ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The WateReuse Association and the WateReuse Research Foundation announced a plan to merge their organizations’ leadership, according to a press release.
The merger is to more aggressively address the challenges to meet the growing water supply demands faced by local communities in the context of drought, aging infrastructure, climate change, environmental degradation and federal, state and local regulations, stated the release.
“While the [WateReuse] Research Foundation and [WateReuse] Association will remain two separate organizations, our united leadership will have one vision and one voice,” said Doug Owen, foundation board chair and an executive vice president with the global consulting firm ARCADIS.
The two organizations’ leadership adopted a board merger plan at their February meeting, reported the release, which will serve “as the catalyst for a stronger alliance,” and the plan calls for a core group of directors who will simultaneously serve on each board.
The two organizations are known collectively as WateReuse, and together, they will work to educate the public and policymakers on the economic value, science and environmental benefits of treating water to safely use it for designated purposes, including manufacturing, drinking water and irrigation, continued the release.
WateReuse, as part of the merger, has developed and adopted a new brand to better represent the singular vision of the two organizations, noted the release.
“This is an exciting time for WateReuse,” said WateReuse Executive Director Melissa L. Meeker. “We have more closely aligned our association and foundation, and we are forming new partnerships to build a strong case for water reuse and increase the awareness of policy makers and the general public.”
You can read more about the merger here.