DRINKING WATER
4 Essential Truths About Carbon Reactivation
Long-standing myths about GAC reactivation are being increasingly challenged, revealing performance, cost, and sustainability benefits many utilities may have overlooked.
DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS
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Troubleshooting A Sudden Fecal Coliform Non-Compliance Event
A municipal wastewater treatment plant investigated a sudden increase in fecal coliform exceedance events.
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Theoretical Operation Of High-Efficiency Ultraviolet Water Treatment Chamber
The NeoTech Aqua ReFleX™ water purification chambers are the most efficient and compact units available today. They require an order of magnitude less energy and less than 25% of the system volume to achieve the same or better purification result as competing chambers. This is the first in a series of three white papers explaining the benefits of these systems. By J. R. Cooper, Ph.D, NeoTech Aqua Solutions, Inc.
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![Mag-Meters-and-Flow-Straighteners-blog-image-450x300]( "Electromagnetic Flow Meters, Flow Straighteners, And Vanes: Compatible Or Not?")
Electromagnetic Flow Meters, Flow Straighteners, And Vanes: Compatible Or Not?Those familiar with propeller flow meters are usually familiar with their common counterparts, flow straighteners and vanes. Implemented to reduce swirl in shorter straight-run applications, straighteners are a complementary instrument for agriculture, irrigation, and municipal flow measurement applications.
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![insta-valve250-prescott]( "Achieving Pipe Replacement Success While Keeping Service Disruptions at Bay")
Achieving Pipe Replacement Success While Keeping Service Disruptions at BayIn this case study, read about an insertion valve that provided targeted control for an AC pipe removal project without widespread service outages.
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Water: The Elixir Of Life And Fuel For The Economy
One of the greatest challenges that we face in the future is supplying the world with clean water. This is inextricably linked with the energy-efficient recycling of wastewater. Resource-efficient process automation has a pivotal role to play here.
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![1395075449-analytical-thinking]( "Water Quality: Why Analytical Thinking Has Never Been More Important")
Water Quality: Why Analytical Thinking Has Never Been More ImportantIn an era of increased scrutiny for delivering efficient and sustainable industrial practices, the maxim “you can’t manage what you don’t measure” is well known to anyone, particularly those whose daily role revolves around monitoring and improving water quality.
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Digitization, Water Concerns, And Smart Meters
As our society continues to embrace digital technology, it’s fair to say that the world of water utilities will be, a major beneficiary of this revolution.
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![mannheim-WTP]( "Mannheim Water Treatment Plant Upgrades to Sidestream Injection")
Mannheim Water Treatment Plant Upgrades to Sidestream InjectionLearn why Mannheim Water Treatment Plant's fine bubble diffusers were replaced with sidestream injection systems comprised of four skid-mounted venturi injectors, followed by four basin nozzle manifolds.
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![DuctileIronPipe]( "The Design Decision Model® Reveals Longevity Of Ductile Iron Pipe")
The Design Decision Model® Reveals Longevity Of Ductile Iron PipeEarlier this year, Maury D. Gaston, manager of Marketing Services for AMERICAN Ductile Iron Pipe and chairman of the Alabama Iron and Steel Council, presented at the 2019 NACE Corrosion Conference on Metallized Arc-Sprayed Zinc Coated Ductile Iron Pipe.
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![GettyImages-453255449_connecticut]( "Connecticut Water Utility Successfully Removes 45% Of Trihalomethanes (THMs)")
Connecticut Water Utility Successfully Removes 45% Of Trihalomethanes (THMs)While the addition of chlorine is one of the safest and most effective means for water disinfection, under certain circumstances chlorine in combination with naturally occurring organic compounds in water can lead to the formation of undesirable disinfection byproducts (DBPs).
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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FLEX-TEND® Flexible Expansion Joints, Features And Specifications12/3/2020
FLEX-TEND® flexible expansion joints are designed to protect structures and pipelines from differential movement whether this movement is earthquake induced or the gradual motion of soil subsidence. This bulletin offers a concise listing and discussion of the important features and materials of the double and single ball assemblies.
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LC-MS Analysis Of PFAS Compounds In EPA Methods 537.1, 533 And 832711/4/2021
The Ascentis Express PFAS HPLC column is designed for the separation of novel and legacy PFAS as per recent EPA methods. A specific PFAS delay column prevents background PFAS contamination from interfering with sample results in quantitative LC-MS methods.
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Colorimetric vs Amperometric Technologies3/9/2026
Choose the right chlorine monitoring approach by weighing the continuous, reagent-free speed of amperometric sensing against the superior, stable accuracy of batch-based colorimetric analysis, ensuring long-term reliability based on specific site and process requirements.
