C FACTOR
Reuse: Plastics Shaming? Patrick “Murf ” Murphy
President, FWPCOA
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as anyone seen the television commercial that says “Only 9 percent of plastic waste is recycled worldwide”? If you Google that, the report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development states that about 50 percent went to landfills; 22 percent was disposed of in uncontrolled dumpsites, burned in pits, or leaked into the environment; and 19 percent was incinerated. It also reports that new technologies related to decreasing the environmental footprint of plastics was only 1.2 percent of all innovation concerning the product. All that did was make me wonder if anyone pushed out an edict that gave everyone five months to come up with a plan to eliminate other disposals for plastics and go to 100 percent recycling in 10 years?
I hear you say, “Let it go, Murf.” I realize it’s not oranges to oranges, but according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) One Water Florida website, the state uses 48 percent of total domestic wastewater, making it the nation’s leader in water reuse. That’s doggone good, but it seems like only those of us in the water industry hear that news. On that same site, it points out that “more than 830 million gallons of treated water per day are disposed (my italics) into Florida’s surface water bodies or deep disposal wells. Through advanced treatment and continued conservation efforts, this unused source could supply Florida with most of its projected water needs.” Shame on us for not being more careful about how we word things. Disposed— really? Maybe that’s too critical, but having an advanced wastewater treatment facility discharging into a surface water (a stormwater conveyance canal that leads to two creeks and a river to Tampa Bay) and seeing those creeks run dry from pastureland irrigation and natural water cycle steps does not mean we “disposed” of the water. I know it’s very easy for all of us to
downplay our roles, and sometimes we think that some humor might help. I’ve probably been one of the main offenders in not carefully wording explanations or descriptions of what we are trying to do in our jobs. For example, I’m sure that the person(s) that came up with the phrase “toilet to tap” thought they had hit on a winner, but it was an easy target for haters. I have jokingly said that I’m a “turd herder,” which is not the image I should be putting in our customers’ minds. We all must change our conversations to elevate the status of our profession, starting from our distribution system operators in the field, customer relations personnel directing calls, treatment plant operators, managers, etc. It’s easy to see why so many utilities are also hiring or creating positions for innovation management. Whether we’re engineers, operators, or vendors, we can ensure that we provide clean, safe, and reliable water to our Florida customers. The technologies are out there to reuse water and relieve pressure on our water resources and ecosystems.
FWPCOA 2022 Spring State Short School As I write this article, the FWPCOA 2022 Spring State Short School, being held March 14-18, 2022, at the Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, is just one and a half weeks away, which also means that you won’t be seeing this article until April. If I make it back alive from the WateReuse Symposium in San Antonio, you will have seen me running around at the state school, looking to meet as many of you as possible and listening for your experiences during the FWPCOA Spring State Short School!
Florida Water Resources Conference
Dr. Carlyn J. Higgins (center) doing preliminary training on Harn’s ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis units at Plant City’s indirect potable reuse/direct potable reuse pilot study.
40 April 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal
The Florida Water Resource Conference (FWRC), to be held April 24-27, 2022, in Daytona Beach at the Ocean Center and Hilton, is just weeks away. This is my Disney World/Epcot Center, minus the rides. It provides the most amazing offerings of technical programs, exhibits, awards luncheons, meetings, contests, competitions, networking, and other events. There is something for everyone in the water and wastewater industry to enjoy, and you get
