National Water Reuse Action Plan and Program

Improving the resiliency, security, and sustainability of the nation’s water resources through collaborative partnerships for water reuse.

On this page:

• About the Program
• Types of Assistance
• How This Program Helps Build Resilience
• Connections to Other EPA, Federal, or Non-Governmental Efforts

About the Program

The National Water Reuse Action Plan (WRAP), released in February 2020, seeks to advance the consideration of water reuse as a tool to improve the resilience, security, and sustainability of the nation’s water resources. The WRAP builds on more than four decades of water reuse experience and promotes a growing collaboration of action among federal, state, local, and private sector reuse efforts.

The initial WRAP included 37 specific actions and over 200 implementation milestones across 11 strategic themes (e.g., policy, technology, workforce, communication) supported by many collaborating partners. The EPA is initially leading or co-leading 21 of the 37 actions. The WRAP is summarized in a print version and also housed on the WRAP Online Platform that transparently tracks the progress of implementation.

Types of Assistance

The WRAP provides coordination and facilitation assistance to promote water reuse.

Coordination Assistance

The WRAP aims to leverage the expertise of industry, agriculture, governments at the federal, state, Tribal, and local levels, and other stakeholders. It promotes collaborative and coordinated engagement around water reuse to help ensure safe and reliable water supplies critical to our nation’s communities and economy.

Facilitation Assistance

As primary facilitator of the WRAP, the EPA will maintain the full set of actions and track them over time on the WRAP Online Platform. The action commitments represent significant positive momentum and have already prompted some important partnerships and collaborations. There are 30 leaders at all levels of government and across the water user community responsible for important tasks related to the suite of actions and are critical to the success of the WRAP.

How This Program Helps Build Resilience

Over the next decade, 40 states expect to face freshwater shortages in certain regions within their borders. With aging infrastructure, a growing population, and new challenges that stress our water supply, there is a growing urgency to secure our nation’s water future. Reused water, also known as recycled or reclaimed water, can help meet water demands and mitigate the risks posed by droughts. Recycled water can be used for a wide variety of applications, including agriculture and irrigation, potable water supplies, groundwater replenishment, industrial processes, and environmental restoration. Further developments in water reuse provide more secure, sustainable, and safe water supplies across the country.

Connections to Other EPA, Federal, or Non-Governmental Efforts

The WRAP is the first initiative of its magnitude coordinated across the water sector. This effort represents broad collaboration, with more than 80 partners and more than 300 implementation milestones across 41 developed actions, which are led by a spectrum of federal, state, local, and private sector interests.

The WRAP will leverage and complement other federal efforts to advance water reuse, including the EPA’s priority to finance water reuse and recycling projects through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) and other federal programs, including those at U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Agencies outside the EPA are also involved including innovation initiatives such as the Department of Energy’s Water Security Grand Challenge and the National Alliance for Water Innovation that will help advance water reuse technology that has the potential to ensure the viability of our water economy for generations to come.