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Aries Arsenic Reduction1/7/2026
Arsenic has no smell, taste, or color when dissolved in water even in high concentrations. It is a potential concern to those who live in areas with high natural deposits of arsenic, receive runoff from orchards, or from glass and electronic production waste. Long-term exposure to arsenic can cause a number of harmful effects on the human body including cancer, skin lesions, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, among others.
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The Basics: Testing RO Quality4/28/2014
Osmosis is the phenomenon of lower dissolved solids in water passing through a semi-permeable membrane into higher dissolved solids water until a near equilibrium is reached.
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The Basics: ORP and Free Chlorine Monitoring5/13/2014
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.
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SensyMaster Thermal Mass Flowmeter8/3/2021
SensyMaster helps to improve the operating costs of the most cost intensive process in sewage plants: Aeration. High-measuring performance and state of the art technology helps customers increase plant efficiency.
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Waste Technologies Transform Problems To Profit9/8/2015
Anaerobic digestion processes that radically improve the quality of wastewater while delivering green energy extracted from biological waste streams are emerging as a profitable way for agricultural and food processing industries cope with the twin impact of drought and pollution challenges.
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Drinking Water Testing By Ion Chromatography Using Ultrapure Water9/29/2022
This application note demonstrates the suitability of ultrapure water produced by a Milli-Q IQ 7000 water purification system for the IC analyses of inorganic ions and DBPs in drinking water.
DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS
The HYMAX VERSA is a coupling that can wrap around damaged pipe usually repaired with the cut-and-replace technique while providing dynamic deflection to reduce the risk of damage caused by ground shifts.
The TrojanUVFlex is designed with features to make installation and operation simpler, faster, and more cost-effective than ever before. Built on the proven TrojanUV Solo Lamp Technology platform, TrojanUVFlex allows for energy-efficient high-intensity delivery of UV light in an extremely compact footprint.
The OPTIFLUX 2100 is an electromagnetic flowmeter (EMF) for standard water and wastewater applications. It is the ideal solution for all general flow applications where reliable flow measurement with sufficient yet not extremely high accuracy is required. Installation in measurement chambers subject to (constant) flooding is possible with the remote IP68 / NEMA 6P rated version.
A comprehensive solution for water quality testing with integrated data intelligence.
For financial leaders and engineers, every investment must drive efficiency, reliability, and long-term savings. Pinnacle Ozone Solutions delivers cutting-edge ozone systems designed to reduce costs, improve performance, and future-proof operations.
FILTRASORB® granular activated carbon (GAC) represents Calgon Carbon’s signature product line, providing over 60 years of successful contaminant removal. Developed for the removal of organic compounds from water, Calgon Carbon’s best-in-class FILTRASORB products have the trifecta of key activated carbon attributes: high overall performance, strength/durability, and competitive pricing. Acting as a dual-purpose media, FILTRASORB provides both filtration and adsorption for treating surface water and groundwater in the production of clean, safe drinking water.
LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER
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![Reservoir spillway dumping overflow-GettyImages-2152233125]( "Applying Two Flood Models To Cross-Check And Improve Each Other — And Maybe Saving A Downstream Village In The Process")
Getting a second opinion is a time-tested piece of wisdom. During a recent project for a municipal water supply utility, we found that this advice also applies to modeling the effects storms have on the municipality’s reservoirs and dams, and the potential flooding impacts downstream of the dams.
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![Research, probing, monitoring atmosphere-GettyImages-987881424]( "How Satellite IoT Can Enhance Remote Water System Monitoring")
There is a noticeable shift in how monitoring data is being treated across the water sector. It is no longer something that sits quietly in the background of operations, collected for compliance, and reviewed periodically. It is being examined more closely, and more often, by a wider set of stakeholders.
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![ozone production]( "Mass Transfer Efficiency: The Most Important Metric In Ozone System Design")
Ozone output doesn’t guarantee performance. Learn how mass transfer efficiency determines how much ozone dissolves, drives treatment results, and impacts energy use and system design.
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![Cahaba River-GettyImages-2152826831]( "What Is The Future Of Source Water Protection?")
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. -
![Bacteria, Medical research, healthcare-GettyImages-2161239007]( "The Hidden Legionella Risk In Closed-Loop Systems")
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. -
![Avoid pitfall Planning, obstacle avoidance-GettyImages-2167644498]( "Common AMI Implementation Mistakes And How To Avoid Them")
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.
DRINKING WATER VIDEOS
More than 100 beers were on tap during the Xylem beer tasting event in New Orleans. While each beer had it’s own flavor, every beer was brewed with one special ingredient… reuse water. Watch the video to learn more.
This 45-minute webinar will explore the latest technology and methodologies that are transforming water management. Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of how real-time data analytics can significantly enhance the efficiency and accuracy of water-loss detection and proactive management.
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).
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.