Projects that will create a more efficient use of water are taking place throughout the US as a result of funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) requires that 20% of State Revolving Fund allocations be used for green infrastructure projects, including water efficiency efforts. United States government agency officials do not have a solid number on just how much money has been allocated to water efficiency projects, as the funding crosses federal agency lines and funding recipients were not expected to begin reporting on efforts until late 2009. However, of the $7.22 billion of ARRA funding allocated to the EPA, the biggest chunk—$4.4 million—goes to Clean Water State Revolving Fund, while $2 billion has been earmarked for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
Both programs encompass water efficiency projects such as establishing water metering or replacing traditional meters with “smart” meters, upgrading wastewater treatment systems for water reuse programs, and repairing aging water conveyance infrastructure.
Craig Hooks, EPA’s acting assistant administrator, testified during the summer to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee of the US House of Representatives that “although meeting the 20% (green infrastructure) goal has been challenging for some states, we have been impressed with the creativity and innovations put forward.”
The US Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation received $1 billion through ARRA to repair America’s water infrastructure and help address the country’s long-term water supply challenges.
“From aging dams to outdated water systems, America’s water infrastructure needs immediate attention and investment,” says Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. “The $1 billion we are investing through the President’s economic recovery plan will put Americans to work rebuilding our water infrastructure and tackling the complex and painful water challenges we are facing. These investments will boost our economy, help farmers, businesses, and communities get the water they need to thrive and restore aquatic resources in the West.”
Of that $1 billion, $450 million is earmarked for meeting future water supply needs, including water recycling projects and rural water projects. There is $165 million earmarked for improving infrastructure reliability and safety. Some $40 million is being pumped into the Water Conservation Initiative, which focuses on water conservation, reuse, and recycling programs.
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| Sinagua and Fox-Glenn wells connection project in Flagstaff, AZ |
More than $28.3 million has been designated for major Recovery Act work in the Bureau of Reclamation’s Upper Colorado Region, which includes parts of Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Texas, Wyoming, and New Mexico.
Among the many projects:
- ARRA funds totaling $12.1 million will be made available to the Animas–La Plata Project to complete key portions of the Navajo Nation Municipal Pipeline and for use on construction of other project features in the Four Corners area.
- Funding will be used by the Bureau of Reclamation to augment an existing highly stressed water supply system for the Navajo Nation tribal residents living between Farmington and
Shiprock, NM.
- Approximately $6.2 million will fund smaller water infrastructure and related projects across the Upper Colorado Region.
Innovative Thinking in Iowa
While many states were still trying to sort out among the potential recipients of ARRA money by the end of summer 2009, others had hit the ground running to get a number of projects off of the ground. The process of funding projects on a state level and why some states have been ahead of the curve and others behind is illustrated in the experience of Iowa.
When ARRA funds were released to the state of Iowa, the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) generated a list of about 200 projects in the idea stage from municipalities.
“We thought we would have more time to develop some of those ideas into actual projects,” says Patti Kale-Finnegan, the State Revolving Fund Coordinator for Iowa’s DNR. “But as it turned out, the time crunch started, and we realized we had to identify some projects and start moving forward. In March, we sent an application out to all of the cities and organizations in the state and told them they needed to apply with real projects.”
From that effort came 120 actual applications that were sorted by several criteria. It had to meet EPA’s green project criteria: The entity had to demonstrate its impact on water savings or energy efficiency. Plus, it had to be completed by February 17, 2010, as mandated by the federal government.
“Some of that had to do with how far along they were in their planning, some of it was how much environmental review or permitting review would need to be done on the project,” says Kale-Finnegan. “We tried to sort them on those criteria, and then from that we came up with a list of proposed projects.”
Some 75% of the water efficiency projects financed through ARRA in Iowa focused on water meters.
“We have cities that have no meters at all and some that have meters, but now they’re upgrading to a higher technology where they’ve got leak detection and automatic alarms,” says Kale-Finnegan. “We’re bringing one group of cities up to a level where they’ve got a meter. And we’re bringing another set of cities up to a level where they can actually do a lot more with that technology.”
