Skip to Main Content
logo
Purple desalination pipes and pumps under a blue sky at a water treatment facility.Purple desalination pipes and pumps under a blue sky at a water treatment facility.

Water Reuse and Desalination

Turn water challenges into opportunities. CDM Smith delivers sustainable water reuse and desalination solutions that protect resources and build resilience. From planning to implementation, we will partner with you to meet regulations, earn trust and help you move forward with confidence.

Jennifer Osgood

Priority Lead

Jennifer Osgood

By the numbers

275+

reuse projects worldwide

40+

integrated water reuse plans developed

2B

gallons per day (gpd) of membrane capacity designed 

500

million gallons per day (mgd) of desalination capacity designed.

Leading in advanced water treatment

Scientist in a lab coat examines a Petri dish in a lab environment.
Close-up of labeled valves on a panel; a person in a blue shirt is blurred in the background.
Purple pipe discharges water into a wetland pond surrounded by grasses.

Boosting supply portfolios 

Whether it’s by pioneering technologies, researching monitoring
approaches or eliminating surface water discharges through advanced reuse strategies, we’ll help you conquer regulatory, operational and communications challenges. 

Supporting industrial sustainability 

To reduce reliance on freshwater supplies and support sustainability goals, CDM Smith partners with utilities and industrial leaders to design, implement, and construct water reuse programs.

Innovating through piloting 

Piloting is critical in addressing water quality challenges and choosing treatment technologies. It improves operational processes and maximizes time and cost savings.  

Our expertise in action

Pilot study at JEA Buckman
Video

Pilot study at JEA Buckman

Discover the groundbreaking ozone wetland pilot study performed at JEA Buckman Water Reclamation Facility, the utility’s largest regional plant with advanced nutrient removal. CDM Smith team members Tim Rynders and Shayne Wood, who partnered with JEA on the ozone wetland pilot study, are featured in a new video presented to visitors at the Buckman facility. This video showcases the goals of the pilot study, explores innovative treatment options, and demonstrates how reclaimed water is used. It’s an engaging look at how our team is helping utilities shape the future of sustainable water management now.

Palm Beach County's Green Cay Phase II Reuse Project
Video

Palm Beach County's Green Cay Phase II Reuse Project

How do you select the right treatment technology for your water reuse project?
Video

How do you select the right treatment technology for your water reuse project?

How do you select the right treatment technology for your water reuse project? Experts Greta Zornes, Tim Rynders, and Jill Tedder discuss the many factors that go into making the right selection, and explain that there is no "one size fits all" solution when it comes to treatment technology. Understanding the bigger picture of your treatment needs and opportunities, undertaking public outreach and developing a detailed alternatives analysis are all vital. Water reuse treatment can result in some of the highest water quality, period.

How does pilot testing optimize water treatment?
Video

How does pilot testing optimize water treatment?

Pilot testing is key for water experts to experiment with treatment processes on a smaller scale before embarking on a full scale project. The option to compare different treatment processes, equipment, and efficacy during a "trial" phase is a great way for water engineers to save on resources and get creative (while getting their hands dirty, too). From potable reuse to PFAS removal, the biggest challenges in water engineering need pilot testing to achieve technical breakthroughs and create tailored solutions. Jill Tedder, environmental engineer and water reuse extraordinaire, sat down to share her piloting secrets: pushing the limits of existing technology, why piloting adds value, and what it's like to work on these projects firsthand. With nearly a decade of experience in drinking water and reuse applications, she’s a pro when it comes to designing the most complex advanced treatment facilities. Based in Denver, Colorado, Jill has a knack for uncovering the latest water treatment innovations and applying them to her studies. And to learn more about how CDM Smith and USAID have teamed up in a decades-long partnership with Jordanian stakeholders to deliver life-saving water security, read this article: https://www.cdmsmith.com/en/Client-Solutions/Projects/Jordan-Water-Infrastructure-USAID?utm_medium=video&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=wrad&utm_content=description Jordan Water Infrastructure USAID USAID and CDM Smith are securing Jordan’s water supply by making critical water and wastewater infrastructure upgrades.

