DRINKING WATER

GettyImages-2188554976_450_300 Why Planning Is The Hero Of AMI Deployment

Thorough planning, accurate data, and strong communication are the keys to successful AMI deployments, preventing costly disruptions and ensuring technology delivers long-term operational and customer service value.

DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS

  • Rural Water Corporation Solves Chloramine Residual Issue

    Bluebonnet Rural Water Corporation (BRWC), a subsidiary of Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, serves approximately 1,094 water meters in northeast Washington County, TX, but had a water storage problem not unfamiliar to even the largest water utilities in Texas.

  • Special Considerations For Extreme PFAS Sites

    The best way to combat the extreme PFAS at highly contaminated environments as economically as possible is to develop a custom approach that takes every factor into account and isn’t beholden to any specific technology.

  • High-Precision Non-Invasive Temperature Measurement

    This white paper presents ABB’s new TSP341-N temperature sensor for non-invasive temperature measurement and provides examples for applications and accuracies that can be achieved. The present Edition II of the whitepaper additionally presents the results of a direct comparison of non-invasive temperature measurements with classic measurements in a measuring medium, achieved in realistic conditions. These results emphasize the outstanding suitability of the device for multiple applications.

  • In The Field With EPA: Seagrass Sampling To Expand A Nutrient Pollution Indicator

    Native seagrasses are a foundation of healthy marine ecosystems and provide important ecosystem services. Threats to water quality, like excess nutrients, create unfavorable conditions for seagrass. To address this problem, EPA is working with partners in Puerto Rico on a new project to evaluate the potential applicability of a nutrient pollution indicator (NPI) for tropical seagrasses. 

  • From Zero To 2 Million

    Since 1977, Endress+Hauser has produced over two million electromagnetic flowmeters. That is more than any other manufacturer. “This magic number stands for high-quality measuring technology and, above all, satisfied customers in all kinds of industries,” says Bernd-Josef Schäfer, Managing Director of Endress+Hauser Flowtec AG, the center of competence for flow measuring technology.

  • Looking Ahead: Treatment Plant Counts On Trusted Supplier For Latest Technology

    Learn about the underdrain system that successfully delivered clean water in Northern Illinois. 

  • Northshore Utility District Boosts Reading Efficiency By More Than 900 Percent, While Improving Customer Service

    When Northshore Utility District began searching for a new meter reading solution in 2006, achieving a strong return on investment was a critical factor in its selection process.

  • Stratification Concerns In Water Storage Tanks

    As spring and summer approach, stored water flow and temperature will gradually increase in all water storage tanks. This results in chemical and thermal stratification. Learn how a robust active mixer can eliminate chemical and thermal stratification.

  • High Efficiency Media Filtration And Ultraviolet (UV) Disinfection Is Becoming A Crucial Component For Today's Cooling Tower Needs

    An increasing number of technology industries are turning to cooling towers to remove excess heat from buildings or processes. Server farms or server clusters are typically located between the system switches and routers, the removal of heat from these facilities is critical to their optimal performance.

  • Straining To Make Diaphragm Operated Automatic Control Valves Effective

    Diaphragm Operated Automatic Control Valves (ACVs) require reasonably clean water to function effectively and reliably.  Having a strainer upstream of the actual ACV is very important, but also having a smaller strainer located at the inlet of the pilot system on the ACV is also well advised. By Brad Clarke,VP Sales and Marketing, Singer Valve

DRINKING WATER APPLICATION NOTES

  • Circuit Board Cleanliness Testing
    10/29/2021

    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.

  • Application Note: Continuous Monitoring Of Drinking Water Provides Assurance Of Safety
    9/28/2005
    A water utility in Ohio wanted to learn more about the variability of water quality parameters such as pH, ORP, turbidity, and chlorine. Previously, most of these parameters had been measured by spot sampling protocols with only a few measurements during a daily period. In order to more accurately assess the water variability, the utility used a YSI 6920DW Drinking Water Multiprobe
  • Alcoholic Beverage Fusel Alcohol Testing With Static Headspace
    9/2/2014

    A static headspace method was developed using Teledyne Tekmar automated headspace vial samplers to meet the method requirements of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau of the US Department of the Treasury (TTB) method SSD: TM:2001 for testing fusel alcohols in alcoholic beverages.

  • Removal Of Chloramines With Activated Carbon
    12/30/2013

    In order to reduce the formation of harmful disinfection byproducts in drinking water, alternative disinfectant use has become increasingly widespread. Monochloramine is a leading alternative disinfectant that offers advantages for municipal water. This tech brief details the removal of monochloramine using activated carbon.

  • The Basics: Testing RO Quality
    4/28/2014

    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.

  • LC-MS Analysis Of PFAS Compounds In EPA Methods 537.1, 533 And 8327
    11/4/2021

    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.

  • Veterinary Drug Residue Analysis Using The AutoMate-Q40: An Automated Solution To QuEChERS
    10/1/2014

    QuEChERS is a Quick-Easy-Cheap-Effective-Rugged-Safe extraction method that has been developed for the determination of pesticide residues in agricultural commodities.

