatment processes and underground retention time. Log removal refers to the reduction in concentration by a factor of 10.
For instance, a LRV of 1 refers to 90% removal, a LRV of 2 refers to 99% removal, and a LRV of 3 refers to 99.9% removal. Credits for LRV are accumulated by utilizing a multi-barrier technology approach, with different processes obtaining LRV credits for virus and/or bacteria, as shown by Table 1 (below) in the case of the OCWD GWRS facility.
In the case of the OCWD GWRS facility, it achieves the IPR requirements by utilizing a treatment train consisting of membrane filtration (UF/MF), reverse osmosis (RO), ultraviolet/advanced oxidation process (UV/AOP), and underground storage time via the groundwater aquifer. The credits in Table 1 are obtained through each of the processes.
A similar determination needs to be made for any water agency considering a potable reuse program. Reuse applications for recycled water (i.e. irrigation), are much less stringent because LRV credits are not typically needed, but a similar approach targeting water quality goals would still be used. In the case of California Recycled Water Regulations (Title 22), requirements on concentration of total coliform bacteria are used as the primary measure for classifying categories of recycled water applications.
Supply chain issues and federal funding requirements have placed a large amount of uncertainty on availability of products. Water agencies are only now coming to grips with understanding the Build America Buy America (BABA) Act and managing extremely long lead times for items like electrical gear or PLCs. Working with design and construction partners early on in the project’s planning phase has proven to be invaluable in anticipating uncertainties with a more refined approach to value engineering, procurement and scheduling.
C. BUILD TRUST THROUGH COMMUNICATION
As a clearer picture of a project’s approach, scope and cost is developed, interaction with the public should ramp up accordingly. It is important to keep the public informed of projects that may impact the community at every step of the process so that any major concerns are addressed before decisions that affect the overall project direction are made. As the approach becomes more defined, steps to perform environmental impact assessments, preparing the basis of design or project environmental reports, obtaining permits and securing funding may bring up issues that affect public perception of the project. With water recycling and reuse projects there is also an additional layer of concern for public health, which necessitates building the community’s understanding of the treatment process, comfort with the regulatory requirements and trust in the agency’s plan to operate and monitor the facilities.
D. ENSURE EFFECTIVE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE
Finally, a major consideration for water agencies looking at implementing a reuse program must be how they will effectively operate and maintain the facility with the appropriate monitoring, optimization and compliance. As recently discussed at one of the operations focused panels at the 2024 WateReuse Annual Symposium in Denver, the key issues seem to be: availability and recruiting of skilled workers; new or not yet developed operator certification requirements for potable reuse facilities; proper training to preserve the integrity and quality of operations, maintenance and monitoring activities; and, retention of these skilled workers.
A key technical hurdle that agencies experience is how permits are being issued with respect to operator certification levels. When a new permit is issued in the case of a new or revised facility, such as during an expansion, operator certification requirements are provided or updated. OCWD expe- rienced such an update during their latest final expansion project, where they added 30 MGD of capacity. Although they were already running an IPR plant, there had been a new advanced water treatment (AWT) certification requirement issued by the California Department of Drinking Water (DDW), which oversees IPR facilities and operator requirements. In this case, OCWD was able to negotiate how many operators were required to obtain the certification and how much time they had to achieve certification, which was necessary based on the number of existing operators without the latest certification. Source: https://creative.endeavorb2b.com/ClientMarketing/Water Group/WW_July 2024_EH_Water Scarcity_Approved.pdf?oly_id=%%0.2.110%%
2. How The Largest Indian Water Rights Settlement In U.S. History Aims To Rectify Historic Wrongs
Considered the largest Indian Water Rights settlement in U.S. history, the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 2024 may right historic wrongs.
In 1922, when governments allocated Colorado River waters, tribal nations were notably excluded from the conversation. After decades of disputes, this $5 billion act would build the necessary infrastructure for tribal nations, like the Navajo, to bring water to their people.
“A water right is a piece of paper; a settlement creates a water right in which the water gets actually put to use and turns that piece of paper into wet water for the tribal members and for their businesses,” said Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources. “That is the linchpin trade-off that is made, and often the tribes take a little bit less water than they think they might have legally in return for some very expensive infrastructure.”
As it stands, nearly a third of Navajo households lack running water. This bill would fund a pipeline to divert Colorado River water to these areas in need. Additionally, until that infrastructure is built, the Navajo and Hopi tribes would be able to lease their water to non-tribal entities in Arizona.
“Now the tribes might get some revenue and put it in a fund to continue paying those operating and delivery costs in the future,” Buschatzke said.
Southern Arizona’s Republican Congressman Juan Ciscomani, who introduced the House version of this bill, is optimistic it will pass given the support it has garnered.
“You don’t see this often, where three different tribal nations are in agreement, along with the state of Arizona,” Ciscomani said. “It adds certainty. It gives us stability. It helps the tribes uphold their sovereignty and blaze a path forward for what’s coming, including the 2026 negotiations on the Colorado River water.”
