Loudoun’s reclaimed water is now the highest quality water available thanks to money from the American Recovery and Investment Act.

Officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality joined Loudoun Water Sept. 29 to celebrate the installation of more than 13,000 feet of 16-inch and 12-inch water mains at the facility in Ashburn. Loudoun Water received nearly $1.7 million in stimulus funding for the pipes that will deliver Level 1 reclaimed water for use in several commercial applications, including irrigation, the cooling of HVAC systems and the chilling of data centers. Level 1 is the highest quality of water.

Michael Rumke gives a tour of the Broad Run Water Reclamation Facility Sept. 29. Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Beverly Denny

Water is one of life’s most precious resources, said Loudoun Water board chairman, Fred Jennings. He added that the organization is trying to retrieve water in an environmentally-conscious way and the new pipes are a symbol of the transformation.

Loudoun Water’s new pipes are a prime example of what the Recovery Act was intended to do, said Rich Weeks, chief deputy at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

The Environmental Protection Agency provided more than $109 million in Recovery Act funding in Virginia. Of that amount, $80 million went to the Department of Environmental Quality for clean water infrastructure projects, according to Shawn M. Garvin, the Environmental Protection Agency’s regional administrator.

The pipes promote sustainable alternatives to using drinking water for non-drinking purposes and counts for the “water efficiency” credits for the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design LEED certification, according to Loudoun Water.  They will also reduce the amount of effluent discharged into the Broad Run tributary, which feeds into the Potomac River.

The facilities upgrades have garnered the attention of Loudoun’s business community because it’s helping their bottom line, said Supervisor Lori Waters (R-Broad Run).

Local businesses will pay less for using the reclaimed water versus drinking water and reclaimed water uses less energy to deliver, according to Loudoun Water. The company hopes to have 30 percent of its reclaimed water reused by 2015.

A jar of drinking water from the water fountain, left, sits next to a jar of water used for toilets to demonstrate their similar appearance at the Broad Run Reclamation Facility Sept. 29. Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Beverly Denny