News

Pima County’s AZ Pure Water Brew Challenge project won the Transformational Innovation Award at the 33rd Annual WateReuse Symposium, September 10 in Austin, Texas. The WateReuse Association honored the project for its leadership, creativity and persistence in supporting recycled water.  Congratulations to Pima County and other partners on the project.

The advanced mobile water purification trailer (or “beer truck”) has gotten a lot of mileage. In just a couple years, it has garnered awards, captured public attention, and logged 7,700 miles while producing 94,000 gallons of purified water.  Where will it travel next?

Chuck Graf, recently retired Principal Hydrogeologist from Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), shared his deep knowledge of water reuse history and water quality standards during a visit to WEST Center on August 7, 2018.

Vanessa Barchfield reports on an Arizona-based company’s efforts to use solar technology to produce potable water from vapor in the air. The solar-panel devices can even produce a few liters per day in Arizona’s arid climate.
University of Arizona Professor, Andrea Achilli, contributes to the report, explaining research on water treatment technology at UA's WEST Center.

Christina Morrison, studying the fate and transport of viruses in treated wastewater effluent, wins WateReuse Arizona scholarship to continue research at UA's WEST Center.

A new pilot-scale ultrafiltration (UF) / reverse osmosis (RO) system is getting a workout as WEST Center faculty and students strive to answer big questions in water reuse.

Despite the assurances of scientists, some people can't help but question safe-to-drink recycled water. In Part V of a five-part radio series on water conservation in the southwest, KUER, KUNC, KJZZ and the Mountain West News Bureau explore the psychology involved in accepting direct potable reuse.

WEST Center members helped to shape the dynamic conference in Flagstaff, AZ -- organized by WateReuse AZ and the AZ Water Association -- with presentations, achievement recognition, and contributions to the water reuse conversation.

KEYS interns from the University of Arizona explored topics of water and energy sustainability during a symposium and on-site tour of WEST Center in late June 2018.

On June 25, 2018, early operation of the new Marana WRF began. The plant - operated by WEST member Marana Water - is slated to be fully functioning by mid-August, and will initially service close to 10,000.

Recycled wastewater is gaining wider acceptance to boost drinking water supplies across the arid West. Now a project in Tucson proposes to use a portion of the metro area’s treated urban wastewater to make the Santa Cruz River flow through downtown again for the first time in 70 years.

Visiting the WEST Center in mid-May 2018, representatives from the Yuma Safe Council came with keen interest in the application of new technologies to ensure food security and safe crop production.