WateReuse Association applauds awards for water reuse projects

Alexandria, Va. — The WateReuse Association applauded Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman’s announcement that Reclamation is awarding $35.3 million to six authorized Title XVI water reclamation and reuse projects in California. Five of the six utilities receiving funding are WateReuse members that will use the funding to diversify the water supply and increase resiliency during water shortages.

“WateReuse members are leading the way in innovation in water recycling,” said WateReuse Association Executive Director Patricia Sinicropi. “Title XVI is the only federal program that provides funding specifically for water reuse projects in the western states and has become an essential tool in helping our member utilities develop the infrastructure needed to sustain a safe, reliable, and locally controlled water supply.”

Congress authorizes Title XVI Authorized Projects and Reclamation selects them to receive funding for planning, design and/or construction activities through a competitive process. The six projects selected for funding are:

• City of Escondido, Membrane Filtration Reverse Osmosis Facility Project, $5,000,000
• City of San Diego, Pure Water San Diego Program, $9,000,000
• City of San Jose, South Bay Water Recycling Phase 1B Infrastructure Improvements, $2,545,471
• Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, Horsethief Canyon Wastewater Reclamation Facility Expansion and Upgrade Project, $2,693,455
• Hi-Desert Water District, Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation Project, $8,668,500
• Padre Dam Municipal Water District, East County Advanced Water Purification Program. $7,392,351

The Bureau of Reclamation, which operates within the U.S. Department of Interior, provides funding through the Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Program for projects that reuse municipal, industrial, domestic or agricultural wastewater and impaired ground or surface waters. Recycled water is used for a variety of purposes, such as drinking, environmental restoration, fish and wildlife, groundwater recharge, municipal, domestic, industrial, agricultural, power generation or recreation. Since 1992, Congress has appropriated approximately $672 million in federal funding which has been leveraged with non-federal funding to implement more than $3.3 billion in water reuse improvements — a nearly 5:1 leverage ratio.