Horsethief Canyon Water Reclamation Facility
Video

Horsethief Canyon Water Reclamation Facility

Located in southern California, the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District is upgrading and expanding its aging Horsethief Canyon Water Reclamation Facility through a progressive design-build contract. The goal of this project is to provide reliable and affordable service to existing customers while cost-effectively accommodating new developments in the area while also improving the quality of the effluent. This project will include membrane bioreactor (MBR) treatment, which includes membrane filtration with a biological treatment process for nutrient removal and produces a high quality effluent. The treated wastewater will then be reused for non-potable uses like irrigation of the surrounding green spaces.

How do membrane bioreactors clean water?
Video

How do membrane bioreactors clean water?

Learn how you can achieve water supply innovation through reuse and desalination: www.cdmsmith.com/reuse Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) have been used since the early 2000s in North America as a reliable wastewater treatment process that combines the benefits of secondary clarification with a high-quality tertiary filter. More recently, MBRs have been considered for potable reuse schemes replacing both the conventional secondary clarifier and the tertiary ultrafiltration (UF) membrane system used as pretreatment for reverse osmosis (RO). Anthony Zamarro has worked in membrane technologies and treatment systems for more than 20 years with a focus on MBR systems. He has experience in system design, value engineering, system startup, and process troubleshooting, and he's also been involved in the application of MBR systems for advanced treatment trains, including indirect and direct potable reuse.

Meet our water reuse and desalination leadership

Glowing digital envelopes on a dark background, symbolizing email communication.

Stay up to date on advanced water treatment

We're committed to strengthening water supply portfolios where they are most needed today and will be tomorrow. Opt in to our newsletter to learn more.

Top water reuse & desalination resources

Workers in safety vests installing large membrane bioreactor filters at a treatment plant.
Insight

Potable reuse applications for membrane bioreactors

Anthony Zamarro, MBR discipline leader, explains using MBRs for potable reuse, functionality and effectiveness, and leveraging them to expand supply portfolios in areas of water scarcity.
Aerial view of a large data center complex with cooling towers emitting steam.
Insight

How data centers and municipalities can collaborate on water sourcing

Panoramic view of Hoover Dam towers and reservoir with low water levels, surrounded by arid mountains under a blue sky.
Insight

How do environmental crises shape sustainable water management strategies?

A water filtration system with multiple vertical filters under a metal roofed structure.
Insight

Mastering the municipal reuse master planning process

City skyline view across a calm river, with tree branches framing the scene.
Insight

Key drivers of reuse in "water rich" regions

Explore water reuse and desalination webinars

Rows of cylindrical pipes with gray curved lines and red valves, suggesting an industrial or water treatment setting. The image conveys precision and complexity.
Webinar

Unlocking over 90% high recovery reverse osmosis for reuse and desalination

This webinar will provide the tools necessary to identify not only if high recovery systems are right for your system, but which technologies could be the best fit.
Close-up of multiple vertical tan cylindrical filtration tubes connected at the top by dark fittings and blue piping, likely part of an industrial water treatment or filtration system.
Webinar

Addressing water supply gaps: Tailoring a reuse master plan

Explore how communities and organizations can evaluate both non-potable and potable reuse options within the context of reuse master planning in this 1-hour webinar.
A worker in a hard hat and high-visibility vest walks through an industrial facility with rows of large pipes. The setting is orderly and focused.
Webinar

The rise of desalination

Learn how reverse osmosis can be used to solve water quality and supply issues in this 1-hour webinar.

Related practices

Water Reuse

Water reuse is the future of water supply. CDM Smith is committed to strengthening water supply portfolios where they are most needed today and will be tomorrow.

Water Reclamation

Whether your goal is to meet your permit conditions or to build a net-zero facility, we’ll work with you to find the right solutions.

Drinking Water

Whether your goals are to unlock new sources, enhance the quality and reliability of the supplies you have or upgrade the technologies you use, we can help you achieve water supply innovation.

One Water

CDM Smith has been a leader in One Water for more than two decades, developing integrated water resources strategies and advancing projects that enhance our communities and protect the natural World. 

Conveyance

Whether you’re concerned about keeping existing water conveyance assets healthy or building new ones, we’re here to help you find the answers you need.

Remediation

We restore environments and protect communities by delivering innovative, science-based solutions that reduce risk and lifecycle costs. Using advanced technologies and adaptive strategies, we help clients achieve resilient, long-term results.

Ready to take the next steps?

We love collaborating with passionate individuals and organizations. If you want to talk about potential projects, reach out to our experts. If you're interested in joining our team, check our careers page for open positions or internships.