AMWA joined with seven other water, wastewater, and public works organizations this month in urging the Bureau of Reclamation to use a portion of newly received drought response funds to invest in water reuse activities.
The letter came in reaction to the fiscal year 2016 omnibus appropriations legislation that became law in December, and which provided the Bureau with an additional $100 million to address the ongoing Western drought. The letter from AMWA and the other organizations asked the Bureau “to utilize a portion [of these funds] in support of water reuse research and infrastructure.”
The letter went on to cite studies on the cost-effectiveness of water reuse projects and reported that “92 agencies in 14 states across the county are developing recycled water projects that will provide over 900,000 acre-feed of additional water supply.” The groups also said investment in water reuse “will have a direct, immediate, and large impact on extending limited water supplies during current drought conditions.”
The Bureau of Reclamation is required to announce by early February how it plans to distribute the additional drought response funds.