AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION 2016 ANNUAL CONFERENCE

NOVEMBER 13 – 17, 2016

FEASIBLE?

RECLAIMED WATER & CONSUMPTIVE USE PERMITTING

A SUPPLIER PERSPECTIVE

• BRIAN L WHEELER, P.E., EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

• TOHO WATER AUTHORITY

RECLAIMED WATER THE UTILITY PERSPECTIVE

• RECLAIMED WATER – ASSET? LIABILITY? OR BOTH

• LOCATION – LOCATION – LOCATION

• UTILITY LOCATION – WATER RESOURCE LIMITED AREA VS ADEQUATE WATER RESOURCES

• LIMITED RESOURCE – RECLAIMED WATER = ASSET/RESOURCE

• ADEQUATE RESOURCE – RECLAIMED WATER = WASTEWATER EFFLUENT = LIABILITY

• AS ASSET/RESOURCE RECLAIMED WATER = DISPOSAL LIABILITY TOO

• PRESENTATION = RECLAIMED WATER UTILITY IN A WATER RESOURCE LIMITED AREA

RECLAIMED WATER AS A UTILITY ASSET/RESOURCE

• BASIC PRINCIPLES OF UTILITY STRATEGY FOR RECLAIMED WATER

• FLORIDA - RECLAIMED WATER IS THE UTILITY’S ASSET/RESOURCE

• BEST VALUE IN MEETING UTILITY’S WATER RESOURCE NEEDS

• KEY COMPONENTS OF VALUE:

• COST/BENEFIT OF APPLICATION • PERMITABILITY • PUBLIC/CUSTOMER ACCEPTANCE

RECLAIMED WATER – BASIC SOURCE FACTS

• QUANTITY/FLOW FROM WATER RECLAMATION FACILITY IS

• CONTINUOUS 24HRS/DAY – 7DAYS/WEEK – 365DAYS/YEAR

• FLOW VARIES DIURNALLY, WITH PEAKS AND VALLEYS IN RATE OF FLOW OVER THE DAY

• TOTAL DAILY FLOW TYPICALLY MAY VARY WITHIN A NARROW RANGE OF +/- 15-20%

• RECLAIMED WATER QUALITY

• LOW TURBIDITY - AESTHETICALLY HAS APPEARANCE OF REGULAR WATER

• CONTAINS LOW LEVELS OF NUTRIENTS, NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS

• HIGH LEVEL DISINFECTION

ALTERNATIVE USES FOR RECLAIMED WATER AS A

UTILITY RESOURCE

• OFFSET USE OF POTABLE WATER RESOURCES • IRRIGATION • COOLING • AS POTABLE SOURCE • OTHER USES

• AQUIFER RECHARGE – POTABLE SOURCE

• ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION

• SALTWATER INTRUSION BARRIER

• SURFACE WATER AUGMENTATION

• DIRECT & INDIRECT POTABLE USE

CURRENT RECLAIMED WATER USE IN FLORIDA

Public Access Landscape Irrigation

55%

Agricultural Irrigation

10%

Groundwater Recharge

14%

Industrial Reuse16%

Wetlands & Other

5%

ALTERNATIVE RECLAIMED WATER USES AND COSTS ARE SITUATION

SPECIFIC

• FEASIBILITY OF RECLAIMED WATER USES CAN VARY FOR EACH UTILITY.

• FEASIBILITY IS AFFECTED BY:

• PROXIMITY OF RECLAIMED WATER SOURCE TO THE USE SITE

• AMOUNT OF BENEFIT (I.E. POTABLE OFFSET, RECHARGE, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OFFSET, ETC.)

• SEASONALITY &/OR VARIABILITY IN DEMAND VS SUPPLY

• WATER QUALITY NEEDED FOR USE

• REGULATORY CONSTRAINTS

• STATEWIDE

• LOCAL

RECLAIMED WATER LANDSCAPE IRRIGATION AS OFFSET TO POTABLE DEMAND

HYPOTHETICAL SIMPLISTIC EXAMPLE OF BENEFIT

• UTILITY 20 YEAR FUTURE WATER DEMAND = 20MGD, 10MGD POTABLE & 10 MGD IRRIGATION

• 80% OF POTABLE WATER USE PRODUCES 8MGD WASTEWATER/RECLAIMED WATER

• 1 GALLON RECLAIMED WATER IRRIGATION OFFSETS 0.75 GALLONS OF POTABLE IRRIGATION

• THEREFORE, RECLAIMED WATER IRRIGATION OFFSETS POTABLE DEMAND BY 6MGD

• UTILITY 20 YEAR FUTURE WATER DEMAND = 14MGD WITH RECLAIMED WATER IRRIGATION

RECLAIMED WATER: ALTERNATIVE TO POTABLE SOURCES FOR IRRIGATION

• LANDSCAPE IRRIGATION MOST COMMON USE OF RECLAIMED WATER IN FLORIDA • RESIDENTIAL LANDSCAPE • GOLF COURSES • PARKS • DEVELOPMENT COMMON AREAS • ROAD LANDSCAPE MEDIANS

• FACTORS AFFECTING FEASIBILITY: • LOCATION OF RECLAIMED SOURCE RELATIVE TO CUSTOMERS • APPLICATION TO NEW DEVELOPMENT VS RETROFIT TO EXISTING • MANDATED USE VS VOLUNTARY USE – POTENTIAL STRANDED ASSET

FACTORS WHICH WILL INCREASE UTILIZATION OF RECLAIMED WATER RESOURCE FOR

IRRIGATION POTABLE OFFSET

• IRRIGATION BENEFIT OFFSET LIMITED TO 50% OF AVAILABLE RECLAIMED WATER SUPPLY WITHOUT:

