A factory can sit near a wastewater treatment plant and still lack a usable supply of reclaimed water. The two operators must establish how much water is available, what quality the factory needs and which permits govern its use. EPA’s Water Reuse Action Plan 2.0, released April 16, directs attention to those connections as semiconductor plants, data centers and other industries seek water for production and cooling.
The plan is a voluntary framework for agencies, utilities and private partners working under existing authorities.
One project would map utilities’ available and potential recycled-water supplies against industrial demand. The WateReuse Association and engineering firm CDM Smith are working with participants including Amazon Web Services, Google, Grundfos and Veolia. A supply map can help an industrial customer find a utility to approach; it cannot by itself establish the treatment, delivery infrastructure or contractual terms needed to serve that customer.
A separate action addresses cooling systems. EPA plans to collect and share examples of state permitting approaches for using recycled water in industrial and data-center cooling.
Treatment validation is another task. The plan calls for protocols and monitoring approaches to demonstrate that treatment controls pathogens adequately for the intended use. Its applications range from nonpotable uses to food production and drinking water. Water suitable for one purpose does not automatically meet the requirements of another.
The plan also includes an Electric Power Research Institute mapping project focused on water reuse at power plants. That narrower effort recognizes that the location and needs of a large cooling-water customer differ from those of other industrial users.
These are extensions of an established practice. EPA’s booklet cites recycled-water deliveries of up to 7.5 million gallons a day to Chevron’s Richmond, California, refinery as an existing industrial example.
Sources
- EPA Launches Water Reuse Action Plan 2.0 — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · 2026-04-16.
- Water Reuse Action Plan 2.0 booklet — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · 2026-04.