DRINKING WATER
Keep Your Cool: The Importance Of Advanced Side Stream Filtration In Data Center Operation
Advanced side stream filtration protects sensitive cooling infrastructure in data centers, extending membrane life, reducing water and energy use, and preventing costly downtime caused by particulate-loaded cooling water.
DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS
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ABB Flowmeters Help Cut Water Loss In Bangkok
ABB’s AquaMaster flowmeters have been integral to the overall water management solution. Over 400 AquaMaster flowmeters actively serve the Bangkok Metropolitan area helping optimize the management of the water distribution network.
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Desalination In The Caribbean
More than 7,000 islands of the Caribbean Archipelago are scattered over a million-square-mile area between North and South America. Some smaller islands are naturally dry, but some volcanic islands — like Grenada and St. Lucia — are well forested and provide significant water catchment to support spring water and surface water. But, as populations, agriculture, and industry grow, desalination is becoming more attractive as a water source throughout the entire region.
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Alternatives To Pump Alternation Schemes Using Advanced Level Controllers
This article will focus on the pump control functionality of advanced level controllers and how they can help to optimize your process.
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Water For A Healthy World
We are pleased to present Xylem’s ninth annual Sustainability Report, which describes our efforts in 2019 to solve global water challenges and support a healthy world. The How We Think About Sustainability section of this report explains the connection between current and emerging issues of water scarcity, water systems resilience to climate change and other water challenges and water affordability, and Xylem’s pivotal role in addressing these issues. We close out our goals set in 2014 and share our initial progress report against our 2025 goals, which we introduced in 2019, including Signature Goals designed to tackle some of the world’s most pressing water issues.
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Filtration Of Invasive Zebra Mussels From Lake Michigan
Due to new construction and foot print limitations for the Milwaukee Art Museum, a new chiller feed line was fed directly from Lake Michigan and a filtration system was needed to prevent zebra mussels from entering the feed line and clogging the system.
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Tennessee Town Checks For Water Loss In More Than 8,000 Feet Of Pipe
Learn how Electro Scan helped a rural Tennessee town check for water loss and to find the sources of its non-revenue water (NRW).
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Direct Burial Meters Offer Significant Savings
Most pipelines are below grade, so vaults have traditionally been installed to provide access to any place where a meter and valve are necessary. Vault pits tend to be large, and the installation is by far the biggest expense of a metering project. The good news is that direct burial metering options can greatly simplify the installation requirements, significantly lowering the costs, while also boosting safety.
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The Chemistry Of A Bloom: What Water Tests Reveal About Toxic Algae
Understanding the chemistry behind algal blooms is key to early detection, effective monitoring, and mitigating their impacts. Fortunately, water testing technologies are revealing powerful insights into what’s really happening below the surface.
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On The Job In 72 Hours Following Utility's Massive Water Main Break
On the morning of December 12, 2017, about 30 homes in the Shelby Park neighborhood of Lousiville, KY, were without water, and others were experiencing low water pressure after a massive water main break at the intersection of Clay and Oak streets. More than 20 million gallons of water flooded the neighborhood, covering a three-block area.
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An Alternative Mathematical Model For Oxygen Transfer Evaluation In Clean Water
Energy consumption from aeration system is a biggest part of the total energy cost in wastewater treatment plant and account for as much as 60% of the energy consumption for the activated sludge process. Therefore, it is very important to know how effective the aeration system and significant attention has been paid to development and upgrade of standard method for quantifying oxygen transfer efficiency of the aeration system. By Yanjun (John) He, PE, BCEE, Kruger Inc.
DRINKING WATER APPLICATION NOTES
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Application Note: Miami Conservancy District Uses Nitrate Screening As Conjunctive Management Tool1/20/2010Tasked with monitoring a watershed covering nearly 4,000 square miles, almost 2,300 miles of rivers and streams, and a huge aquifer that provides drinking water for more than 1.2 million people, water quality monitoring specialists at the Miami Conservancy District (MCD) in Dayton, Ohio, have their hands full. By YSI
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TOC Analysis: The Best Tool In A Drinking Water Facility's Toolbox5/3/2019
SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions designs and manufactures Sievers Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Analyzers that enable near real-time reporting of organic carbon levels for treatment optimization, quality control & regulatory compliance. TOC has a wide range of applicability at a drinking water plant, and therefore any drinking water utility — large or small — can measure TOC in their laboratory or online in their treatment process.
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Secret To Disinfection Monitoring For High Chlorine Residual Wastewater Applications8/2/2015
Some wastewater applications require chlorine residuals greater than can be effectively monitored using DPD due to the oxidation of the Wurster dye to a colorless Imine. Such applications include industrial wastewater processes that inherently have a high chlorine demand thereby requiring a more robust monitoring method.
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Ion Exchange Resins And Activated Carbons For Better-Tasting Water12/18/2013
For many, access to good-tasting tap water is limited, and buying bottled water can be expensive. Simple pour-through jug filters offer a low-cost and effective alternative. Activated carbons, in conjunction with ion exchange products, produce drinking water that is absent of all industrial pesticides and contaminants.
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HOD™ (Hydro-Optic Disinfection) UV Water Treatment For Bottled Water3/27/2025
The HOD™ (Hydro-Optic Disinfection) UV water treatment system by Atlantium Technologies represents a groundbreaking advancement in drinking water disinfection, particularly for the bottled water industry.
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Optimization Of Water Treatment Using Zeta Potential5/27/2020
Drinking water in the US and developed nations of the world is treated to remove contamination of foreign materials, both mineral and organic.
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'TOTEX' Is Key When Purchasing Instrumentation4/29/2021
There’s a lot to be considered in the price tag of an ultrasonic instrument. Derek Moore from Siemens explains how the historical way of thinking only of capital costs needs to change to the more holistic approach of total expenditures.
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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.
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Application Note: Using Real-Time Telemetry For Ecological Monitoring Of Coastal Wetlands2/3/2011The Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR)in Mississippi is one of 27 protected estuarine reserves across the United States. By YSI
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Improved Determination Of Volatile Organic Compounds In Water By SPME And GC/MS6/21/2018
The analysis of water for volatile organic compounds is important due to their toxicity. The current methods for this determination lack of sensitivity, selectivity or capability for automation. This paper presents the new ISO 17943 Standard using Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) and GC/MS. The sample preparation by SPME enables limits of detection and easy automation of the whole method. GC/MS provides the required sensitivity and selectivity. This ISO Standard was validated by an interlaboratory trial, which results confirm the outstanding performance for this method.
LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER
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Water pricing often fails to reflect scarcity, quality, or long-term risk, forcing companies to act internally. But this action is not being done in a vacuum. The ripple effect of internal water pricing is bound to impact water utilities, and ultimately, ratepayers and consumers.
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Misinformation and confusion could prevent some utilities from benefitting from the aqueous film-forming foam multidistrict litigation (AFFF MDL) settlements. Here are five common myths about the AFFF MDL PFAS settlements and how public water systems can make the most of this unprecedented funding opportunity.
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Every year on November 19, Water Mission observes World Toilet Day — a day designated by the United Nations to focus on the importance of safe sanitation for all.
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Global Water Outcomes expert notes that “water utilities are facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities,” citing the role of digital solutions moving forward.
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In this Q&A, Dr. Elke Süss of Metrohm addresses the urgent need for haloacetic acid testing in response to “one of the most significant updates to EU drinking water monitoring in recent years.”
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Amazon and Xylem partner to tackle Mexico’s leaking water systems as the country balances water scarcity and a growing tech sector.
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.