Photo by Aaron Volkening is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Over the next decade, $11 billion in capital expenditures is expected to be spent nationwide on municipal wastewater reuse projects. Because many communities are struggling to support growing populations with limited water resources, water reuse is becoming a viable option to help stretch water supplies.
Some areas of the country have suffered devastating drought conditions, like California and Texas. California is in its fifth year of severe drought conditions and is being forced to seek alternative water sources. And, although Texas has benefited from the heavy spring rains that replenished some communities’ water resources such as lakes and reservoirs, officials know you can’t control rainfall, so they continue to explore other water sources to meet future demands.
Many communities are looking at wastewater reuse as a viable new source to increase their water supply. Market research group Bluefield recently predicted a 69 percent increase in wastewater reuse by municipal utilities through 2025, with California and Florida expected to lead the charge. In fact, officials say that more than $1.9 billion in reuse applications have been submitted to state regulatory agencies in California alone.
Currently, more than 8.3 million cubic meters per day of municipal wastewater flows are being used in this country and most of the reuse of wastewater is being used for irrigation projects (69 percent) and for industrial use (16 percent). But, nearly 250 reuse projects are currently in the planning stages, so those figures could change dramatically over the next decade.
Although the “yuk” factor is still a steep hill that government officials must climb in selling the public on potable wastewater reuse (turning wastewater into drinking quality water), Bluefield research indicates that over the next 10 years, potable reuse is expected to increase from the current 15 percent of total capacity to 19 percent.
Indirect potable reuse (IPR) plants are becoming more prevalent across the country. This process discharges wastewater to another body of water that is later treated for potable consumption. There are currently multiple IPR plants in operation in California. Orange County’s IPR water reuse dates back to the 1960s, when treated wastewater was used to irrigate farm fields. The county has since expanded to IPR projects that take highly treated wastewater and purify it to exceed state and federal drinking water standards. It is eventually returned to the drinking water system.
An alternative is direct potable reuse (DPR). This process involves piping water directly from a wastewater treatment facility to a drinking water treatment and distribution system. Some water experts even say that DPR will likely provide higher quality water than many drinking water plants. Texas is a step ahead of the rest of the nation in this area, as it is the only state in the country that currently operates DPR projects – in Big Spring and Wichita Falls. The success of these projects is being carefully watched by government officials in other states.
The interest in DPR continues to grow. In Georgia, Gwinnett County is working in collaboration with research groups and universities that include Georgia Tech and Tennessee Tech, to study direct potable water reuse. A grant is funding a project that could become a national model for communities seeking to expand their water resources without forced cutbacks on water use. The group will study the quality of water cleaned at a water treatment plant after it has been processed with water from Lake Lanier. The project gives water utilities the chance to evaluate water supply options that can decrease withdrawals from lakes or rivers to supplement water supplies.
With $11 billion in capital expenditures expected to be spent on water reuse projects over the next 10 years, annual expenditures will average $1 billion during that time. That means large-scale government contracting opportunities nationwide, and public-sector doors that are wide open to the possibility of public-private partnerships.
For assistance procuring one of these upcoming water reuse projects or information about additional upcoming opportunities, contact Strategic Partnerships, Inc.