News Briefs: Wastewater Beer Gets a Boost in Arizona

In this week's water and wastewater news, a coalition of water companies is awarded $250,000 to promote wastewater beer; controversy surrounds a New Jersey plan to sell water to New York residents; engineers create a process to turn brewery wastewater into batteries; D.C. lawmakers propose a ban on flushable wipes; and water groups are lobbying Congress to invest in infrastructure.
News Briefs: Wastewater Beer Gets a Boost in Arizona

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The Southwest Water Campus — a coalition of water companies and utilities — is being awarded a $250,000 grant to promote beer made from reclaimed wastewater.
The group includes Tucson Water, the town of Marana, the University of Arizona, Carollo Engineers, CH2M, Clean Water Services and Water Reuse. The group’s proposal was made in an effort to eliminate the stigma around drinking reclaimed wastewater.

They plan to use the funding to haul water-treatment gear around Arizona next summer, stopping at municipal plants to treat water. Some of that water will be delivered to craft breweries that will make special brews for a competition.

Source: Arizona Daily Star

New York Looking to Buy Jersey's Water

There’s controversy surrounding a Suez Water proposal to buy up to 5 million gallons of water daily for Rockland County, New York residents from the largest reservoir in New Jersey — the Wanaque Reservoir.

The North Jersey District Water Supply Commission is apparently open to the idea, but some have condemned the plan as too risky for northern New Jersey residents during drought times.

“New Jersey is going to need every drop it has,” says Julia Somers to NorthJersey.com. She’s the executive director of the New Jersey Highlands Coalition. “It would be reckless selling it to anyone else.”

Source: NorthJersey.com

New Process Could Turn Brewery Wastewater Into Batteries

Engineers from the University of Colorado-Boulder recently originated a bio-manufacturing process that uses an organism from brewery wastewater to create the materials needed to produce batteries.

The idea could help lower wastewater treatment costs for brewers and provide manufacturers with an economical way to build renewable fuel cell technology.

“Breweries use about seven barrels of water for every barrel of beer produced,” CU-Boulder grad student Tyler Huggins told Science Daily. Huggins is the lead author of the study. “And they can’t just dump it into the sewer because it requires extra filtration.”

Source: Science Daily

D.C. Considers Ban on Flushables

City lawmakers in Washington, D.C. are considering a proposal to ban flushable wipes, much like a councilmember recently proposed in New York City.

The bill would outlaw labeling nonwoven disposable products as flushable, sewer-safe or septic-safe unless the assertion has been proven by scientific evidence.

Those supporting the proposal say flushable wipes aren’t safe to send into sewers, but lobbyists in the hygienic wipe industry argue otherwise.

Source: The Washington Times

Twelve Water Organizations Seek Water Infrastructure Improvements

The American Public Works Association (APWA) and other water groups are urging Congress to include water infrastructure provisions as part of a final Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) bill this year.

The 12 water organizations support a bipartisan compromise of the WRDA bill with measures to invest in the nation’s water infrastructure and help communities meet safe and clean water obligations.

The Senate’s WRDA package includes reforms and investments to help ensure clean and safe water is being provided throughout the country. Specifically, Title VII includes reforms to the Clean Water Act to address ratepayer affordability challenges, a provision to enable communities to consider more innovative approaches in addressing clean water needs, and increased authorizations for investments to support clean and safe water infrastructure.

Source: American Public Works Association



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