Mon, 12/21/2015 - 00:00

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Dec. 21, 2015) – 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 and integrate. The two organizations recognize and value their history and respective missions and 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. “The water industry is currently at a critical juncture as it relates to acceptance and implementation of reuse—driven by demand, environmental needs and the creation of a local, sustaining water supply,” said Doug Owen, chairman of the WateReuse Research Foundation. “The merger has the opportunity to strengthen the value of water that was historically used only once.” To date, both organizations conduct research in a clearly-defined and complementary niche. WRRF focuses on water reuse and desalination, while the WERF focuses on resource recovery and water quality impacts from wastewater and stormwater. “Our organizations share a common commitment to making the most of the water we use,” said Kevin Shafer, chairman of the WERF Board of Directors. “Merging will strengthen that commitment as well as increase the return on investment in research for our members and the industry as a whole.” The WRRF is a nonprofit, charitable organization that conducts research to improve the treatment, distribution and acceptance of water reuse and desalination. The WERF, a nonprofit organization formed in 1989, is a research organization dedicated to wastewater and stormwater issues.