Outcomes of the California Expert Panel on Direct Potable Reuse

In 2013, the National Water Research Institute (NWRI) appointed state and national water industry experts to an independent, third-party Expert Panel to provide expert advice to the State of California on determining the feasibility of developing criteria for direct potable reuse (DPR). The Panel was formed on behalf of the State Water Resources Control Board's (State Water Board) Division of Drinking Water (DDW) (formerly known as the California Department of Public Health's Drinking Water Program) and is administered by NWRI. The panel is required by state legislation in the California Water Code Section 13560-13569 (Water Code).Regarding DPR, the Panel is charged with the following: 1) advise DDW on public health issues and scientific and technical matters regarding the feasibility of developing criteria for DPR; and 2) assess what, if any, additional areas of research are needed for establishing criteria for DPR. The Panel was made up of 12 national and international experts in the fields of toxicology, wastewater treatment, drinking water supplies treatment, drinking water standards, risk assessment, epidemiology, public health, microbiology, and chemistry.This paper summarizes the result of the Panel’s findings and recommendations on the feasibility of criteria for DPR. The panel documented their findings in a report that will be released by the State Water Board in September 2016 along with the State Water Board’s overall findings to the California Legislature for review.