DRINKING WATER
Program Over Product: The Proven Path To Reducing Non‑Revenue Water
Stop treating non-revenue water as a series of isolated leaks. By adopting a structured, audit-based program, utilities gain the system-wide visibility needed to prioritize repairs, recover lost revenue, and transition from reactive maintenance to proactive infrastructure management.
DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS
-
![Attaching acoustic node for permanent leak monitoring (002)]( "How Omaha Reduced Water Loss And Costs With Smart Hydrant Monitoring")
How Omaha Reduced Water Loss And Costs With Smart Hydrant MonitoringPermanent acoustic sensors turn fire hydrants into a high-tech defense against water loss. By monitoring pipe sounds 24/7, utilities can identify and fix hidden leaks before they cause expensive, unplanned service disruptions or emergency flooding.
-
![PascoCounty]( "The Right Choice For Environmentally Friendly Pipe Installation")
The Right Choice For Environmentally Friendly Pipe InstallationLike several of its counterparts in Florida, Pasco County is a name frequently repeated in the news when it comes to growth.
-
![socal-GACs]( "AqueoUS Vets Named A Manufacturing Partner For A Southern CA Water Treatment Facility")
AqueoUS Vets Named A Manufacturing Partner For A Southern CA Water Treatment FacilityIn August 2018, Aqueous Vets was selected over existing industry incumbents to supply the Granular Activated Carbon Systems (GACS) for a Southern California Water Treatment Plant.
-
![APEI_CASE-STUDY_Sierra_Lakes_County_Water_District_FINAL-2]( "Applied Process Equipment Prepares Custom Engineered System For Sierra Lakes County")
Applied Process Equipment Prepares Custom Engineered System For Sierra Lakes CountyWater supply from a mountain lake atop Donner Pass in the Sierra Nevada Mountains was at risk of arsenic contamination. Here’s how Applied Process Equipment solved the problem.
-
![Drinking-water-GettyImages-104295924]( "Water Distribution – Why Measurement Matters When Every Drop Counts")
Water Distribution – Why Measurement Matters When Every Drop CountsThe world is confronting an imminent water crisis, with the UN projecting a 40% global water deficit by 2030. With water resources stretched by the needs of an increasing global population, the need for transformative technologies across the water industry has never been more urgent.
-
![cs-stream-diversion-auburn-ny-jun-2019-1]( "Temporary Bypass Helps City Of Auburn, New York, Divert Stream Water Safely And Efficiently")
Temporary Bypass Helps City Of Auburn, New York, Divert Stream Water Safely And EfficientlyThe Owasco Outlet in Auburn, New York, is a waterway that flows from the north end of Owasco Lake through five counties before connecting to the Seneca River. Over time, portions of the Owasco Outlet were contaminated with coal tar. A byproduct of burning coal, the coal tar had been buried throughout the grounds of a former manufactured gas plant located along the waterway during the 1800s, eventually leaching into the surrounding sediment.
-
Treatment Of Cyanotoxins In Drinking Water With Activated Carbon
Recently, cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins have become a high profile drinking water quality concern in both the United States and abroad. The combination of weather conditions, agricultural phosphate runoff, and other factors has produced water conditions that have favored the formation of cyanobacteria in surface water supplies.
-
KETOS Ensures Consistent Product Quality With Water Quality Monitoring
A microbrewery utilizing groundwater as one of the water sources in the brewing process had difficulty receiving permits. A full lifecycle remediation and monitoring process needed to be in place to receive permits.
-
![GettyImages-533225455]( "Unseen Connections: How Non-Revenue-Water Is Linked To The Hidden Hazard Of Sinkholes")
Unseen Connections: How Non-Revenue-Water Is Linked To The Hidden Hazard Of SinkholesThis article explores how NRW can contribute to the formation of sinkholes, and why addressing non-revenue water is vital for preventing these potentially dangerous occurrences.
-
![lakearrowheadwastewaterreusecasestudy-3]( "Wastewater Treatment and Reuse - Lake Arrowhead, California")
Wastewater Treatment and Reuse - Lake Arrowhead, CaliforniaIn 2000, the district’s average water demand was 2.3 million gallons per day (MGD) (363 m3/hr) and was estimated to grow over 20% by 2030. Unfortunately, there was not a sufficient or permanent reliable source of supply to meet future demands.
DRINKING WATER APPLICATION NOTES
-
Protecting Pumps From Dead Head Conditions4/6/2017
The C445 motor management relay offers the most configurable protection options in the industry, with features specifically designed to protect critical pumps from costly damages due to dead-head and other underloaded or starved pump conditions.
-
What Are You Doing To My Pipe: Can PVC Pipe Be Loaded?4/13/2021
The argument has been used that PVC pipe is delicate and can’t be subjected to any kind of loading. In EBAA's years of testing we have found that is not the case at all. PVC can take an extreme amount of strain.
-
Determination Of Pesticide Residues In Tea4/10/2015
In 2012, Americans consumed well over 79 billion servings of tea, which is just over 3.60 billion gallons.
-
Real-Time Conductivity Monitoring Estimates Chloride Levels In Minnesota Watershed By Using The Aqua TROLL 20011/18/2011Monitoring deicing chemical levels can help researchers, city governments, and regulatory agencies understand runoff impacts on surface water, groundwater, and surrounding environments.
-
Panametrics Technology Helps Track Potable Water Leaks4/22/2022
Concerned about the volume of water leakages throughout their network, a Swedish water authority turned to Panametrics flowmeters to map their municipal water network -- enabling quick leak identification and fixes.
-
Simplify And Optimize Your Process With Level And Pump Control3/1/2022
Level controllers have evolved to meet today’s environmental challenges and industry demands. Learn how they support improved process management and, ultimately, a better bottom line.
-
Determination Of EN15662:2008 - Determination Of Pesticide Residue In Food Of Plant Origin, By An Automated QuEChERS Solution9/24/2014
Pesticide residue laboratories are required to undertake analyses of an ever increasing number of samples. The analyses typically involve use of multi-residue methods (both GC-MS and LC-MS) to test for over 500 pesticide residues.
-
Cloth Media Filtration Removes Coal Ash And Coal Fines At Power Plants1/15/2019
Coal-fired power plants generate coal fines and coal ash from a number of sources, including coal combustion residuals (CCR), particularly fly and bottom ash from coal furnaces, and coal pile runoff during rain events. In support of an industry-wide effort to reduce, improve, and remove coal ash ponds, a variety of technologies have been tested and employed. Read the full application note to learn more.
-
Water Determination In Liquefied Petroleum Gas Using GC BID And Ionic Liquid Column Watercol™6/28/2018
Water in petrochemical feedstocks can cause problems for processors. Freezing of pipe lines and valves and poisoning of expensive catalysts are just a few examples.
-
Complete Flow Solutions11/11/2024
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.
DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS
With 90 years of water treatment experience, Loprest has the expertise to design an effective treatment process for your water treatment challenges. From basic filtration and ion exchange to multiple contaminant applications, challenge Loprest for an economic, effective solution of your water quality compliance issue.
The DR6000™ is the industry’s most advanced laboratory spectrophotometer for water testing. It offers high-speed wavelength scanning across the UV and Visible Spectrum, and comes with over 250 pre-programmed methods including the most common water and environmental testing methods used today.
Endress+Hauser is committed to your business, for improved plant performance.
Loprest pressure filters can be provided in horizontal or vertical vessel configurations for flow rates from 50 to 5,000 GPM. The Loprest multi-cell pressure filter design produces its own backwash water, so there is no need for a separate treated water source and pumping system. The Loprest filter design has been optimized over many years for reliable, efficient, economical operation. All Loprest treatment systems are operated by a fully automated control package.
Hydra-Stop is proud to introduce the Bevel Gear Actuator to our line of solutions for control, now available for purchase. Ideal for shallow bury applications, the Bevel Gear Actuator allows for the operation of horizontal Insta-Valve 250 installations on lines as shallow as 12-18 inches."
In municipal drinking water applications or pre-treatment for desalination plants using gravity filters, the filter underdrain is one of the most important components contributing to overall system performance and operation — whether a new filter design or retrofitting an existing filter.
LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER
-
![GettyImages-1272611333]( "Ozone Formulas And Conversions")
Learn key ozone formulas, unit conversions, and measurement standards to accurately calculate generator output, concentration, and dosage for effective system design, performance verification, and safe operation.
-
![SaudiDesal-GettyImages-1139892550]( "Persian Gulf Desalination Plants Could Become Military Targets In Regional War")
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and neighboring countries in the Persian Gulf region use the fossil fuels under their desert lands not only to make money, but also to make drinking water. The petroleum they produce powers more than 400 desalination plants, which turn seawater into drinkable water. -
![chemical element Chromium-GettyImages-1376151842]( "From Compliance To Circularity: Rethinking Chromium Management In Chrome Tanning")
In an industrial landscape increasingly shaped by lifecycle accountability, material traceability, and rising disposal costs, chromium recovery is not merely a technical alternative — it is a strategic upgrade, where wastewater can become a resource stream. -
![GettyImages-1180604487 drought]( "Extreme Weather Is Transforming The World's Rivers. We Need New Ways To Protect Them")
Around the world, rivers are no longer changing gradually. Rather, they are being increasingly transformed by extreme climatic events such as floods, droughts, and heatwaves. A newly published global review finds these events are pushing ecosystems beyond their limits and eroding biodiversity and core functions. -
![PFAS regulatory requirement-GettyImages-2220893562]( "EPA Seeks Court‑Ordered Removal Of 4 PFAS Limits")
The U.S. EPA is testing a new procedural strategy to remove four PFAS drinking‑water limits from ongoing litigation, asking the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to invalidate those limits on the grounds that the EPA itself committed a procedural misstep when issuing the 2024 PFAS rule. -
![Water Pipe Leak-GettyImages-2231516202]( "Study Reveals A Comprehensive Guide To IoT Integration For Non-Revenue Water Management")
A recent study argues that the traditional, manual approach to drinking-water distribution-network monitoring and leak prevention is no longer sustainable. Instead, utilities must embrace the Internet of Things (IoT) to transition from reactive repairs to proactive asset management.
DRINKING WATER VIDEOS
Discover how integrated membrane system designs can maximize the operating stability of EDI systems and reduce mixed bed regeneration frequency.
Appearing on The Weather Channel's "Wake Up With Al" morning show, water expert Dan Theobald puts drinking water to the test by measuring total dissolved solids (TDS) in tap water samples from Brooklyn, Manhattan, and New Jersey, as well as bottled water samples.
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:
- Source water for a community’s drinking water supply
- Drinking water treatment of source water
- 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.