Water Reuse Workshop

The Water Reuse Workshop was held on Monday, May 2, at CHS Field in Saint Paul, MN. More than 120 professionals from various sectors came together for a conversation to identify barriers to reuse, and solutions to overcoming them. Freshwater Society staff are hard at work analyzing all the information shared by attendees, and are in the process of compiling policy recommendations the organization will pursue in the coming years. The recommendations will be shared through the publication of a proceedings report, due out this summer. All attendees will be notified when it is published. If you did not attend but would like to be notified as well, please email Jen Kader.

Workshop Description

There is high demand for water in Minnesota and we use drinking-quality water for many uses other than drinking. In some places, we are draining water resources faster than they are being replenished. Reusing water is a promising strategy for meeting water demands and is gaining momentum across sectors. Yet, reuse projects still face a number of hurdles and it can be difficult to get these projects permitted and built.

The Water Reuse Workshop has been designed to engage agency, industry, and nonprofit partners to identify specific policy barriers and begin to explore solutions. With national and local case studies to guide our conversation, we’ll work together to find Minnesota answers to Minnesota questions. The ideas generated at this workshop will form the basis of a water reuse policy agenda that will be pursued in the coming years.

Presentations

Keynote Presentation: Paula Kehoe, San Francisco’s Non-Potable Water Program

Anita Anderson, Minnesota Department of Health: Water Reuse in Minnesota

Bryan Bear, City of Hugo: Three R’s of Hugo’s Stormwater Management Plan

Wes Saunders-Pearce, City of Saint Paul: Unpacking the Partnership and Process for Rainwater Harvesting at CHS Field

Dave Stark, Stark Rainwater Harvesting: Project Planning and Implementation for Rainwater Harvesting Projects

Deborah Manning, Metropolitan Council: Project Planning and Implementation for Wastewater Reuse Projects

Paul Helgeson, GNP Company: The Purified Water System

 

Thank you!

stadium

The Water Reuse Workshop was co-hosted by Capitol Region Watershed District. Thank you to our full planning team:

  • Anita Anderson, Minnesota Department of Health
  • Brian Davis, Metropolitan Council
  • Anne Gelbmann, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
  • Katherine Jones, HDR
  • Jen Kader, Freshwater Society
  • Michelle Stockness, Barr Engineering
  • Nate Zwontizer, Capitol Region Watershed District

Thank you as well to our funders and sponsors:

  • Barr Engineering
  • Capitol Region Watershed District
  • Cynthia Krieg Grant, Minnehaha Creek Watershed District
  • Rainwater Management Solutions
  • Solution Blue
  • WSB

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