Building a Nation
Over a century and a half later, the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe may have a federally designated reservation to call home if the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act passes. For 160 years, the tribe has shared its territory with the Navajo Nation after U.S. military campaigns targeted Navajo tribal members. Forced to move onto the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe’s land for asylum, the Navajo population grew so much that when the federal government designated a reservation for the Navajo Nation, it annexed San Juan Southern Paiute lands. Eventually, the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe would be the only federally recognized tribe without a designated home. The Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act aims to rectify this historical oversight.
“We’re starting from scratch,” President Robbin Preston Jr. said. “We have absolutely nothing. Even today, our reservation is not completed. This settlement will ratify the treaty between the Navajo and San Juan tribes.”
The San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, despite residing east of the Grand Canyon between the San Juan and Colorado Rivers for centuries, was not federally recognized by the United States until December 11, 1989. This recognition allowed the tribe to claim lands shared with the Hopi and Navajo nations. After numerous legal disputes, the two tribes agreed that two parcels of land would be designated for the new San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe Reservation in exchange for dismissing their lawsuit.
That treaty, signed on March 18, 2000, has yet to be ratified by Congress. Despite that, the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe has continued to remain in its traditional homelands.
“We have tribal members who had to move out of state, either to California, Utah… and that has a lot to do with not having the opportunities that so many people have, like housing, education, health services, and employment,” Preston said. “With this settlement and the establishment of our reservation, it gives them the opportunity to say, ‘Maybe I do want to go home. Maybe I want to bring what I’ve learned outside of Indian country back for the betterment of our tribe.’”
Lack of land ownership has created significant challenges for the tribe, including barriers to basic needs like water and electricity. “It’s always, ‘You are within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation. You do not have that federal recognition of your land yet, so we cannot work out an agreement with you. It has to include the Navajo Nation,’” Preston explained. “When this hopefully gets done by the end of this year, it will allow us to govern ourselves and determine our own future.”
The Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act would change all this, providing the San Juan Southern Paiute community with a homeland and access to water. Source:NPR
3. Preparing Your Home And Landscape For The Monsoons. Assuming the monsoons will show itself this year, be prepared: Prepare Your Home and Landscape
Before a monsoon hits, be sure to prepare your home and landscape. Lower the shade umbrellas, make sure other objects in your yard are well secured – you know the drill… batten down the hatches.
Regarding your landscape, let’s be realistic. we’ve seen trees and other plants heavily damaged or even snapped off at the ground from microbursts and strong winds. There’s nothing that can be done if they are hit with so much force. However, as they say, the best defense is a good offense. Keep your plants and trees healthy and follow these guidelines:
- Water deeply but infrequently to establish a strong root system.
- Don’t over-fertilize or overwater as it can cause excessive top growth.
- Leave lower branches on trees and shrubs so the wind blows OVER them … not under their canopy. In other words, don’t prune your trees to look like umbrellas.
- Thinning of trees is often recommended by well-meaning professionals. However, it is stressful for your trees and is often overdone. Trees respond with a new flush of growth that may be weakly attached, requires the use of more water, and causes more wind resistance.
Turn off your controller or irrigation timer if you get ½” of rain or more and skip one irrigation cycle. If you don’t have a ‘smart’ controller with a rain sensor, you can use the ‘off’ ‘stop’ or ‘rain’ setting on the controller to stop the watering cycle without disturbing your programs. It will help you save water and money on your water bill.
Keep an eye on your landscape to determine when you need to turn the controller back on. You can skip at least one, maybe two (if you get more than a half inch of rain), irrigation cycles. For example, if you water your shrubs every 14 days, turn it back on after 14-20 days or more.
Take advantage of free water with rainwater harvesting!
One inch of rain off a rooftop of a 1,500 square foot home can collect about 900 gallons of water! Add 3,000 square feet of landscape (a typical front and back yard) and you can collect another 1,800 gallons. That’s why it pays to look into rainwater harvesting techniques to keep this beneficial resource on your property.
4. Dark Oxygen. Oxygen is being released at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, a new study revealed yesterday. The discovery has baffled scientists, challenging the long-held belief that only living things can produce oxygen through photosynthesis.
In 2013, researchers were studying the seafloor between Hawaii and Mexico, 2.5 miles below the surface. Upon sequestering a seafloor sample, researchers discovered oxygen concentrations were increasing without access to sunlight. The findings—repeated in later expeditions—have yet to be fully explained. A leading hypothesis posits rocks containing valuable metals like nickel and cobalt are splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen through seawater electrolysis. Elevated voltage in the samples (approaching that of an AA battery) supports the theory, though researchers have not identified a hydrogen byproduct.
The discovery challenges the theory that life originated through ancient microbes conducting photosynthesis. It also raises concerns deep-sea mining (see more, w/video) could disturb ecosystems relying on these rocks for oxygen. Source: 1440
5. Models to Predict the Removal of Emerging Micropollutants from Water by Novel Adsorbents in Fixed-Bed Column Processes The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through the Innovative Water Technology Grant Program, is seeking applications for research to develop, test and deploy predictive models for novel adsorbents and estimate the effectiveness of these adsorbents to remove emerging micropollutants in drinking water and wastewater treatment operations.
Water treatment and distribution systems face challenges in removing contaminants for clean and safe drinking water. The development of “next-generation” adsorbents shows considerable promise for more efficient and effective removal of micropollutants, but limited information is available on their reliability and treatment performance.
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