OCWD Expert Briefs Congress on Membrane Technology
Orange County Water District (OCWD; the District) General Manager Mike Markus recently discussed the importance of membrane technologies to provide for a sustainable water supply, highlighting the leading role OCWD has provided in water reuse advances, during a Congressional Briefing at the U.S. Department of Interior and on Capitol Hill.
The Department of Interior briefing highlighted how membrane technology can help address the nation’s water supply and quality challenges and included an overview of the function and application of membranes, and discussion of how utilities are addressing contaminants of emerging concern. The event was co-hosted by the WateReuse Association, the American Membrane Technology Association and the Water Environment Federation.
Presenting with OCWD were the cities of El Paso, Texas; Jupiter, Fla.; and Tampa Bay Water, Fla. Additionally, manufacturers of membrane technologies that included Dow Water & Process Solutions, Evoqua Water Technologies and GE Water and Process Technologies, provided technical overviews on the evolution of the membrane. The presentations were made before representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, United States Geological Survey, United States Environmental Protection Agency, United States Department of Education, Congressional Research Service, and National Academy of Sciences.
The second event of the day was a briefing on Capitol Hill where participants discussed their successes and challenges with members of Congress and their staff. The conversation centered on membrane technology initiatives, benefits of this technology and the role the federal government can play in addressing the nation’s water reliability and quality challenges.
The briefings were generated to elevate the importance of water reuse and recycling with policymakers in Washington, DC.