Working Group on Concentrate Management Guidelines for Desalination and Water Reuse

Access to fresh water is an increasingly critical national and international issue. Demand for fresh water in many regions of the world has already outstripped supply. Saline and brackish waters constitute over 97% of the water in the world. Effective desalination cost reduction is the key to wider use of desalination for improving the quality of life in water-scarce regions. Supplementing fresh water supplies through cost-effective "revolutionary" brackish and saline water desalination and water reuse technologies would provide significant relief to the limited fresh water resources in many parts of the world. While continuing improvements in desalination and water reuse technology have increased the use of nontraditional resources to supplement fresh water supplies, additional cost and performance improvements are still needed.

As noted in the recent Desalination and Water Purification Technology Roadmap, published in 2003, concentrate management is one of the five major areas where research and development is needed to create nextgeneration desalination technologies (http://www.usbr.gov/pmts.water/desalroadmap.html). Concentrate management and disposal (including outfalls) pose both environmental and cost concerns and are often the difference in whether a desalination or water reuse project is viable - especially for inland communities. Therefore, the development of concentrate management guidelines and standard practice documents by a Working Group would help to address one of the most pressing desalination and water reuse issues - the environmentally sound management and disposal of desalination and water reuse concentrate - and help accelerate the application of desalination and water reuse technologies throughout many regions of the world.

To help address the identified technical and environmental concerns associated with desalination and water reuse concentrate, Sandia National Laboratories initiated an effort in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, American Water Works Association, American Society of Civil Engineers, and Water Reuse Foundation to develop a partnership to develop guidelines for concentrate management. Based on initial discussions in early 2004, a Task Committee on Concentrate Management (CM) was established through the Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers in the summer of 2004.

While coordinated through ASCE, the EWRI Task Committee on CM includes a wide range of water professionals including water resource managers, water technology developers, water utilities, and regulatory agencies. The partnership leverages the expertise of government, industry, and research organizations involved in desalination, water reuse, technology evaluation, and environmental protection to provide valuable expertise and a broad perspective on concentrate management issues and effective solutions.

The current members of the EWRI Task Committee on CM in Desalination include representatives from:

• Governmental Organizations
• Bureau of Reclamation and Sandia National Laboratories (Co-Chairs)
• Ground Water Protection Council
• Industry Associations
• WateReuse Foundation - Treasurer
• American Society of Civil Engineers – EWRI - Secretary
• American Water Works Association and AWWA Research Foundation
• Groundwater Protection Council
• American Membrane Technology Association
• Private industry, consulting engineers, university researchers, utilities and desalination coalitions

The roles of the Working Group on Concentrate Management are to identify and evaluate potential options and alternatives for concentrate management, identify technically and environmentally sound approaches to manage or dispose of desalination and water reuse concentrate, and develop guidelines on the appropriate application and monitoring of concentrate management and disposal technologies and techniques. The developed guidance and guidelines can then be used in the future to establish national and international standards for desalination and water reuse concentrate management and disposal. This should help provide a common basis for implementing desalination and water reuse technologies in an efficient and cost-effective manner that is protective of human health and the environment. General overall actions include:

• Developing information and guidance documents on appropriate concentrate management measures applicable for the design, construction, rehabilitation, and operation and maintenance in water desalination and reuse facilities
• Organizing and developing sessions, workshops, and or conferences to help disseminate the concentrate management information guidance developed in order to advance the knowledge and improve the practice of engineering and science associate with desalination and water reuse concentrate management. The initial funded meeting of the Concentrate Management Task Committee was held in September 2004 in Phoenix with some nineteen representatives from industry, industry associations, government agencies, utilities and universities. The EWRI TC achieved additional organizational authorizations in October 2004 and the Working Group milestones include:
• Develop proposal for joint activity funding by partnership members in Fall 2004
• Obtain funding in Spring 2005 to begin development of draft outlines and methodologies
• Collect existing information and begin developing guidance documents through January 2006
• Develop training materials for technical sessions, conferences, and workshops and begin concentrate management guidance dissemination in Fall 2006.

For additional information, contact Conrad G. Keyes at cgkeyesjr@zianet.com