DENVER, CO, April 8, 2015 -- The Water Research Foundation (WRF), a sponsor of research supporting the water community, has launched two new potable reuse (PR) research projects focused on supporting PR blending operations and demonstrating the safety of PR to protect health. The projects, which officially kicked off at a January 2015 workshop hosted at the Santa Clara Valley Water District's Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center, are the latest in a series of water reuse projects sponsored by WRF since the late 1990s.
"Research projects like these are essential to inform regulators on how to move from indirect potable reuse to potable reuse to ensure that the safety and reliability of these systems can be achieved," said Jim Fiedler, Santa Clara Valley Water District COO. "Santa Clara County will continue to grow, and we'll secure the additional water supply needed to support that growth through conservation and water recycling, including indirect and direct potable reuse. The more information and resources these types of projects provide, the better informed utilities can be to meet their community's needs head on."
The following describes the two new direct PR project overviews:
"Blending Requirements for Water from Direct PR Treatment Facilities"
WRF Project #4536 is being led by Andrew Salveson from Carollo Engineers. PR could potentially be implemented in a variety of different ways, and one of the remaining research questions is where the best location is for this highly treated water to be blended with other supplies. Water produced from a PR facility could potentially be blended directly into the potable water distribution system, added upstream of a water treatment plant, or added directly within a treatment plant between various processes.
More information is needed about the impact of blending-to-treatment operations and water quality issues in the distribution system. With an estimated completion date of late 2016, this project will develop recommendations and guidance for the appropriate use of blending as part of a direct PR project. The blending assessment will include evaluations of treatment, impact of different water qualities and blending locations, summary of corrosion issues, and the impact on engineered storage buffer design.
"Assessment of Techniques for Evaluating and Demonstrating Safety of Water from Direct PR Treatment Facilities"
(WRF Project #4508), scheduled for completion in early 2017, will create a guidance framework of methods and techniques that water utilities and regulators can use to demonstrate the safety of PR water. Led by Channah Rock from the University of Arizona, this project will help facilitate a proactive PR monitoring process that is protective of public health.
"These projects are imperative to helping utilities generate a reliable source of clean water from potable reuse when other water supplies alone aren't sufficient or sustainable," said Rob Renner, WRF executive director. "The Water Research Foundation is firmly committed to working with the water community to ensure that water provided through potable reuse will be as safe as water from any other source."
See also:
"Request for proposals now available for 11 new WRF research projects"
"WRF commits $4.37M in funding for innovative research efforts in 2015"
About the Water Research Foundation
The Water Research Foundation is an internationally recognized leader in sponsoring research that supports the water community in holistically and cooperatively managing water from all sources to meet social, environmental, and economic needs. WRF’s research provides reliable and relevant solutions to the most critical challenges facing the water community today and into the future. Founded in 1966, WRF is a 501(c)(3) non‐profit organization that has sponsored nearly 1,500 research projects and serves more than 1,000 subscribing organizations. For more information, visit www.WaterRF.org.
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