Conference Agenda

The body of research, public concern, and general media coverage relating to contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) is growing rapidly throughout the United States. This session will describe general trends in current research related to CEC occurrence and composition that is most relevant to water and wastewater professionals. Commonly detected CECs in regional water will be described including wastewater, reuse water and stormwater. Using published academic studies and regional studies and sampling, attendees will learn about CECs that might be of most concern to common regional uses of reuse water. Attendees will come away with a greater understanding of CECs, their presence in wastewater, stormwater and natural waters, the pathways CECs enter the environment, and risks and concerns associated with CECs in the environment.

The RWP seeks to address multiple drivers impacting Boise’s local water supply and resilience including regional growth and capacity needs, climate change, water scarcity, equity and affordability, regulatory compliance, and city-wide sustainability goals. As the RWP addresses these challenges and opportunities, it will demonstrate long-term stewardship over its water resources and build resilience in the face of uncertain futures. Over the next several decades, the RWP will advance the construction of new recycled water facilities, the development of new partnerships, and the adoption of new policies that will work toward the following common program outcomes:

• Increase the WRS system capacity by managing flows and loads through new recycled water facilities.
• Increase the resilience to climate change and water scarcity by diversifying water supply through the production of recycled water.
• Demonstrate regulatory stewardship by anticipating future regulatory needs.

The City of Boise AWT started operation in the Spring of 2023 and will operate for the next 18 months. The pilot is designed to pilot provide information in six key areas including:

1. Transparency in water quality data.
2. Development of financial data.
3. Increased stakeholder confidence.
4. Develop and train workforce.
5. Support regulatory approvals.
6. Develop data to inform design criteria.

The pilot started operation in April 2023 and will be operating for the next 12 to 18 months. The presentation will include information on the startup process, Operation, and how the pilot will help inform the six key areas.

Many utilities are considering or embarking on monitoring programs for contaminants of emerging concern to respond to community concerns about presence of these chemicals in water supplies, including recycled or reclaimed water. However, proceeding with monitoring is a daunting task. Selecting which chemicals to monitor, finding analytical labs to process samples, interpreting and communicating results are challenging tasks. This session will feature a facilitated panel discussion between professionals that have built and implemented CEC monitoring programs. Panelists will provide a brief overview of their work on CEC monitoring and share lessons learned and best practices relating to all aspects of CEC monitoring.