DRINKING WATER

WOL_iowa-park-smartball_385x250 Rural North Texas Community Cuts Non-Revenue Water By 42% With Pipeline Leak Detection Technology

Discover how a city solved its non-revenue water challenge by rapidly pinpointing three hard-to-find leaks in 13 miles of aging pipeline using a free-swimming acoustic tool.

DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS

  • Meeting The Challenge For Remote Leak Pinpointing

    Ranhill SAJ Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Ranhill Holdings Berhad, is an integrated water supply company in Malaysia, involved in the process of water treatment and distribution of treated water to consumers right up to billing and collection. It serves around 3.1 million population and manages 22,175 km of pipes over an area of approximately 19,000k m².

  • Liqui-Flux Case Study: Large-Scale Treatment Of River Water For Industrial Use

    Ultrafiltration (UF) is commonly used as a pre-treatment to Reverse Osmosis (RO) to ensure reliable, consistent and efficient operation. As Shandong Hongxin Chemicals Co., Ltd in China recently discovered, this consistency and reliability, along with quick setup and installation times, helped them realize convenience and cost savings.

  • To AMI Or Not To AMI: Lessons Learned From Global Omnium's Deployment, And Steps To Success

    Is AMI worth the investment? Where will the ROI come from? How long will it take the water utility to be fully operational after AMI implementation? How can risks be minimized?

  • Evolution Of Pipeline Leak Detection

    As the sheer number of pipelines crisscrossing the country continues to increase, there is an urgent need to ensure pipeline infrastructure safety. The age of many of the pipelines and the number of different products flowing makes this a challenging prospect. Now, new technology has been developed that meets the need for reliable protection that complies with regulatory requirements while eliminating false alarms.

  • Is Coagulation Followed By Filtration Viable To Remove Arsenic When Raw Water Arsenic Levels Are High? (Loprest)

    A pilot study hoped to demonstrate "proof of concept" if coagulation followed by filtration was a viable technology to remove arsenic when raw water arsenic levels are high.

  • Pilot Test For Manganese Removal Using Manganese Greensand

    Filtration rates, run times, backwash procedures, chemical dosage rates, etc. are all established by theoretical calculations and history. Therefore, Loprest’s goal in this pilot study was to conduct uninterrupted operation per bid testing procedures and document the results.

  • Aclara RF Network System Stands Up To Hurricane Sandy

    When Hurricane Sandy struck in October of 2012, Aclara's RF network technology, which was installed across New York City's five boroughs, was under pressure to perform effectively. 

  • Maximizing Speed And Accuracy In Microbiological Testing

    A quality outcome is only as reliable as the components and processes used to create and test it. When it comes to municipal drinking water, food, beverages, wastewater effluent, and other industrial applications, having reliable microbiological testing reference materials to benchmark quality control (QC) processes is essential. Here are some important points to consider when establishing or managing QC programs.

  • Avoiding The High Costs Of Aeration Inefficiency

    Knowing that aeration requirements consume 50 to 60 percent of a wastewater treatment plant's (WWTP) energy bill is one thing. Knowing exactly how and when to tweak aeration output to optimize activated sludge process efficiency with minimal energy waste is an entirely different story.

  • Removing Hexavalent Chromium From Groundwater Supplies

    This chromium removal pilot study was conducted for the County of San Bernardino, CA, at their CSA 70 Zone J - Well 5 treatment facility. Chromium in the CSA 70 Zone J – Well 5 raw water source exceeded the current maximum contaminant level (MCL) and was in need of a solution.

DRINKING WATER APPLICATION NOTES

  • Aquafine Ultraviolet Treatment Systems For TOC Reduction
    1/29/2025

    Aquafine TOC reduction units coupled with ion exchange systems or EDI will oxidize trace organics into smaller ionic species, carbon dioxide and water, which are more readily removed by ion exchange resins, EDI, and/or degasifiers.

