DRINKING WATER
Advances In UV Disinfection For Wastewater Tertiary Treatment In Open Channels
Meeting modern water reuse goals requires moving past legacy disinfection. Advances in UV technology now provide chemical-free, reliable pathogen inactivation for even high-flow, open-channel tertiary treatment.
DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS
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![When It Comes To Smart Water Management, It All Starts With Flow]( "When It Comes To Smart Water Management, It All Starts With Flow")
When It Comes To Smart Water Management, It All Starts With FlowThere is a lot of buzz about smart water management in the water and wastewater market these days. It seems that every manufacturer, service provider and consultant is attempting to differentiate their offering by focusing on how smart it is. But in this modern age of data-driven operations, an old adage holds true: junk in, junk out. Regardless of how good your analytics package is, if you don’t collect reliable source data, your results will be skewed.
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![GettyImages-944946066_450_300]( "How To Pull A Representative Activated Carbon Sample (And Why It Matters)")
How To Pull A Representative Activated Carbon Sample (And Why It Matters)Analyzing a GAC sample reveals if the media should be reactivated or disposed of. Therefore, it is critical that operators follow this definitive guide for pulling a representative sample.
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![California Dreamin’? Pilot Study Makes Treating Arsenic, Manganese And Iron A Reality]( "California Dreamin'? Pilot Study Makes Treating Arsenic, Manganese And Iron A Reality (Loprest)")
California Dreamin'? Pilot Study Makes Treating Arsenic, Manganese And Iron A Reality (Loprest)A pilot study was conducted for arsenic, manganese, and iron treatment system at a well site. The onsite pilot test demonstrated the performance of the Loprest Water Treatment Company treatment process.
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![Horizontal]( "New Technology Is 'Groundbreaking Advancement' In Corrosion Control")
New Technology Is 'Groundbreaking Advancement' In Corrosion ControlV-Bio Polyethylene Encasement is the latest scientific advancement in corrosion control for ductile iron pipe. Its revolutionary formulation allows for complete confidence on the part of the owner, engineer and municipality that no matter how aggressive the soils, the rugged iron pipe installed will last for generations. This new technology builds on more than 50 years of research and development by the Ductile Iron Pipe Research Association. By Jordan Byrd, AMERICAN Ductile Iron Pipe
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![getty-1533481483]( "Predictive Modeling For Water Main Condition Assessments: M77 Manual Guidance")
Predictive Modeling For Water Main Condition Assessments: M77 Manual GuidanceBy waiting for water mains to break before taking action, utilities risk high, unanticipated costs, public disruption, safety concerns, and loss of community trust. So, what does it look like to move from reactive to proactive when it comes to water main management?
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![Clamp squeezing money GettyImages-1367082834]( "Cost And Complexity Continue To Constrain Sustainability And Resiliency Efforts: Survey")
Cost And Complexity Continue To Constrain Sustainability And Resiliency Efforts: SurveyAccording to Black & Veatch's 2023 Water Report, sustainability is considered a critical strategic focus by the majority of water utility stakeholders. The report surveys roughly 450 water industry stakeholders on topics ranging from climate change to regulations to federal funding programs.
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![GettyImages-1499105300_350_300]( "Supercharging Acoustic Leak Detection With Analytics")
Supercharging Acoustic Leak Detection With AnalyticsThe integration of advanced analytics can take acoustic leak detection systems to another level by leveraging noise filtering, pattern recognition, and comprehensive data analysis.
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![image-(19)]( "How FlexNet NaaS Delivers Utility-Grade AMI Without Upfront Costs")
How FlexNet NaaS Delivers Utility-Grade AMI Without Upfront CostsAs operational costs rise and aging infrastructure strains budgets, many water utilities are turning to Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) to reduce non-revenue water, streamline operations, and deliver better customer service.
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![getty-491114280-queenstown]( "UV Water Treatment Plants For Microorganism Prevention")
UV Water Treatment Plants For Microorganism PreventionRecognizing the urgent need to ensure safe drinking water, the Queenstown Lakes District Council in New Zealand partnered with FILTEC to implement advanced UV water treatment solutions across key plants.
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![GettyImages-1394387101_450_300 (002)]( "Building Trust: How Water Quality Monitoring Can Strengthen Consumer Relationships")
Building Trust: How Water Quality Monitoring Can Strengthen Consumer RelationshipsIn order to reassure consumers that their water is clean and stay ahead of legitimate risks, many water utilities are turning to online water quality monitoring in the distribution system.
DRINKING WATER APPLICATION NOTES
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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.
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Application Note: Ozone Measurement In Potable Water3/1/2010
Ozone is a powerful oxidizing agent that can be used to destroy the organic compounds that affect the taste and odor of potable water. Environmental concerns have led to increased use of ozone because, unlike chlorine, it does not form hazardous by-products.
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Circuit Board Cleanliness Testing10/29/2021
Contamination of circuit boards can bring about severe degradation of insulation resistance and dielectric strength. Cleanliness of completed circuit boards is, therefore, of vital interest. For those companies who have established circuit board cleaning procedures, the MIL Spec P-28809 has been used as a guideline for control. Now a simple "on line" test for the relative measurement of ionic contamination has been developed.
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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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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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Background And Summary Of Tests For The 2000PV Restraint4/13/2021
The 2000PV is a restraint for PVC pipe and the standardized mechanical joint. This product is the result of years of testing and evaluation and its performance has been proven by thousands of hours of proof tests, as well as third-party evaluations. This report describes the 2000PV through the 12" size.
