DRINKING WATER
Reaching Utility-Grade AMI Without Compromise: How Utilities Can Remove Barriers To High-Performance Networks
Overcome the financial and operational barriers to high-performance AMI by exploring how specialized network architecture and service-based delivery models eliminate risk. Learn how to achieve prioritized communication, long-term resilience, and total operational control without high upfront costs.
DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS
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![Integrated Membrane Facility In The City Of Delaware, Ohio]( "Integrated Membrane Facility In The City Of Delaware, Ohio")
Integrated Membrane Facility In The City Of Delaware, OhioTo better comply with the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2) the City of Delaware (Ohio) piloted Torayfil hollow-fiber PVDF membrane modules to treat surface water for their 7.2 mgd full-scale facility. After significant review of the data, cost, and other factors, the City and URS selected Toray to utilize in the full scale design. Read the full case study to learn more.
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Article: Validation Of Online Monitors Using EPA 334.0 And EPA-Approved Or Accepted Laboratory Meter Reporting Methods There has long been verification testing between lab and online instrumentation for water quality measurements, especially for Drinking Water and Wastewater (DW//WW). By Jane L. Stevens, Product Manager, Thermo Fisher Scientific
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![GettyImages-1307827350_elmhurst IL]( "AMI And Leak Detection Stops The Flow Of Non-Revenue Water")
AMI And Leak Detection Stops The Flow Of Non-Revenue WaterHow are water utilities getting the deluge of real and apparent water losses under control? The City of Elmhurst, a stately suburb west of Chicago with a population of about 46,000 residents, is a case study on how one municipality took on the issue.
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![GettyImages-1336407957 drought]( "Rethinking Water: How Integrated Resource Management Can Solve the Global Scarcity Crisis")
Rethinking Water: How Integrated Resource Management Can Solve the Global Scarcity CrisisIn this article, discover how integrated resource management can reduce overall water demand by tailoring water use to its most appropriate application, thereby helping regions optimize their water portfolios.
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![algae_Getty-1215336784]( "EPA Researchers Study What Causes Agricultural Nutrients To Move Into Waterbodies")
EPA Researchers Study What Causes Agricultural Nutrients To Move Into WaterbodiesPhosphorus and nitrogen are essential nutrients to people, animals, and plant growth. They occur naturally in the environment at low levels; however, they can also occur in high levels when introduced through sources like agriculture. When excess nitrogen and phosphorous used in fertilizers and manure seep from agricultural fields into watersheds, they can impact larger waterbodies by increasing algae growth. This can result in harmful algal blooms, which produce toxins that can negatively impact drinking water sources, aquatic species, and recreational water activities.
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![P8152355---Larry-Wilt.jpg]( "What Facility Managers Are Saying About Online Zeta Potential")
What Facility Managers Are Saying About Online Zeta PotentialA chat with Larry Wilt of American Water/Tolt Water Treatment Plant in Seattle, WA gets to the heart of what facility managers have to say about online Zeta potential.
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![land surface]( "A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Wells: Improving Our Groundwater “Vision” With Electrical Resistivity Imaging")
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Wells: Improving Our Groundwater “Vision” With Electrical Resistivity ImagingWe can often see how and where the water moves through the water cycle, like clouds releasing rain, which runs down a hillside into a stream. But things get a little more mysterious when that water soaks into the ground — where does it go and how does it move through the Earth?
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![GettyImages-1152275506_450_300]( "Operational Resilience Through Temporary Water Reuse Solutions")
Operational Resilience Through Temporary Water Reuse SolutionsTemporary water reuse systems help industrial plants avoid costly downtime by maintaining treatment capabilities during maintenance, failure, or testing—offering fast deployment, flexibility, and permanent-quality results.
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Drought Solutions Around The World
Extremely vulnerable to climate change and water insecurity, Singapore innovating its way to being a leader in sustainable water solutions.