To meet the criteria, those cities that were metering previously unmetered areas did not have to prove water savings, but those that were upgrading had to show a 20% savings, she says. 
“That’s going to be fairly easy to do, because most of them are replacing old systems, so with the new systems, the level of accuracy is so good and the systems are so sophisticated,” adds Kale-Finnegan. She, in fact, anticipates seeing higher numbers than 20%.
Metering also will help in generating much needed revenue for municipalities, she says. “For those who don’t have meters at all, what are they basing their rates on? That’s really a basic control measure that they need to have in their system for full-cost pricing and understanding their water loss.”
While water quality is the biggest concern in Iowa, water availability and water supply is becoming more of a concern, Kale-Finnegan says.
“We’ve had a lot of ethanol plants go into the state, and they are huge water users,” she points out. “With that, there has been a new concern about whether we are using up our water resources? Where are they? What do we know about them?”
Iowa is currently in the midst of updating a water development plan that hasn’t been looked at for nearly two decades, says Kale-Finnegan.
“Water supply is a concern, but not because it’s a crisis,” she says. “It’s more of a planning and research area right now.”
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| Bardsley Road water line in Peoria, AZ—an ARRA-funded project |
Another project Iowa is undertaking with ARRA funding is toilet replacement in Spencer. “They are going to offer rebates on high-efficiency toilets and focus that toilet replacement on low- and moderate-income households,” she says.
The ARRA funding seemed to encourage innovative thinking, explains Kale-Finnegan.
“When we did the solicitation, we didn’t know what we would get,” she says. “It gave people an opportunity to try some things that maybe they wouldn’t have otherwise. It gave us the opportunity to fund some things that we haven’t been able to fund before.”
Funding Reuse in California
One of the biggest projects in California taking place as a result of ARRA money is to enhance recycled water programs through the Inland Empires Utilities Agency (IEUA). Some $14 million in funding from the US Bureau of Reclamation has been earmarked for the programs.
The agency encompasses a 242-square-mile service area in southwest San Bernardino County, providing regional wastewater service and imported water deliveries to eight contracting agencies: the cities of Chino, Chino Hills, Fontana, Montclair, Ontario, Upland, and the Cucamonga Valley and Monte Vista water districts. Piping, pump stations, and reservoir projects are now underway toward the goal of increased water reuse in the region.
“We’re very excited, and we’re moving forward quickly with it,” says Sondra Elrod, agency spokesperson. “All of those projects are able to get the purple pipe in the ground and get the recycled water delivered. The entire project ensures the purple pipe, which carries recycled water, gets to the ground with all of the proper pump stations and conveyance to get it to the industries, which will be able to use that high-quality recycled water for a number of uses.”
Currently, drinking water is being used for purposes that are better served using recycled water and reserving drinking water for indoor use, Elrod notes. The projects will tie into an ongoing effort in southern California to conserve water resources for a part of the country thirsty for water.
“Southern California does a great job with recycled water and water conservation; we need to,” she says. “In southern California, we’re somewhat lucky in that we receive a lot of water from our groundwater basin. We’ve been recharging it into our groundwater basin, but we’ve been in a drought for three years now, and who knows when we’re going to come out of it?
“Anytime we can, we use recycled water,” adds Elrod. “We refer to it as the ultimate in water conservation. Recycled water is something we’re creating every day. Everybody in our service area is sending their used water to our plant, and we’re recycling it.”
Elrod points out that from that waste, three reusable products are created: high-quality recycled water, renewable energy, and compost. “The important part is the money we’re receiving is going to get that recycled water up to that service area that needs it to be able to use that high-quality, non-potable water,” she says. “That is saving all of that drinking water for those residents in the area who need it for drinking.
“If you’re wasting water—if your sprinklers run too long and if the water goes down into the storm drain, that storm drain water is coming back to us to be recycled, and that’s good potable water,” she adds. “So, you’re just wasting it to go down to be put into the treatment plant, to be put back into the system.”
Elrod points out another benefit of the recycled water infrastructure program: It will be generating jobs in a state struggling with unemployment challenges.
“If you have to tear up the street, there’s a cost involved in that,” she says. “It’s going to be separate from the potable line. It’s basically construction jobs being created from this, but it’s extremely important.”