• STORAGE CAPACITY TO • MITIGATE/ELIMINATE VARIABILITY IN DAILY RECLAIMED WATER PRODUCTION

• MITIGATE SEASONAL DEMANDS, DRY VS WET WEATHER & HOT VS COOLER WEATHER • SHORT TERM 30 DAYS OR LESS

• LONG TERM 30 DAYS TO SEVERAL MONTHS

• ABILITY TO SUPPLEMENT RECLAIMED WATER SUPPLY • MITIGATE SEASONAL DEMANDS AS ABOVE

• SOURCES – GROUNDWATER, SURFACE WATER, STORMWATER

End User Type, New Development vs. Retrofit, and Consumption Factors

$7 $12

$25

$18

$49

$-

$10

$20

$30

$40

$50

$60

Bulk/Golf Course High Demand Residential(12,000 gal/mo)

Low Demand Residential(3,000 gal/mo)

Capi

tal $

/gal

/day

Del

iver

ed

New Development Retrofit

End User Type, New Development vs. Retrofit, and Consumption Factors

$7 $12

$25

$18

$49

$-

$10

$20

$30

$40

$50

$60

Bulk/Golf Course High Demand Residential(12,000 gal/mo)

Low Demand Residential(3,000 gal/mo)

Capi

tal $

/gal

/day

Del

iver

ed

New Development Retrofit

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

140%

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

SUPPLY AND DEMAND VARIATIONS

Reclaimed Water Supplies

Limited Customer Base to match existing supplies

Seasonal Excess Water

Seasonal Excess Water

Supp

ly/D

eman

d

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

140%

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Supp

ly/D

eman

d

SUPPLY AND DEMAND VARIATIONS

Expanded Customer Base results in increased overall reclaimed water use

Limited Customer Base to match existing supplies

Reclaimed Water Supplies

Seasonal Excess Water

Seasonal Excess Water

Monthly demands greater than available supplies must be met using storage or supplemental water.

STORAGE ALTERNATIVES:

STORAGE TANKS RESERVOIRS AQUIFER STORAGE RECOVERY WELLS

COMPARISON OF STORAGE COSTS OPTIONS

Stor

age

Cost

($/m

g)

$-

$100,000

$200,000

$300,000

$400,000

$500,000

$600,000

Storage Tanks Lined Reservoirs (includes estimated

land costs)

Full Scale ASR

AQUIFER RECHARGE BY RECLAIMED WATER • INFILTRATION BASINS IN AQUIFER RECHARGE ZONES

• CREDIT FOR RECHARGE BY REGULATORY AGENCIES UP TO 0.9 – 1.0 GALLONS PER GALLON OF RECHARGE

• EXAMPLE

• RECHARGE OF 1.0MGD OF RECLAIMED WATER TO AQUIFER

• WITHDRAW 0.9MGD OF GROUNDWATER FROM AQUIFER

• LOCATIONS AVAILABLE FOR AQUIFER RECHARGE LIMITED

AQUIFER RECHARGE IS DEPENDENT ON GEOLOGY

Environmental Restoration = Impact Offsets

• The term “impact offset” means the use of reclaimed water to reduce or eliminate a harmful impact that has occurred or would otherwise occur as a result of other surface water or groundwater withdrawals. S. 373.250(5)(a)1.

Reclaimed Water Impact Offset - Example

Utility proposes groundwater withdrawal

Will cause saltwater intrusion

Recharge with reclaimed water to create a saltwater barrier

Withdrawal permitted conditioned on recharge with reclaimed water to prevent harmful saltwater intrusion

IMPACT AVOIDED

DIRECT & INDIRECT POTABLE REUSE

• DIRECT AND INDIRECT POTABLE REUSE CAN BE COST EFFECTIVE

• SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION IN CALIFORNIA & TEXAS

• CAN BE COST EFFECTIVE COMPARED TO DESALINATION

• PILOT STUDIES IN FLORIDA BUT NO FULL PROJECTS TO DATE

• FURTHER DEVELOPMENT NEEDED IN FLORIDA

• FACTORS AFFECTING COST AND FEASIBILITY

• PUBLIC EDUCATION AND ACCEPTANCE

• REGULATIONS INCLUDING REQUIRED TREATMENT

• LEVEL OF TREATMENT

• CONCENTRATE DISPOSAL

RECLAIMED WATER COSTS SUBSIDIZED BY WATER/WASTEWATER UTILITY RATEPAYERS

• COST OF SERVICE EXCEEDS REVENUE FROM RECLAIMED WATER SERVICE

• WATER &/OR WASTEWATER RATES SUBSIDIZE COSTS

• RECLAIMED WATER RATE DESIGN SHOULD ACCOMPLISH COLLECTIVELY:

• MAXIMIZE COST RECOVERY

• PROMOTE EFFICIENT USE

• AVOID PROVIDING AN INCENTIVE FOR USER TO DISCONNECT OR AVOID SERVICE

• USERS CAN HAVE POTENTIAL TO SELECT ANOTHER SOURCE FOR NON-POTABLE USE

SUMMARY UTILITY PERSPECTIVE ON

RECLAIMED WATER CONSIDERATIONS • RECLAIMED WATER IS A UTILITY WATER RESOURCES ASSET

• RECLAIMED WATER IS A UTILITY EFFLUENT DISPOSAL LIABILITY

• APPLICATION OF RECLAIMED WATER ASSET BY UTILITY IS SITUATIONAL SPECIFIC

• FACTORS MOST INFLUENTIAL TO SITUATION ARE: • UTILITY’S WATER RESOURCE SITUATION – SHORTAGE VS NO SHORTAGE

• LOCATION – LOCATION – LOCATION

• COST/BENEFIT OF APPLICATION

• PUBLIC EDUCATION – PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE

QUESTIONS?