NWRI is leading an important initiative, CalVal, which will develop uniform guidance documents to support California water utilities that are seeking permits for new potable reuse projects.
CalVal is a collaborative effort, led by NWRI, in an ongoing effort to develop guidance for practical implementation of potable reuse, including DPR, in the state of California.
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California’s journey toward diversifying, expanding, and maintaining healthy drinking water supplies reached a new milestone with the recent adoption of direct potable reuse (DPR) regulations. Decades of research led to this important milestone, which enables water utilities to implement potable reuse projects throughout the state.
The guidance CalVal is developing is critical to permitting all forms of potable reuse in California in a consistent and clear manner that protects public health.
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​The CalVal project is funded by utilities and consultants along with the Water Research Foundation.
For water utilities, the guidance will provide consistency in establishing critical controls, alarms, communications, and maintenance standards that are required for safe operations and regulatory compliance. ​The guidance relies on current water treatment best practices, emerging design principles, and California-specific research to engage the water reuse community.
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To support new potable reuse projects, a consistent approach is needed that: a. maintains public health at all times, b. provides regulatory, engineering, and utility confidence in treatment facility performance, and c. accelerates the regulatory review process and eliminates duplicative regulatory burdens. ​
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CalVal is that approach.​
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