The WateReuse Association will celebrate 25 years of helping communities solve critical water supply issues during the 25th Annual WateReuse Symposium, being held Sept. 12-15 in Washington, D.C.

Presented by the WateReuse Association, and cosponsored by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF), the Annual WateReuse Symposium is devoted to sustaining water supplies through water reuse and desalination.

The four-day event will begin with two pre-conference workshops. The first workshop, titled “Reuse 101,” will outline a step-by-step approach for planning a successful project. The authors of the acclaimed WateReuse Association book, Manual of Practice: How to Develop a Water Reuse Program, will facilitate the workshop. The second workshop, which is titled “Understanding How to Communicate for Public Understanding: the Key to Public Acceptance,” will be an opportunity for water professionals to enhance their communication skills. Key findings from a WateReuse Research Foundation study, titled “Talking About Water,” will be shared, including a discussion of the inconsistencies in terminology currently used by the industry.

Throughout the conference, there will be more than 100 technical presentations covering innovative and essential topics such as potable reuse, industrial reuse, desalination, membrane technologies, risk assessment, climate change, concentrate management, public acceptance, and many more.

One of the highlights of the symposium is the annual awards luncheon, which recognizes projects and practitioners that advance water reuse or desalination, have a new twist, or that have made significant contributions to water reuse or desalination. This year, the association will give the International Award for the first time to recognize that water reuse and desalination are worldwide issues.

The National Legislative and Water Policy Outlook plenary session will focus on anticipated major shifts in future water policy and the prospects for new national legislation.

The final day of the conference will include the much anticipated “International Panel Discussion: Water Reuse and Desalination around the Globe in 2030.”  Panelists will discuss issues and challenges that will likely present themselves in the coming decades, such as water scarcity and climate change, and lead to an increased need to recycle water and use water from the oceans.

In addition to the many learning opportunities, the symposium will include several events to facilitate networking among attendees. A welcome reception on Sunday evening and the president’s reception on Monday evening will give attendees the opportunity to socialize at the end of the day. Refreshment breaks will be held in the exhibit hall throughout the conference to provide additional networking events.

For more information about the 25th Annual WateReuse Symposium, telephone 703-548-5085, the association Web site: www.watereuse.org.