"Many parts of the United States, as well as many countries around the world, suffer from water scarcity. In California, we are at the mercy of ever-increasing drought cycles which affect our traditional water supplies. However, we have the luxury of a long history of embracing non-potable and indirect potable reuse in California. This history offers us a path forward to address current and future water supply issues. This includes a potential regulatory pathway to future direct potable reuse. It is not a matter of whether technologies are available to provide widespread potable reuse as they are in service today at many facilities. We must re-shape our way of thinking to embrace all sources of water, including those long considered just 'wastewater.' A diversified portfolio of water supply sources is key to meeting the water needs of current and future generations. That portfolio can and should include potable reuse. It is our job to promote this concept and get us to a place where potable reuse is thought of no differently than waters from traditional sources like lakes and streams."
Mehul Patel has been with the Orange County Water District (OCWD) for 16 years, where he currently serves as the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) Program Manager. As such, he is in charge of overseeing all treatment processes associated with the 70-mgd GWRS Advanced Water Purification Facility (AWPF) and its current expansion to 100 mgd. The AWPF is the largest indirect potable reuse plant in the world. Patel was formerly in charge of the day-to-day operation of all district applied research treatment processes. He has extensive experience in pilot, demonstration, and full-scale operation of microfiltration, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis technologies, and advanced oxidation systems. He also worked as a process engineer assisting in troubleshooting for operation of OCWD’s Water Factory 21 facility. Patel’s expertise is in the use advanced technologies for water reclamation and recycling. He has written, presented, and published a number of technical papers relating to the use of membrane and ultraviolet light technologies for wastewater reclamation. Patel received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from California State Polytechnic University Pomona and an M.S. in Civil Engineering from California State University Long Beach. He is a registered professional civil engineer in California and is current president of the American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA).