DRINKING WATER

Getty_1358050002_meter-data-smart-metering Why Multi‑Commodity Utilities Need Smart Meter Data Management

Breaking down data silos allows multi-commodity utilities to improve operational efficiency and infrastructure visibility. By managing water and electric data on a shared platform, providers can detect leaks faster and support long-term conservation goals.

DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS

  • District Heating In France: A V-Cone Customer Success Story

    The V-Cone® is widely known for its success as a metering solution in the oil and gas industry, but it’s also a burgeoning solution for many industrial applications, including district steam. The V-Cone’s tolerance for a range of flow conditions and media, as well as available customization, make it a viable, lasting solution for many unique new and retrofit steam applications.

  • Preparing For Lead-Service-Line Inventory And Replacement Requirements

    With all the new facets of the revised Lead and Copper Rule revisions (LCRR) — increased sampling requirements, lead service line (LSL) inventory and replacement, new communications requirements, and school/childcare-facility monitoring — any water utility that has not yet started making preparations is at risk of non-compliance now that the new rule has become law. Here are some factors to consider when reviewing LCRR requirements and conducting LSL inventories and replacements.

  • Chemical Dosing Pump Assists In Arsenic Removal In Groundwater Wells

    Mammoth Community Water District developed two ground water and one surface water treatment stations to purify the drinking water. This is how they did it.

  • Water Industry Awards - Alliancing And Partnership Initiative Of The Year Submission

    As an innovation-driven leak detection specialist, Ovarro’s research and development team works closely with utilities to develop best-in-class technologies. The Sheffield-based global company partnered with Anglian Water to develop a revolutionary remote leak detection device, Enigma3hyQ and cloud-based data platform, PrimeWeb.

  • How To Pull A Representative Activated Carbon Sample (And Why It Matters)

    Analyzing a GAC sample reveals if the media should be reactivated or disposed of. Therefore, it is critical that operators follow this definitive guide for pulling a representative sample.

  • RentEZ Program Enables Rapid Repair Of Water Storage Tank Line

    Water storage tanks are critical to communities because they provide clean water to residents and help meet peak demand. Regular inspections and maintenance ensure that everything works as intended so end users have reliable access to water when it is needed.

  • Making Microplastic Identification More Accessible

    Imagine trying to count hundreds, thousands, even millions of tiny particles that are too small to see with the human eye. Now, imagine those tiny particles could be any shape, size, or color and are covered in mud. That’s a challenge that EPA chemist Michaela Cashman, PhD and other EPA researchers are taking on in their microplastics identification research.

  • How To Save Time, Save Money With Pilot-Plant Testing

    When developing water or wastewater treatment processes for entirely new applications or modifying existing processes to accommodate changing water characteristics or regulatory discharge requirements, understanding capital investment, operating cost, and long-term performance is critical. Here are several ways to view pilot-plant or lab-scale testing as viable approaches to better outcomes with lower risks.

  • Best Strategies For Monitoring And Control Of Ozone And Biologically Active Filtration Systems

    There are many ways to monitor and control ozonation and biologically active filtration systems and operators need to know which one will work best for the intended application.

  • 900 Series System Ensures Quality, Increases Production, And Reduces Chemical Usage And Overall Costs

    New Myron L® Company 900 Series system implementation for pH, Conductivity/TDS, and Temperature control ensures quality, increases production, and reduces chemical usage and overall costs in 5-Stage Pre-treatment Process prior to powder coat.

DRINKING WATER APPLICATION NOTES

  • Determination Of Pesticide Residues In Honey, By An Automated QuEChERS Solution
    9/17/2014

    The QuEChERS (Quick-Easy-Cheap-Effective-Rugged-Safe) sample extraction method was developed for the determination of pesticide residues in agricultural commodities.

  • Application Note: Turbidity Monitoring In Drinking Water Treatment Plants
    8/30/2005

    Turbidity, or the relative clarity of a liquid (in this case drinking water), is caused by the presence of microscopic particles such as clay, silt, or other fine undissolved matter

  • Advances In Paper-Based Devices For Water Quality Analysis
    2/22/2017

    Water quality test strips have been around for decades. They are usually constructed from a porous media, including different types of paper, and undergo a color change when dipped into water containing the analyte of interest. These test strips have seen application in swimming pools, aquariums, hot tubs, remediation sites, and other commercial/environmental areas.

  • Oxidation Reduction Potential
    10/29/2021

    What is ORP? Oxidation Reduction Potential or Redox is the activity or strength of oxidizers and reducers in relation to their concentration. Oxidizers accept electrons, reducers lose electrons. Examples of oxidizers are: chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, bromine, ozone, and chlorine dioxide. Examples of reducers are sodium sulfite, sodium bisulfate and hydrogen sulfide. Like acidity and alkalinity, the increase of one is at the expense of the other.

  • How Activated Carbon Works To Purify Air And Water
    10/31/2019

    The first step is to define the performance limiting factors in the application. For this application, most of the adsorber is used for MTBE adsorption in the ppb concentration range. Adsorption of BTEX, TBA, or humic acids or other total organic carbon (TOC) components are removed by the front end of the column.

  • Flow Monitoring At Sea Water Reverse Osmosis Plant Improves Water Distribution
    1/6/2025

    Read about a desalination plant that was in need of a practical verification methodology for permanent and/or temporary (portable) solutions on large pipes.

  • Complete Flow Solutions
    11/11/2024

    Siemens’ extensive portfolio includes various flow measurement technologies, such as Coriolis, clamp-on ultrasonic, vortex, and differential pressure meters, catering to a wide range of industrial needs.

  • LC-MS Analysis Of 33 PFAS Compounds In 5 Minutes
    11/4/2021

    In response to environmental testing demands for faster LC-MS analyses, the new Ascentis® Express PFAS HPLC and delay columns allow the highly efficient separation of 33 PFAS compounds in 5 minutes with reduced background contamination.

  • ASM-10-HP Application Note
    3/12/2026

    ResinTech ASM-10-HP is a strongly basic hybrid anion exchange resin specially formulated to selectively remove arsenic.

  • Determining Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) With Lovibond® OxiDirect
    3/12/2026

    The Biochemical Oxygen Demand over a testing period of n days (BODn) is precisely defined and associated with experimental standards. It represents the quantity of oxygen aspirated in the course of aerobic breakdown of organic substances by microorganisms.

DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS

The PTBT1 is a lab-accurate water quality pocket tester that allows you to use your mobile device and the X2 app to measure, store and export data.

Pilot tests conducted at numerous facilities demonstrate that Loprest treatment processes successfully reduce iron, manganese, arsenic, nitrate, and many other select contaminants in drinking water to well below the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL). Loprest can provide self-contained portable, free-standing pilot units or mobile, trailer-mounted units, depending on specific testing needs at each site.

The Hydra Total PFAS Reduction System delivers a sophisticated, pre-configured point-of-use water treatment solution meticulously engineered to combat the growing threat of PFAS contamination in residential and commercial water supplies. This advanced filtration system represents the culmination of ResinTech’s industry-leading research and development, offering unparalleled protection against these persistent environmental contaminants.

The flowI® 2100 & 3101 series Encoded Meter is a smart water meter based on the latest ultrasonic technology. The meter has no moving parts and maintains its accuracy throughout its entire lifetime of 20 years.

The AquaDiamond® filter, a new horizontal configuration for the Cloth Media Filter, has been produced. It utilizes PA-13 pile cloth as its filter media.

At Master Meter, we are focused on the future of water management.  Whether you’re serving small rural populations or major metropolitan areas, delivering water only or provisioning combination utilities, Master Meter is your partner to deliver game changing results across Finance, Customer Service, and Utility Operations. Master Meter’s vast sales presence and partner network ensure a personalized, attentive service to ensure your specific needs are met, and your expectations exceeded. Contact us today to determine which smart water metering solution is right for you. 

LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER

  • Water utility managers and municipal leaders have long struggled amid the convergence of several threats to public water supplies. During a recent Water Online Live event, I sat with a panel of industry experts to examine the transition from reactive crisis management to a proactive, adaptive resilience framework.

  • For a long time, it’s been assumed that closed-loop water systems — those commonly found in building heating systems, air-conditioning units, and cooling systems — are at a low risk for Legionella. However, there are many reasons why closed-loop systems can actually inadvertently promote the risk of Legionella.
  • The journey from manual water-meter reads to a fully integrated digital ecosystem is long and complex. To help utilities along, the Smart Water Networks Forum (SWAN) released the global Smart Metering Playbook, which includes both implementation best practices and common pitfalls. Here are five common advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) rollout mistakes from the Playbook, along with examples of how to overcome them.
  • While most of us are routinely exposed to low levels of PFAS, some communities are exposed to far higher levels from nearby pollution sources. A new study shows that in one of these at-risk communities, children were more likely to develop asthma if their mothers were exposed to very high PFAS levels during pregnancy.

  • A shift in how we approach source water protection is long overdue. Currently, we are trapped in a cycle of escalating costs, forced to treat symptoms like algae and invasive weeds expediently with chemicals while the underlying risk in the reservoir compounds. True risk management requires breaking this cycle.
  • Einstein once said of compound interest, "He who understands it, earns it. He who doesn't, pays it." The same logic of compounding applies to the organic sediment accumulating on the floor of your drinking water reservoir. The longer you wait to address it, the more exponentially expensive it becomes to fix.

DRINKING WATER VIDEOS

This video gives an overview of the features and benefits of the YSI Professional Plus, or Pro Plus, handheld multiparameter water quality instrument.

Out of sight, the country’s underground water infrastructure is aging and failing. In this interview, AMERICAN’s Derek Scott and Maury Gaston discuss the problem, challenges facing cities, and the latest technologies for providing and protecting one of our most precious resources — water.

Why have only 20% of water utilities deployed an AMI fixed network?  If you are considering a fixed network, I've got something you seriously need to consider prior to soliciting quotations or putting out your RFP. The question is, who is going to manage the network infrastructure? Do you have qualified individuals within your utility ready to continuously monitor, maintain and manage the network? In this video, we're going to discuss some of the options available for water utilities today: a utility managed network versus a network as a service agreement (NaaS).

In this episode of Ozone Talks, host Sannel Patel takes viewers deep inside Pinnacle Ozone Solutions’ cutting-edge ozone generation technology. Joined by senior engineer Eric Francis and technician Dayton Julius, the discussion centers around the Quad Block ozone cell—a patented, modular system redefining ozone production through innovation, precision, and durability.

Dr. Jamie Dewitt explains her research in Phamacology and Toxicology and why water pollution might pose a problem no matter where you are.

ABOUT DRINKING WATER

In most developed countries, drinking water is regulated to ensure that it meets drinking water quality standards. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers these standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)

Drinking water considerations can be divided into three core areas of concern:

  1. Source water for a community’s drinking water supply
  2. Drinking water treatment of source water
  3. Distribution of treated drinking water to consumers

Drinking Water Sources

Source water access is imperative to human survival. Sources may include groundwater from aquifers, surface water from rivers and streams and seawater through a desalination process. Direct or indirect water reuse is also growing in popularity in communities with limited access to sources of traditional surface or groundwater. 

Source water scarcity is a growing concern as populations grow and move to warmer, less aqueous climates; climatic changes take place and industrial and agricultural processes compete with the public’s need for water. The scarcity of water supply and water conservation are major focuses of the American Water Works Association.

Drinking Water Treatment

Drinking Water Treatment involves the removal of pathogens and other contaminants from source water in order to make it safe for humans to consume. Treatment of public drinking water is mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. Common examples of contaminants that need to be treated and removed from water before it is considered potable are microorganisms, disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals and radionuclides.

There are a variety of technologies and processes that can be used for contaminant removal and the removal of pathogens to decontaminate or treat water in a drinking water treatment plant before the clean water is pumped into the water distribution system for consumption.

The first stage in treating drinking water is often called pretreatment and involves screens to remove large debris and objects from the water supply. Aeration can also be used in the pretreatment phase. By mixing air and water, unwanted gases and minerals are removed and the water improves in color, taste and odor.

The second stage in the drinking water treatment process involves coagulation and flocculation. A coagulating agent is added to the water which causes suspended particles to stick together into clumps of material called floc. In sedimentation basins, the heavier floc separates from the water supply and sinks to form sludge, allowing the less turbid water to continue through the process.

During the filtration stage, smaller particles not removed by flocculation are removed from the treated water by running the water through a series of filters. Filter media can include sand, granulated carbon or manufactured membranes. Filtration using reverse osmosis membranes is a critical component of removing salt particles where desalination is being used to treat brackish water or seawater into drinking water.

Following filtration, the water is disinfected to kill or disable any microbes or viruses that could make the consumer sick. The most traditional disinfection method for treating drinking water uses chlorine or chloramines. However, new drinking water disinfection methods are constantly coming to market. Two disinfection methods that have been gaining traction use ozone and ultra-violet (UV) light to disinfect the water supply.

Drinking Water Distribution

Drinking water distribution involves the management of flow of the treated water to the consumer. By some estimates, up to 30% of treated water fails to reach the consumer. This water, often called non-revenue water, escapes from the distribution system through leaks in pipelines and joints, and in extreme cases through water main breaks.

A public water authority manages drinking water distribution through a network of pipes, pumps and valves and monitors that flow using flow, level and pressure measurement sensors and equipment.

Water meters and metering systems such as automatic meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) allows a water utility to assess a consumer’s water use and charge them for the correct amount of water they have consumed.