Creative Strategies for Marketing Recycled Water

Presentation Time: 10:00 AM - 10:25 AM

Water reuse is increasingly recognized as a critical component of a reliable water supply portfolio across the Western United States and beyond. However, the economics of water reuse projects are often challenging, as high treatment costs and limited distribution networks can make them less attractive than conventional water supplies. Marketing recycled water effectively—by securing an offtaker at a price that supports project economics—is often key to the success of reuse projects.

In this session, I will discuss how recycled water fits into the broader market for water leases in the Western United States and how creative strategies—such as water right exchanges, groundwater credits, and environmental leasing arrangements—can generate higher value from reuse projects and help make them financially feasible.


See Speaker Bios

Presentation Time: 10:25 AM - 10:30 AM

An Updated Reuse Master Plan Using a Better, Quantitative TBL Valuation Tool for Reuse Projects

Presentation Time: 10:30 AM - 10:55 AM

CWS is expanding their recycled water program as part of a long-term temperature compliance strategy. However, CWS operates in an environment where there is little demand for reuse water limiting available revenues from reuse projects. Therefore, to expand reuse, a more detailed understanding of the value of a reuse project was needed. In 2025, CWS updated their Reuse Water Master Plan that identifies the reuse projects of highest value and the plan for implementation. To select the highest value projects, CWS developed a Reuse Valuation Tool that calculates the overall value of a reuse project based not only on costs and revenues, but also the savings from avoided temperature mitigation actions, the environmental and societal value, the strategic value, and other considerations. This data-driven approach aims to build support for reuse across the utility, including leadership, empowering program managers to develop a defensible capital improvement program for recycled water infrastructure.


See Speaker Bios

Presentation Time: 10:55 AM - 11:00 AM

Converting From IPR to DPR: Building the Financial Case Internally

Presentation Time: 11:00 AM - 11:25 AM

Aurora Water has been operating an Indirect Potable Reuse (IPR) facility since 2010 and is considering adding a Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) source to blend upstream of the existing IPR facility. This will likely be the first DPR facility in Colorado and internal consensus was critical to moving the project forward. Aurora Water quickly developed a DPR Task Force to control the internal messaging and started building the case for the value and benefits of DPR. The team first focused on the technical viability and robustness of the DPR treatment process. But it wasn’t until the team focused on the financials comparing DPR against the base case, no-DPR scenario that momentum started building within the utility. This presentation will summarize the financial analysis between the DPR and no-DPR scenarios and discuss best practices for building internal consensus at a utility.


See Speaker Bios

Presentation Time: 11:25 AM - 11:30 AM

Strategic Funding and Financial Considerations for Implementing HRSD’s SWIFT Program

Presentation Time: 11:30 AM - 11:55 AM

This session focuses on HRSD’s capital funding approach for implementing HRSD’s nearly $3 billion Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow (SWIFT) program. Upon completion in 2032, the program will produce nearly 50 million gallons per day (mgd) of highly treated water recharging the Potomac aquifer to address groundwater depletion, land subsidence, and seawater intrusion. The presentation will focus on HRSD’s strategic approach for rapidly ramping up annual capital spending and identifying a unique multi-pronged capital financing approach.


See Speaker Bios