ALEXANDRIA, Va. (March 9, 2015) – The WateReuse Association and Research Foundation announced a plan to merge the leadership of their organizations to more aggressively address the challenges that local communities face in meeting growing demands for water supplies in the context of drought, climate change, aging infrastructure, environmental degradation, and an increasingly complex web of federal, state and local regulations.
“While the Research Foundation and Association will remain two separate organizations, our united leadership will have one vision and one voice,” said Foundation Board Chair Doug Owen, an executive vice president with the global consulting firm ARCADIS.
At their February 2015 meeting, the leadership of the two organizations adopted a board merger plan that will serve as the catalyst for a stronger alliance. The plan calls for a core group of directors to simultaneously serve on each board, thus facilitating maximum strategic collaboration. WateReuse has sharpened its focus in the three core areas of research, education and advocacy to advance a shared vision of a world in which “the right water is used for the right purpose, all the time, everywhere.”
“The world is changing and WateReuse must change too. We are renewing our commitment and redoubling our efforts as pioneers and trailblazers,” said Association President Robert Johnson, a principal in McManus and Johnson Engineers.
Known collectively as WateReuse, the two organizations have been international catalysts for alternative water supply development and a source for applied research, education and advocacy on water reuse for nearly three decades. While WateReuse’s efforts to foster scientific advances, technological innovations, and public awareness and acceptance are successfully turning water reuse into a mainstream method for ensuring a safe, reliable and sustainable supply of water, the leadership has identified a need for the two organizations to more deeply integrate activities to leverage resources and maximize strengths.
The Research Foundation will continue to conduct research to improve the treatment, distribution and acceptance of water reuse. The Association will continue to strategically advocate for laws, policies, and funding that promote and increase water reuse. Together, both organizations will work to educate policymakers and the public on the science, economic value, and environmental benefits of treating water to safely use it for designated purposes, such as irrigation, manufacturing, and drinking water.
As part of the transformation, WateReuse has developed and adopted a new brand that better represents the singular vision of the organizations. The two organizations now share a single logo, which connects three drops of water into a circle to represent the continuous cycle of water. The water drops are the color of reuse, with a subtle gradation in hues to reflect the spectrum of purification available in water treatment. Finally, the three water drops represent the three, interconnected keystones of WateReuse–research, education and advocacy.
“This is an exciting time for WateReuse. We have more closely aligned our Association and Foundation and we are forming new partnerships to build a strong case for water reuse and increase the awareness of policy makers and the general public,” said WateReuse Executive Director Melissa L. Meeker.
The WateReuse Research Foundation is a not-for-profit charitable organization that conducts research to improve the treatment, distribution and acceptance of water reuse. The WateReuse Association is a not-for-profit association of utilities, government agencies and industry that advocates for laws, policies and funding to promote water reuse.