Georgia’s Comprehensive Approach
Perhaps one of the most comprehensive uses of ARRA funds for water efficiency can be found in Georgia, which is financing a number of water efficiency projects with the federal funding.
On Georgia’s water efficiency priority list:
- A $300,000 rebate program in Douglasville/Douglas County to replace water-inefficient toilets in homes constructed before 1993 with ultra-low flush toilets and high-efficiency toilets
- A $265,000 inflow/infiltration detection study on Hoschton’s wastewater system
- Sonic leak detection equipment for the Newnan Water, Sewerage and Light Commission at a cost of $10,000
- For the Paulding County Water System, $1.6 million to construct a pump station and storage tank for reuse water for residential areas
- A $50,000 water conservation fixture retrofit project in Roswell municipal buildings
- An $800,000 project for a reuse recycle gray water main in Summerville
The state also is funding a Madison County Industrial Development & Building Authority $2.2-million project that will provide for the construction of new water transmission mains to extend into unincorporated areas. Financing came through a Drinking Water State Revolving Fund $690,000 loan and a $1.6-million subsidy.
Combating Contamination in Idaho
Contaminated water is obviously unsuitable for drinking purposes, and when it’s contaminated, it’s wasted for the purpose for which it is intended. The Central Shoshone County Water District in Idaho had been facing an ongoing challenge of its 100-year-old system being compromised by rising floodwaters of the north and south forks of the Coeuer D’Alene River.
Surface water has on occasion entered the well system—which is groundwater under the direct influence of surface water—creating a public health threat with the potential for harmful bacteria to infiltrate the drinking water supply and subjecting the water district to potential fines.
Some $12 million in ARRA money—awarded through the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality—is being used to construct a new filtration system to ensure system reliability and safety.
A membrane microfiltration water treatment plant, including piping filtration and pumping upgrades, is being constructed to treat the well. Plans also call to use the backwash water from the filters and run it through a second filtration bank to produce clean water.
Katy Baker, a regional State Revolving Fund engineer for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality says $2.5 million in ARRA funds are also being used to install water meters in previously unmetered areas. She indicates that there has been high water usage in the area, which services a population of 2,500.
“With the meters going on, we’re hoping that will greatly reduce the usage,” says Baker. “They’re using 5.6 million gallons a day from time to time during summer’s peak usage. That’s pretty high.
“This project will ensure that people will have safe drinking water,” she adds. “Also, our hope is to greatly reduce the amount of water that each consumer is using through the metering programs.”
Meanwhile … In Other States
Other states also have projects underway that will create efficiencies in water use.
Water reuse is becoming an increasingly common practice in Hawaii. There, ARRA funding is providing for an upgrade of a wastewater treatment plant to an R-1 facility.
The plant, located on the island of Kauai, is currently an R-2 facility, which allows for water reuse with some restrictive exposure to the public. An R-1 facility would have fewer restrictions and enable water to be used for irrigation purposes on areas exposed to the public, says Sina Prouder, an environmental engineer with the Hawaii Department of Health.
“This will treat the water to the level of R-1 and reduce the amount of potable water that’s going to be used for irrigation,” points out Prouder.
In Indiana, the city of Auburn received $23 million for a project that will reduce the use of potable water by using treated combined sewer overflow (CSO) water to flush the CSO treatment tank, notes Jessica Ewing, communications manager for the Indiana Finance Authority. Another project that’s been funded in Indiana is a $700,000 water meter replacement for the town of Lowell. The project will entail the installation of 3,271 water meters, of which 3,200 will be five-eighths-inch by one-half-inch, 33 will be 1-inch, 16 will be 1-and-one-half-inch, and 22 will be 2-inch meters.
“Both of these communities have a current system that is old and inefficient,” notes Ewing. “The new system is expected to result in improved operational and water efficiency.”
In the arid state of Arizona, cities are using ARRA funding to replace water mains, water lines, and install automatic water meters.
“It’s been a big deal,” says Veronica Rivera, communications director for the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona. “We had more than 300 applications for financial assistance. Just the number of applicants tells you the need for infrastructure funding.”