DRINKING WATER
Success Roadmap For Advanced Metering Infrastructure Installations
For a water utility of any size to function properly, effective meter reading is a vital aspect of day-to-day operations. Meter reading supports both ends of the transaction, ensuring that water is being properly delivered, accounted for and billed each month.
DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS
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![TRANS-BASIN-PIPELINES-2018-REV-5-21-18-004-3]( "Lakes Powell And Mead Don't Have To Dry Up")
Lakes Powell And Mead Don't Have To Dry UpFirst, it was Lake Mead, behind Hoover Dam. Now it's Lake Powell, upstream of Mead and behind Glen Canyon Dam. The water supplies supported by these feats of engineering are dwindling. There are many reasons, but it's not necessary.
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![JCM 201 Large Diameter Steel Coupling Index Bridge 1.jpg]( "Protecting New Or Repaired Water Mains")
Protecting New Or Repaired Water MainsIt is easy for water industry professionals to appreciate the impact of water main leaks, based on their own experience. Deciding on the most cost-effective way to deal with such leaks, however, is not necessarily as obvious. Whichever approach is taken, it is important to follow the appropriate steps to protect customer safety and the quality of the water being delivered through those repaired systems.
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![getty-1465443741-AI]( "Why Let A Computer Tell Me Where To Dig? Separating The Benefits Of Data Science From \"AI\" Snake Oil")
Why Let A Computer Tell Me Where To Dig? Separating The Benefits Of Data Science From "AI" Snake OilLearn about the importance of doing data science right, and applying the right machine learning approach to the right part of the job.
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![quality-of-drinking-water]( "Sensitive Determination Of Iron In Drinking Water, Mineral Water, Groundwater, And Spring Water Using Rapid Photometric Tests")
Sensitive Determination Of Iron In Drinking Water, Mineral Water, Groundwater, And Spring Water Using Rapid Photometric TestsThe quality of drinking water is regulated by a variety of guidelines, such as the EU Council Directive 98/831,2 and WHO guideline. The key principles used to define these limits consider both health hazards and sensory and technical reasons. Iron, for example, does not exhibit a risk for health in concentrations usually found in drinking water.
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![(For Siemens Process Instrumentation Use Only) gettyimages-598091682-170667a]( "Water Authority Chooses Siemens Pressure Transmitters For Accuracy, Reliability And Ease Of Use")
Water Authority Chooses Siemens Pressure Transmitters For Accuracy, Reliability And Ease Of UseA county water authority in the Northeast U.S. supplies over 40 million gallons per day to its 340,000 residential customers. In this case study, learn why they chose Siemens pressure transmitters.
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An 8-Point Checklist Of Pressure Gauge Application Best Practices
As electronic measurement, microprocessor or computerized control, and wireless networking have worked their way deeper into industrial processes, new opportunities for accuracy, convenience, and cost-saving efficiency have multiplied. Electronic accuracy and communication have delivered performance advantages down to even the simplest functions — including pressure readings.
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![Enigma-hyQ---United-Utilities-PVC-Trunk-Main-Trial-7]( "United Utilities Trunk Main Trial")
United Utilities Trunk Main TrialUnited Utilities supplies water to 3 million homes and 200,000 businesses in North West England. Within the Winscales and Scilly Banks service reservoir zones where the trial was to take place, local United Utilities NCI / NIA had previously split the main and quantified losses of 4 liters/sec and 2 liters/sec in the respective halves. Leak detection on trunk mains using correlation techniques has always had potentially limited success for reasons of poor sound propagation and scarcity of accessible fittings. The business challenge was to exceed these limitations, improve efficiency and reduce leakage.
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![insertion-valve]( "Insertion Valves Eliminate System Shutdown")
Insertion Valves Eliminate System ShutdownWinchester Municipal Utilities (WMU) faced challenges regarding two separate sections of town. The lines required maintenance due to old inoperable inline valves that needed to be replaced. The challenge - replacing these valves using a procedure that eliminated the shutdown of the water lines that service hundreds of homes and businesses.
