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Water Sector Supports Development of National Water Reuse Action Plan
The WateReuse Association held an expert convening with its partner organizations in Los Angeles in April 2019 to develop ideas for the WRAP.
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32 | MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER
34th Annual WateReuse Symposium, hosted by the WateReuse Association in San Diego on September 8–11, 2019. In this interview, WateReuse Association Executive Director Patricia Sinicropi speaks with Municipal Water Leader Managing Editor Joshua Dill about the importance of the WRAP, how the water sector collaborated to develop recommendations, and why interest in water recycling is skyrocketing nationally. Joshua Dill: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position. Patricia Sinicropi: I have been an advocate for water-related policy issues in Washington, DC, for more than two decades. Prior to joining the WateReuse Association, I served as senior legislative director for the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), overseeing and directing NACWA’s legislative advocacy program, including policy analysis and advocacy on federal water policy related to infrastructure funding and financing, climate and energy, integrated planning, ratepayer affordability, and agriculture. I
PHOTO COURTESY OF WATEREUSE ASSOCIATION.
he U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on February 27, 2019, that it would facilitate the development of a national Water Reuse Action Plan (WRAP) to serve as a catalyst to enhance the consideration of water reuse as a tool in integrated water resources management nationally. EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Dave Ross made the announcement during a water reuse summit hosted by Suez and framed the plan as a collaborative effort between the water sector and federal agencies. The WateReuse Association, a trade association of utilities and businesses involved with water recycling, immediately began the process of developing recommendations for the WRAP. WateReuse engaged its membership and facilitated a multimonth collaborative process to develop water sector recommendations jointly with the American Water Works Association, the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, the Water Environment Federation, and the Water Research Foundation. WateReuse submitted a report to the EPA on July 1 detailing the water sector recommendations during the public comment period. The EPA released a draft WRAP for public comment and review at the