  • A Comparative Study Of On-Line And Laboratory TOC Analyzers For Analysis Of Raw And Finished Drinking Water
    4/5/2013

    Total organic carbon (TOC) analysis is an important indicator of water quality throughout the drinking water treatment process. Raw source water is progressively treated in chemical coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, and filtration steps to remove particulate matter and natural organic matter (NOM).

  • Application Note: YSI 600 Optical Monitoring System Used To Protect Lake Oconee, Georgia Water Quality
    12/27/2005
    Northern Georgia is experiencing unprecedented development; consequently, water quality in many of its watersheds is in jeopardy of severe degradation. The State of Georgia, Environmental Protection Division (EPD) has implemented an NPDES monitoring and enforcement program designed to prevent construction activities from impacting water quality
  • Why Should We Care About NSF/ANSI 61 Certification?
    3/17/2021

    According to National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), it's a set of standards relating to water treatment and establishes criteria for the control of equipment that comes in contact with either potable water or products that support the production of water.

DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS

The OPTIFLUX 1050 is a cost-effective electromagnetic flowmeter (EMF) with lightweight wafer-style design. The meter is a very economical solution for simple applications with conductive liquids (≥ 5 μS/cm) involving low solid content (up to 10%). This particularly includes applications in water, wastewater, mobile applications, agriculture or firefighting where extremely high accuracy, extensive diagnostics or a wide range of communication options are not a priority. The extra isolation of the electronic device and housing makes this EMF also suitable for use in areas with extreme humidity.

The PTBT4 is a lab-accurate water quality pocket tester that allows you to use your mobile device and the X2 app to measure, store and export data.

De Nora Water Technologies has developed a comprehensive preventative inspection and maintenance contract program for our ClorTec® on-site sodium hypochlorite generation system.

Evoqua’s MitiGATOR™ mobile systems are designed to provide rapid response to customers who have contaminated potable water.

The MitiGATOR system can be configured specifically for local water chemistry at various sites, including:

  • Municipal Drinking Water Systems
  • Military Bases and Housing
  • Drinking Water Wells
  • Surface Water

Applications

Evoqua’s MitiGATOR™ mobile systems are designed to provide rapid response to customers who have contaminated potable water. The MitiGATOR system can take advantage of tight spaces in all weather conditions, making its self-contained climate-controlled interior effective in any region.

Evoqua’s MitiGATOR system can connect directly to the source water. The influent runs through a vessel system with media chosen specifically in response to the water's chemistry. The water leaving the system will meet treatment goals.

Installation, Startup and Operation

The MitiGATOR units are shipped as insulated trailers with two bag filters followed by six media vessels, with plumbing and instrumentation. The enclosed trailers require minimal field assembly and site connections.

Evoqua can provide a total service package that can integrate the MitiGATOR trailers with additional water cleanup systems to include interconnecting piping, and automated temperature, pressure, and flow monitoring. Evoqua’s team of expert operators are OSHA-trained and capable of providing onsite system operation and maintenance.

Evoqua's mobile MitiGATOR system can be provided as a stand-alone treatment for contaminated water or as part of a fully integrated treatment system.

Improve your experience in nitrate measurement with Hach's new NT3100sc sensor. Backed by a legacy of reagent-free UV absorbance technology expertise, Hach's NT3100sc UV Nitrate Sensor is equipped to meet your unique application needs. Whether measuring nitrate in municipal sewage treatment plants, surface water, untreated water or treated drinking water, you’ll have the choice of 3 different path lengths to fit your measurement ranges and turbidity compensation needs.

The TIDALFLUX 2300 is an electromagnetic flowmeter (EMF) with a patented, capacitive level measurement for use in partially filled pipes (up to DN1600 / 64”). The meter is the ideal solution for flow measurement of municipal or industrial wastewater in pressureless transport lines. However, the EMF is also suitable for measurement of effluent brine from dredging, mining or sea/well water injection applications. Unlike open channel systems (Venturi, V-notches etc.) the inline flowmeter is a closed measuring solution without obstructions and with a much better accuracy at lower total costs of ownership.

LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER

DRINKING WATER VIDEOS

Check out this brief video with Greg, and industry veteran and our Product Manager for Measurement technologies, as he provides a lowdown on the new AWWA Standard covering solid-state meters which are increasingly being adopted by water utilities of all sizes.

Bill Gates challenges Jimmy to taste test water from the Omniprocessor, which turns sewage into clean drinking water.

Discover how integrated membrane system designs can maximize the operating stability of EDI systems and reduce mixed bed regeneration frequency.

After rising public pressure and lawsuits over health concerns, the city of Newark, New Jersey (a half-hour from New York City) is undertaking one of the most ambitious and impactful infrastructure projects in the country: replacing all of its residential lead service lines within 2 years.

Alex and the crew travel to Saudi Arabia and talk to Noura Shehab, a Ph.D. student at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), about her research to use microbes to power sea water desalination.

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.