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![120WA_PWSA_CS-V3]( "PWSA Reduces Customer Request Fulfillment From 4 Months To 14 Days")
PWSA Reduces Customer Request Fulfillment From 4 Months To 14 DaysDue to recent LCR exceedances, PWSA faced skyrocketing customer requests on top of the order to replace 7% of their roughly 18,000-33,000 lead service lines every year. In addition, their Lead and Copper Compliance (LCR) and Lead Service Line Replacement testing program (LSLR) required immense amounts of manpower. These two events combined to require thousands of point-of-use kits to be collected and tested every year. They looked to 120WA to solve the challenges of siloed data sources, kit delivery and pickup, lab coordination, and distribution of results.
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![GettyImages-898704212_450_300 (002)]( "Removing PFAS Is More Complicated (And Solvable) Than You Think")
Removing PFAS Is More Complicated (And Solvable) Than You ThinkThis article will explain the matrix of factors that can affect PFAS removal and why it is important to work with an experienced partner.
DRINKING WATER APPLICATION NOTES
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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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Operations And LRV Calculations At Southwest Pipeline Project Drinking Water Treatment Facility4/14/2016
This presentation will discuss the operation of a 4 MGD pressurized two-stage Ultrafiltration (UF) plant over a 14 month period at the Oliver-Mercer-North Dunn (OMND) Drinking Water Treatment Facility, North Dakota.
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Irrigation Technology In Agriculture: How New Technologies Overcome Challenges1/29/2019
As the world’s population continues to increase at a fast pace, more food and water will be needed to sustain humanity. In the past 50 years, we have tripled our need for water and food, and there are no signs of this trend slowing down. As a result of these conditions, smart, innovative agricultural practices are needed now more than ever. Technology can, and already does, aid agriculture in innumerable ways. One prominent part of agriculture that can use technological innovation to increase efficiency and effectiveness is irrigation.
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Application Note: Troubleshooting A pH Electrode1/26/2011
Many factors affect performance of a pH electrode. When performance degrades, it is always a challenge for the analyst to identify the cause. Common troubleshooting procedures, which include evaluation of slope, electrode drift, time response, and accuracy, take considerable time. By Thermo Fisher Scientific
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Lab Gas Sub-Metering Accuracy Improves With Thermal Flow Meters To Save Money12/1/2017
Facility administrators will find the advanced ST100 Series Thermal Mass Air/Gas Flow Meter from Fluid Components International (FCI) helps them improve the accuracy of specialty gas point of use and sub-metering operations to achieve accurate billing in their labs for better cost tracking and control.
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Organics Aren't Invisible: A Guide for Simple Online Monitoring5/13/2019
Control of dissolved organics has been one of the highest priority concerns for most water treatment plants for over 20 years. Organics monitoring is an even more critical issue today in the face of more stringent regulations and concerns around trace organics, emerging contaminants, and even counter-terrorism or water security. Despite the critical need, many plants still rely primarily on turbidity for monitoring and process control.
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Improved Efficiencies In TOC Wastewater Analysis For Standard Method 5310B And EPA Method 41510/16/2014Total organic carbon (TOC) measurement is of vital importance to the operation of water treatment due to organic compounds comprising a large group of water pollutants. TOC has been around for many years, and although it is a relatively simple analysis in theory, operational efficiency is paramount.
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Hemodialysis Patient Health10/29/2021
Controlling dialysate quality is critically important to hemodialysis patient health. Complications as minor as nausea and fatigue or as severe as metabolic acidosis and sepsis can result if dialysate composition is incorrect. All the factors that ultimately affect dialysate composition must therefore be carefully monitored and controlled: proper proportioning and mixing of concentrates with water; the quality of water mixed with concentrates to form dialysate; and the quality of water used in the reprocessing of hemodialyzers, system maintenance and disinfection.
