WERF and WateReuse Merge To Advance Concept of One Water

Photo courtesy of the Water Environment & Reuse Foundation (Alexandria, Va.).

The Water Environment Research Foundation and the WateReuse Research Foundation have merged to form the Water Environment & Reuse Foundation (WE&RF; Alexandria, Va.). The merger, announced May 9, brings together the organizations’ expansive portfolio of research on water, wastewater, and stormwater topics. It also reflects on the sector’s movement toward the concept of “one water,” according to a WE&RF news release.

“Bringing these two organizations together allows us to leverage our expertise to pursue an integrated approach to critical research in water,” said WE&RF Board Co-Chair Kevin Shafer, executive director of the  Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, in the release. “We are now the largest one-stop-shop for research in resource recovery and reuse.”

The Water Environment Research Foundation was established in 1989 to research wastewater and stormwater. The WateReuse Research Foundation was established in 1993 to research water reuse. WE&RF will continue focusing research on resource recovery and reuse to help meet the growing demand for clean water. The nonprofit plans to identify, support, and disseminate research that enhances the quality and reliability of water for natural systems and communities with an integrated approach to resource recovery and reuse. More than 200 utilities; business, industrial, and commercial enterprises; educational institutions; and government agencies support it, the news release says.

“Our organizations shared a common goal, which is to produce research that solved real-world problems with water quality and supply,” said WE&RF Board Co-Chair Doug Owner, executive vice president and chief technical officer at Arcadis (Highlands Ranch, Colo.). “By merging, we will be able to help more communities produce a safe, reliable, locally controlled supply of water that protects the environment and supports economic growth.”

Read WE&RF Chief Executive Officer Melissa Meeker’s thoughts on the future of the water sector and merger in the WEF Highlights article, “WERF Executive Director Melissa Meeker Discusses Water Sector Future and WERF–WRRF Merger.”