Carollo Engineers Wins Two WateReuse Awards for Collaborative Potable Reuse Projects

Carollo Engineers (Carollo), along with their clients and project partners, received two prestigious awards from the WateReuse Association (WateReuse) for projects that educate the public on and advance technologies surrounding potable reuse.

Every year, the WateReuse Awards for Excellence recognize people, projects, and partnerships that advance water reuse as an integral component of water management. The 2022 awards were presented at the 37th Annual WateReuse Symposium in San Antonio, Texas, on Tuesday, March 8.

Carollo, with their clients and partners, won the following awards:

• Outreach and Education Award: PureWater Colorado Mobile Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) Demonstration – Honored for significantly fostering the public acceptance of recycled water, this project brought utilities, engineering, and academia together to design and construct a traveling advanced-water-purification trailer that treats secondary treated wastewater to federal and state drinking water standards without producing a waste stream that requires disposal. The first of its kind, this mobile unit seeks to advance community awareness and a regulatory framework for direct potable reuse in Colorado. Carollo was recognized alongside Colorado Springs Utilities and the Colorado School of Mines.

• Transformational Innovation Award: International Collaboration for Artificial Intelligence (AI)/ Machine Learning (ML) for Potable Reuse – Honored for progressing the adoption and implementation of recycled water through technological advancements and innovative practices, this research project implemented AI and ML in the Las Virgenes–Triunfo Joint Powers Authority’s potable reuse system to reduce its energy and chemical use, streamline operations and maintenance, and increase confidence in reuse water quality. Developed with partners from the U.S., Japan, and Israel, this visionary endeavor enhances the energy efficiency, digital accessibility, and operational reliability and predictability of potable reuse.  Carollo was recognized alongside Yokogawa Electric Corporation, LVMWD, the National Water Research Institute, Metropolitan Water District, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and IOSight.

Other categories of WateReuse Awards for Excellence include advocacy achievement, community water champion, excellence in action, and up and comer. President’s Awards and Service Awards were also presented at the ceremony.

“In the face of emerging challenges, such as repeated drought, global climate change, and rapid population growth, we are honored to have been a part of these projects that demonstrate the immense potential that water reuse technology can have on the future,” says Eva Steinle-Darling, Carollo’s water reuse technical practice director. “Both are part of an inspiring landscape of projects that showcase how advanced technology combined with public engagement are paving the way for potable reuse.”