  • Cloth Media Filtration Removes Coal Ash And Coal Fines At Power Plants
    1/15/2019

    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.

  • 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.

  • Bottled Water Industry: Liquid Analytical Solutions
    11/10/2013

    Americans consume more than 9.1 billion gallons of bottled water annually - an average of twenty nine gallons per person every year. 

  • Application Note: YSI Water Quality Monitoring Buoys Help Connecticut DOT Protect The Housatonic River
    12/27/2005
    When replacement of the Sikorski Bridge spanning the Housatonic River was authorized, Paul Corrente and the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CT-DOT) set about the design and development of a water quality monitoring program to monitor the contractor’s in-water activities to insure full protection of the river from perturbation
  • Analyzing Total Organic Carbon In Sea Water
    4/2/2015

    The analysis of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in seawater can be both challenging and expensive. The concentration of organic carbon in seawater is of considerable interest. The effect this matrix can have on TOC analyzers can lead to rapid consumable turnover, costly maintenance and repairs.

  • 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.

  • Dissolved Oxygen Measurement
    11/11/2013

    One of the most important measurements in the determination of the health of a body of water is its dissolved oxygen content. The quantity of dissolved oxygen in water is normally expressed in parts per million (ppm) by weight and is due to the solubility of oxygen from the atmosphere around us.

  • Real-Time Conductivity Monitoring Estimates Chloride Levels In Minnesota Watershed By Using The Aqua TROLL 200
    11/18/2011
    Monitoring deicing chemical levels can help researchers, city governments, and regulatory agencies understand runoff impacts on surface water, groundwater, and surrounding environments.
  • Reduced Bore Electromagnetic Flowmeter
    10/29/2021

    Being able to accurately measure both the quantity and rate of water passing through a water distribution system is crucial to gain an informed understanding of overall efficiency. As such, achieving a measurement that is exact as possible can have a significant impact on key areas. This includes supply planning, maintenance, resource deployment, leakage detection and the overall environment.

DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS

The Restraint Harness consists of one Series 1100 MEGALUG Restraint and one split bell back up ring. For use on water or wastewater pipelines subject to hydrostatic pressure and tested in accordance with either AWWA C600 or ASTM D2774.

ADVANCE™ Series 200 gas feeders are designed for or automatic gas regulation. Automatic operation requires a simple addition of a motorized control valve.

​AqueoUS Vets offers a technically superior line of products for various treatment requirements. These advanced technology products include filtration equipment as well as industry leading ion exchange resins and granular activated carbons (GAC). 

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."

Complete more tests on site, get the results you need faster, allowing you to visit more sites in each shift. Perform up to four colorimetric and two probe-based measurements in parallel 75% faster than with other methods.

From the experts in chlorine management comes a multi-parameter water analysis system offering both chlorine measurement and control in one versatile instrument. Tailor the modular MicroChem®3 to your individual application with up to three measurement parameters. Designed with extensive customer input, the easy and innovative system includes an intuitive touchscreen display, menu-driven software to easily guide users through set-up and operation, and a USB interface for software updates and data log downloads.

LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER

DRINKING WATER VIDEOS

In the water-scarce desert Southwest, the agricultural, urban and environmental sectors are constantly competing for limited water. So how do you handle the fact that each stakeholder within those sectors wants something different in a water management strategy, for now and for the future?

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.

Water scarcity challenges are growing. Manufacturing the products used in our daily lives consumes a large amount of water. Reusing treated wastewater provides the most sustainable source of clean water.

EXO, a state-of-the art water quality monitoring platform, is designed to address the many challenges of collecting accurate field data in the natural environment.

Architect Kate Orff sees the oyster as an agent of urban change. Bundled into beds and sunk into city rivers, oysters slurp up pollution and make legendarily dirty waters clean — thus driving even more innovation in "oyster-tecture." Orff shares her vision for an urban landscape that links nature and humanity for mutual benefit.

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.