The Water Reuse Community (WRC) develops, recommends, and conducts programs and initiatives to promote water reuse for both non-potable and potable water. In September 2013, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) Board of Trustees adopted the Water Reuse Policy and launched several strategic initiatives, including adopting the Water Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRF) nomenclature, supporting the Volunteer of the Future, and advancing the Water-Energy Nexus. The WRC 3-Year Strategic Plan aligns the Water Reuse Community with WEF’s mission, vision, critical objectives, guiding principles, and strategic initiatives. In 2013, the Community incorporated focus groups into its operations to better align with the Volunteer of the Future objectives. The focus groups provide members with more opportunities for leadership roles and collaboration with other communities on common objectives.
Community Activities and Tasks
- Develop policies, publications, and procedures on best practices for water reuse.
- Increase awareness of the value of water and expand WEF’s commitment to public advocacy for clean water, public health, and funding for water reuse practices and initiatives.
- Support WEF’s commitment to the circular water economy
- Leverage knowledge and advance the state of the science, regulation, funding models, operation, and maintenance to promote water reuse.
- Increase engagement of members through the focus groups, WEFUnity, and leadership opportunities.
- Address emerging issues which focus on water reuse rights, discharge of contaminants into collection systems, and constituents of emerging concern, including pharmaceuticals and personal care products.
The WRC delivers numerous products to benefit WEF and its members. These products include:
- White papers
- Workshops
- Seminars
- Webcasts/Webinars
- Articles for technical journals such as WE&T magazine
The WRC has created focus groups to delve more deeply into specific topics, leverage members’ expertise, more evenly distribute workload, and provide additional leadership opportunities to its members.Â
Current Focus Groups include:
- WEFTEC Workshops:Â works with members to prepare and deliver workshops at WEFTEC.
- Â Mississippi River Basin Focus Group (MSRBFG): focuses on issues related to water reuse in the Mississippi River Basin. Â
- Training and Education: Currently under development and will address gaps in understanding of water reuse and the circular water economy.
New focus groups will be created as needed going forward.
Leadership Team
Chair
Zynep Erdal, 2026 – 2028
Email:Â erdalz@bv.comÂ
1st Vice Chair
Germano Salazar-Benites, 2026 – 2028
Email: gsalazar@hrsd.com
2nd Vice Chair
Eva Steinle-Darling, 2026 – 2028
Email: esd@carollo.com
Past Chair
Stephen Katz, 2026 – 2028
Email:Â stephen.katz@suez.com
WEF Community Manager
Trudi Bick
Email: tbick@wef.org