The Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) and the WateReuse Research Foundation (WRRF) boards of directors have unanimously agreed to take the steps necessary to merge.
“Both foundations are committed to advancing a more comprehensive resource recovery research agenda in which we look at maximising recovery of valuable assets including water, nutrients and energy comprehensively,” said Melissa Meeker, executive director of the Water Environment Research Foundation and the WateReuse Research Foundation. “The respective boards of directors looked at the tremendous impact that each organisation was having in separate but complementary areas and decided that we could be even stronger if we work together under one umbrella as a merged and integrated entity.”
The two organisations believe that merging will create synergies, reduce future water research redundancy, further the evolution toward a unified voice for water, and increase the value proposition to their respective subscribers by enhancing and leveraging investments.
To date, both organisations conduct research in clearly defined areas. WateReuse focuses on water reuse and desalination, while the Water Environment Research Foundation focuses on resource recovery and water quality impacts from wastewater and stormwater.
“This merger will allow us to leverage combined resources and expertise, reach wider audiences and reduce overlapping efforts,” added Meeker. “While WERF and WRRF have partnered with each other and other water organisations for years, our fully integrated voices become a bigger voice for water. Our research has sparked innovation and has been the basis for educating the water industry, government officials and the public. These impacts will only grow.”
The WateReuse Association, as well as other partners including Water Environment Federation, the American Water Works Association, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, the Association of the Metropolitan Water Agencies, and Water Research Foundation, among others, will continue to play a critical role in advancing research-based policy that turns scientific discovery into laws and regulations for water reuse and resource recovery, and in helping establish the research needs of the industry.