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Santa Barbara, Curaçao Desalination Plant: Six Years Of Operation Of LG Chem Thin Film Nanocomposite (TFN) SWRO Membrane
The Santa Barbara desalination plant located in the south-eastern part of Curaçao provides drinking water to about half of the population of this Caribbean island. With an average precipitation of approximately 500 mm, rainwater is the only natural source of freshwater in the island. Government efforts to address the water shortage problem date back to the 20s of the last century. Initially based on evaporation, the seawater desalination evolved into the reverse osmosis technology in the 90s. After several years of experimenting with RO, Aqualectra, the municipal supplier of potable water and electricity for Curaçao, took the decision to move forward with this technology and in 2003 started a project to build a SWRO desalination plant.
DRINKING WATER APPLICATION NOTES
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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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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.
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Optimizing Brine Flow In A Geothermal Power Plant1/27/2022
Different flow meter technologies were used in this geothermal power plant to monitor and measure brine. However, these traditional technologies failed. That’s where Panametrics PT900 Portable Ultrasonic Flowmeter was able to help.
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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.
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Network Monitors Water Quality In Shale Gas Drilling Region9/2/2011High-pressure injection of water, sand, and chemicals that fracture shale deposits deep underground to free trapped natural gas is employed by drillers tapping the Marcellus shale beds, a geologic deposit that stretches from central New York to Virginia and contains gas believed to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars. By YSI
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Advances In Paper-Based Devices For Water Quality Analysis2/22/2017
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.
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Dissolved Oxygen Measurement11/11/2013
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.
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MEGA-STOP Bell Protection System Aids In Pipe Joint Assembly4/13/2021
Water and wastewater piping come in a variety of materials, joints, and diameters. They can meet a multitude of demands and needs for the country's infrastructure.
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LC-MS Analysis Of 33 PFAS Compounds In 5 Minutes11/4/2021
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.
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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.
DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS
The AquaDrum® Pressure Series cloth media filter is a pressurized vessel consisting of a perforated, vertically oriented drum utilizing OptiFiber® pile cloth filtration media.
This portable water analysis instrument is designed to be extremely accurate, fast and simple to use in diverse water quality applications.
This filter is designed to provide economical treatment of smaller flows with the added advantage of retrofitting existing traveling bridge sand filters.
SITRANS LT500 is the next evolution of digital level, flow, and pump controllers for radar and ultrasonic transmitters – or any 2-wire 4-20 mA device. It is the first choice for radar sensor measurements at 80 GHz and features single and dual point measurements, 6 relays, and Modbus RTU, HART, PROFIBUS DP, PROFIBUS PA, PROFINET.
The Sensus Analytics Pressure Profile software provides full visibility of your water system with near real-time pressure data and seamless data collection.
The Model T70G4000 chlorine dioxide generator is designed to produce and consistently maintain a product yield greater than 90%, which makes it ideal for drinking water treatment. It is a two chemical system, utilizing commercially available concentrations of hydrochloric acid and sodium chlorite in the production of chlorine dioxide. No chlorine gas is required. A proven design, durable construction and the use of the best available corrosion-resistant materials assure efficient gas production, precise solution feeding, low maintenance and dependable operation for the life of the equipment.
LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER
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![innovation, eco-friendly energy, creativity, sustainable technology-GettyImages-2271193996]( "Why Energy Efficiency Is The Quietest Form Of Risk Management")
For the better part of a decade, industrial electricity prices behaved like a slowly shifting floor. From 2016 through 2020, wholesale prices in most major markets were remarkably stable. A plant built in 2018 could reasonably expect its electricity costs to drift, not lurch, through the early 2020s. That baseline is gone.
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![Green Algae-GettyImages-1929939980]( "The Devastating Legacy Of Algaecides: Why The Quick Fix Is Failing Our Lakes")
As warmer months approach, water management professionals must confront the compounding consequences of biocidal algae treatments. -
![Water Technology symbol-GettyImages-1305032997]( "Do Water Meters Still Need External Transmitters?")
Expectations for transparency and reliability in water-metering infrastructure have risen. As a result, a fundamental question is emerging across the industry: if modern ultrasonic meters are already smart, why are we still adding intelligence outside the meter?
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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.
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.
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.
IPR'S CIPP liner system for gravity-flow sewers and culverts is the most proven, cost-effective trenchless pipeline rehabilitation system in the industry. It is also the most widely specified form of trenchless pipeline rehabilitation.
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.