Olympia, Washington, USA – Exploring different treatment trains

LOTT Clean Water Alliance’s Class A+ Purified Water Demonstration Project, the first project in Washington State to demonstrate to local communities and regulators advanced purified water as a reliable, sustainable future water supply. Based at the Budd Inlet Treatment Plant in Olympia, Washington, the project will prove that recycled water can be purified to meet Washington State Departments of Health and Ecology’s comprehensive water quality requirements, reinforcing the idea that water should be judged by its quality, not its history.

LOTT will pilot two different advanced purification systems: reverse osmosis membranes and activated carbon filtration to inform future treatment approaches in the state. The project includes evaluation of carbon-based treatment as a potentially more energy-efficient option with limited waste products compared to reverse osmosis. Two treatment trains will be run in parallel with extensive sampling and testing of both processes to verify their safety, performance, and effectiveness in removing a wide array of regulated and unregulated contaminates.

The project is supported by a coalition of partners: the Cities of Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater; Thurston County; Squaxin Island Tribe; Washington State Departments of Health and Ecology; and the South Puget Sound Community College. The goal is to produce Class A+ purified water and create beer in partnership with local breweries for sharing with the community as early as Summer 2027, alongside continued outreach and engagement efforts.