Water Online

September 2015

Water Online the Magazine gives Water & Wastewater Engineers and end-users a venue to find project solutions and source valuable product information. We aim to educate the engineering and operations community on important issues and trends.

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"What used to be our 100-year storm seems to be happening all too frequently. When you have two or three '100-year' storms in five years, what you're realizing is that the data we're using is not updated," McCormick stated. "Whether it's much less or much more precipitation, we're experiencing more intense weather patterns." Water Reuse: If you speak with anyone from WEF, you won't hear the term "wastewater treatment plant," but you will hear "water resource recovery facility." The shift in wording is a conscious effort to create cultural change — to expunge preconceived notions about the old WWTP and reset the way utilities, policymakers, and the public perceive these facilities, as WRRFs. It's about creating energy from wastewater, saving and repurposing nutrients, and recycling water to bolster dwindling supply. The trend toward municipal water reuse is well underway but is nascent relative to its potential. To help advance adoption, WEF's next "roadmap" will cover water reuse, according to McCormick. No utility gets there alone, however. There are stepping stones to reach these points of sustainability. Collaboration And Innovation McCormick called collaboration a core value for WEF, asserting that "Competition doesn't work effectively in the water sector. … What our members want is for the various water associations to come together in a unified way, not overlapping in their activities but each working to its strengths." While 98 percent of WEF members are located in North America, McCormick stressed the need to look overseas for collaboration and innovation. Speaking on WEF's newfound (or at least newly formalized) global policy, he stated the need to "bring the best the world has to offer — the most innovative, cutting-edge, cost-effective ideas — back to our members." But the U.S. has systemic roadblocks in place. McCormick cited the conservatism ingrained in the North American water sector, acknowledging that "Oftentimes it's in our specifications." "As a requirement to bid on a job, you have to have at least x — three or five operating facilities — that have been in operation in North America for the past y years," he related. "That's a problem. When Europe has three operating facilities and there's only one in North America, that should not be precluding you from becoming an innovation leader." Nothing a collective tidal wave of energy can't overcome. Optimism still rules this day. "I don't think we've had a renaissance like this one, a true sea-change in the industry, since the early '70s — since the EPA was formed and the Clean Water Act was created. If you talk to your average water sector professional, they're aware that things are changing in a big way," said McCormick. In this new era, he reminds us: "There really is no waste. There are only wasted resources." n wateronline.com n Water Innovations EDITOR'SLETTER I don't think we've had a renaissance like this one, a true sea-change in the industry, since the early '70s — since the EPA was formed and the Clean Water Act was created. Ed McCormick, president, Water Environment Federation (WEF) 8

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