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Preliminary Assessment Of Water Quality In Riviera Grise Near Port-Au-Prince, Haiti10/17/2012
The Riviera Grise drains water from the Cul-de-Sac watershed, Haiti, which covers most of the rural areas along the flood plains and areas that extend into steep hillsides. It also covers urban areas of Port-Au-Prince, the capital city of Haiti.
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TOC Monitoring In Process Return Condensate4/23/2021
Industrial power plants or co-generation power plants utilize steam for industrial purposes other than power production.
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Immediate pH Correction For Fluctuating Flow2/19/2014
In a number of water, wastewater and industrial process applications, pH is one of the most critical and highly sensitive analytical measurements. Examples of critical pH applications include: Reverse Osmosis (RO) systems in which a controlled feed of caustic solution is typically added to the feed stream in order to convert a portion of dissolved carbon dioxide into bicarbonate precipitate allowing for removal by the RO membrane. By Rafik H. Bishara, Steve Jacobs, and Dan Bell
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Pikeville, Kentucky Medical Center Leak Found Despite Ambient Noise6/23/2021
Leaks found in 60 psi high density PE pipe by FELL in less than three hours. Acoustic and CCTV failed to find any leaks after more than a year of investigation. Read the full case study to learn more.
DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS
Every drop costs you money The estimated cost associated with produced water treatment in the United States is approximately $18B. The cost of cleaning produced water is 300 times greater than municipal waste water and 3,000 times greater than irrigation water.
The Aztec 600 Low Range Manganese Analyzer AW634 offers reliable and accurate on-line analysis of manganese up to 0.10 ppm Mn.
CHEM-FEED Wall Mount Skid Systems were designed and engineered using solid modeling tools for superior piping installation and easy component maintenance. Every skid is completely assembled, tested, and shipped directly to you.
Swan has long been a trusted source for photometric analyzers like chlorine, phosphate and silica. Now with the Seres OL line you'll find added measurement options with applications across a spectrum of industries. Click below for more details on specific models.
The Lmic is an easy-to-use, low-cost electronic listening stick combined with a ground microphone. It is ideal for general leak-sounding operations and can be fitted with either a tripod foot (for use as a ground microphone) or probe rods (for sounding at fittings or in the soft ground).
The AquaDrum® Pressure Series cloth media filter is a pressurized vessel consisting of a perforated, vertically oriented drum utilizing OptiFiber® pile cloth filtration media.
LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER
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![Fresh-Idea-GettyImages-174289801]( "From The War Of Currents To The Water Grid: Lessons In Infrastructure, Innovation, And Integration")
How Edison vs. Tesla shapes today’s approach to sustainable water systems.
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![AMGlauria]( "Extracting Water From Air: A Historical And Military Perspective")
In the early 2000s, I was consulting for a military contractor on expanding their mobile water treatment system for military applications. As part of that work, I researched other water supply technologies used by the U.S. military, including atmospheric water generation (AWG) — the process of extracting potable water directly from the air.
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![1390145767-microplastics]( "Solving The World's Microplastics Problem: 4 Solutions Cities And States Are Trying After Global Treaty Talks Collapsed")
Microplastics seem to be everywhere — in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat. Countries have tried for the past few years to write a global plastics treaty that might reduce human exposure, but the latest negotiations collapsed in August 2025. While U.S. and global solutions seem far off, policies to limit harm from microplastics are gaining traction at the state and local levels.
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![angela-rodriguez]( "Charting The Course: Q&A With Calgon Carbon's Technical Director, Dr. Angela Rodriguez")
Calgon Carbon’s Dr. Angela Rodriguez shares insights on PFAS treatment, regulatory readiness, sustainability, and how innovative carbon technologies help utilities balance compliance, cost control, and environmental goals.
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![Typhoon, windstorm, superstorm-GettyImages-2188561320]( "What Water Utilities Need To Know About Climate Adaptation")
No one knows more than water utilities how changing climate conditions are impacting the challenges and costs of delivering clean drinking water to communities they serve. In a recent episode of The Water Online Show, climate experts Jesse M. Keenan from Tulane University and Edgar Westerhof of Arcadis discussed the issue of resiliency for drinking water and wastewater systems. -
![droughtweeds_Getty-1130936724]( "Droughts Don't Just Dry Up Water — They Drain Livelihoods And Weaken Local Economies")
Droughts hit utilities and agriculture hardest. Shrinking water supplies wilt crops and strain water providers. But the impact extends far beyond them.
DRINKING WATER VIDEOS
In Raleigh, N.C., there's a house... or what looks like a house. What's hidden inside is more important than most people realize.
V-Bio Polyethylene Encasement is the latest scientific advancement in corrosion control for ductile iron pipe. In this interview with Water Online, Maury Gaston of American Ductile Iron Pipe and American SpiralWeld Pipe talks about the many benefits of iron pipe and the company’s improved polyethylene encasement, including how its revolutionary formulation allows for complete confidence on the part of the owner, engineer and municipality that no matter how aggressive the soils, the rugged iron pipe installed will last for generations.
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.
Stanford Earth’s Rosemary Knight recently spearheaded a project to map underground freshwater resources and forecast the intrusion of saltwater into aquifers beneath the California coastal town of Marina.
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.