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Municipal Real-Time Water Quality Monitoring9/24/2020
We arm municipalities with actionable data necessary to make informed decisions about water quality in their communities
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Application Bulletin: Reverse Osmosis3/19/2008
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
DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS
The original OptiFiber® pile cloth media is specifically engineered for water and wastewater applications and designed to maximize solids removal over a wide range of particle sizes. Deep, thick, pile fibers capture particles for the most effective depth filtration.
The WEDECO LBX Series is a thousand times proven, energy efficient solution for the disinfection of pressurized wastewater, surface water, process water, and other low UV transmittance liquids.
The Series 70CV2000 Chloromatic™ control valve is wall mounted and responds to control signals from a water flow transmitter and/or a chlorine residual analyzer controller. Valve characteristics are provided to directly accept a pacing signal proportional to flow.
The OPTIFLUX 1300 is an electromagnetic flowmeter (EMF) with lightweight wafer-style design. The meter is an economical solution for applications with conductive liquids (≥ 5 μS/cm) and higher solid content (up to 70%). Unlike the OPTIFLUX 1100, the OPTIFLUX 1300 offers a better accuracy. The flowmeter already meets the demands of many applications in various industries. It has established itself as the preferred solution for OEM machinery applications, dosing systems, compact skids, chemical handling systems or pump and firefighting systems.
The Series 1100 MEGALUG® Mechanical Joint Restraints effectively and economically restrain Ductile Iron Pipe (DIP) to mechanical joints above or below ground, for practically any application including valves, hydrants, and pipe. For use on all classes of ductile iron pipe (PC350 through PC150 and CL56 through CL50) without damage to the pipe or cement linings. It can also be used on steel pipe and cast iron pipe when joining to mechanical appurtenances, see product brochure for more details on these pipes.
The flowIQ 3200 meter is a great fit for commercial and district metering with its advanced ultrasonic technology and smart capabilities. This meter provides unparalleled visibility into water usage, helping prevent revenue loss and manage your water resources more efficiently.
LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER
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![Legionella pneumophila-GettyImages-1451790531]( "Legionella And The Need For Next-Generation Detection: Steps Water Utilities Can Take To Alleviate The Risk")
As water systems grow more complex and climate patterns shift, Legionella is emerging as one of the most persistent and underestimated risks in the built environment. The threat to public health from Legionnaires' disease will likely further escalate unless decisive action is taken.
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![maasjackson]( "Metering as a Service Improves Jackson, MS, Water Infrastructure")
The city of Jackson faced a water crisis that went beyond the tap. What began as an ambitious plan to modernize its water metering infrastructure in 2014 became a logistical and financial nightmare, costing the city millions in lost revenue and declining public trust. Metering as a Service (MaaS) offered the city an alternative option.
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![leadpipeInground_Getty-2211014580]( "The Final Mile: The U.S. Simply Must Rush To Finish Its Critical Lead-Pipe Cleanup")
There has been an abundance of funding available to address the estimated 9.2 million lead service lines currently deliver drinking water to homes, businesses, schools, and unsuspecting citizens throughout the United States. So it is disheartening to realize that millions of lead water lines are still delivering water to citizens. -
![Digital communication-GettyImages-2042965298]( "Beaverton's New AMI Solution Checks Every Box: Operations, Billing, Service, And Savings")
This Q&A follows the Webinar: Beaverton's New AMI Solution Checks Every Box: Operations, Billing, Service, & Savings hosted by Water Online on October 21, 2025. The webinar featured the leadership team from Beaverton Water Division as they discussed lessons learned across operations, billing, and customer service, offering a 360-degree perspective on implementing and managing an AMI system.
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![Digital communication-GettyImages-2042965298]( "AI, Data Centers, And Water")
Amid the AI-fueled gold rush, more leaders are beginning to pay attention to the short- and long-term natural resource concerns, especially around all the water needed to keep data centers running. -
![Money down drain-GettyImages-171578755]( "Is This The End Of Affordable Water?")
Water pricing often fails to reflect scarcity, quality, or long-term risk, forcing companies to act internally. But this action is not being done in a vacuum. The ripple effect of internal water pricing is bound to impact water utilities, and ultimately, ratepayers and consumers.
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.