DRINKING WATER

GettyImages-2207623248_450_300 Success Is The Break That Never Happened: How Embedded Acoustic Intelligence In Ultrasonic Meters Prevents Failure

Embedded acoustic sensing in ultrasonic meters enables continuous leak monitoring, helping utilities detect problems earlier, reduce water loss, and shift from reactive repairs to proactive infrastructure management.

DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS

  • Is Your Water System Trying to Tell You Something?

    When something goes wrong, we often ask ourselves if there was some sort of sign that would have lessened the impact. Especially if you are in the business of providing water to people, you might wish you had a crystal ball to get in front of problems before they happen. While we can’t provide you with a crystal ball, we can help give some insight into what your water system may be telling you with the introduction of the AFC SEMPER Remote Pressure Monitor.

  • 10 Reasons You Should Switch From Mechanical To Solid-State Meters

    Driven by cutting-edge sensor technology and data analytics, solid-state meters offer numerous benefits too compelling to ignore.

  • Sensor Technology For Control Of Activated Sludge Aeration

    Design routines and operation strategies for activated sludge aeration systems have traditionally been based on manual control. By Robert Smith, P.E., BCEE, Ph.D., YSI

  • LTE-M Standard Redefines Cellular Efficiency For Water Meter Readings

    The term “cellular” often calls to mind certain assumptions and limitations based on prior experience with consumer cellphone networks. Don’t confuse cellular-based Internet of Things (IoT) applications with past cellular experiences, though. The relatively new Long Term Evolution for Machines (LTE-M) standard represents a whole new ballgame. In short, “This is not your father’s cellular network.”

  • 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.

  • Case Study: High Turbidity & Silt Density Index

    The refinery was using a competitive treatment program to clarify the river water for use in the cooling towers as make-up and for reverse osmosis units that supplied high pressure boiler water make-up.

  • Improved Flow Measurement Through Multiple In-Pipe Readings

    A combination of water scarcity and the desire to provide exceptional service has driven water utility managers to be focused more than ever on acquiring accurate, real-time insight into their distribution systems. Operators face a natural hurdle, however, when using traditional center-line electromagnetic flow meters, which don’t account for velocities that vary across a pipe. Fortunately, a solution has emerged to address the issue.

  • Introducing AquaKnight™: Revolutionizing Water Filtration For A Cleaner And Safer Tomorrow

    In a world where access to clean and safe water is increasingly vital, AquaKnight emerges as the steadfast guardian of clean drinking water in the ongoing battle against PFAS.

  • A Better Way: An Application For Risk Characterization of HABs On The Ohio River

    When you think of water, you might imagine deep blue ocean waves crashing against a shoreline or perhaps the still calm of a forested lake, but on an August morning in the summer of 2015, the lockmaster at the Pike Island Lock and Dam saw something much different. That day, EPA’s regional office in Wheeling, WV, received a concerned phone call from the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) notifying them of what was described as “antifreeze-green colored paint” flowing down the Ohio River. But this was no paint spill. Rather, Microcystis, a naturally occurring species of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, known to produce toxins harmful to animals and humans, was quickly taking over one of the most influential rivers in the continental U.S.

  • Making TCP Removal Almost As Easy As 1, 2, 3

    Our environment is rife with testimonials to the law of unintended consequences. When it comes to water treatment, the compound 1,2,3-trichloropropane (TCP) is the latest surprise making its way through the remediation lifecycle.

DRINKING WATER APPLICATION NOTES

  • Protecting Pumps From Dead Head Conditions
    4/6/2017

    The C445 motor management relay offers the most configurable protection options in the industry, with features specifically designed to protect critical pumps from costly damages due to dead-head and other underloaded or starved pump conditions.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • ASM-10-HP Application Note
    3/12/2026

    ResinTech ASM-10-HP is a strongly basic hybrid anion exchange resin specially formulated to selectively remove arsenic.

  • Harmonics Reduction Methods
    4/17/2017

    There are several basic methods for reducing harmonic voltage and current distortion from nonlinear distribution loads such as adjustable frequency drives (AFDs). Following is a description of each method, along with each method’s advantages and disadvantages.

  • 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.

  • Reduce Or Eliminate Water Hammer With Valve Positioners
    5/19/2022

    Water hammer, which can occur in just about any pumping system and even steam systems, can lead to pipe breakage, equipment damage or even total system failure. Addressing water hammer at the source is the savviest and most cost-effective way to handle the issue.

  • Automatic Rinse Tank Controls
    10/29/2021

    Proper rinsing is one of the most important steps in quality manufacturing or metal finishing. Plenty of low cost, good quality water for rinsing has been available in the past, so rinse water conservation has been largely ignored.

  • Activated Carbon And Adsorption Of Trichloroethylene (TCE) And Tetrachloroethylene (PCE)
    12/30/2013

    Trichloroethylene (TCE) and Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) are two of the most common solvents that contaminate groundwater supplies in the United States. Both solvents see frequent use in the extraction of fat, in the textile industry, in the production of various pharmaceutical and chemical products. TCE is also used as a degreaser from fabricated metal parts, and PCE serves as a component of aerosol dry-cleaning solvents.

  • Determining Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) With Lovibond® OxiDirect
    3/12/2026

    The Biochemical Oxygen Demand over a testing period of n days (BODn) is precisely defined and associated with experimental standards. It represents the quantity of oxygen aspirated in the course of aerobic breakdown of organic substances by microorganisms.

DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS

The OPTIMASS 6400 is the standard high performance Coriolis mass flowmeter for the process industry. The twin bent tube meter offers superior performance and high accuracy in virtually any application: From process control in (petro)chemical applications to concentration measurements in the food and beverage industry to custody transfer filling and transport measurements in the oil and gas industry. Its high-end options also make the OPTIMASS 6400 the optimum device for cryogenic media like Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) with temperatures down to -200°C / -328°F as well as applications involving high operating temperatures (up to 400°C / 752°F) or pressures (up to 200 barg / 2900 psig).

Ion exchange, often abbreviated IX, is an effective technology for removing dissolved ionic compounds
from liquid solutions, primarily drinking water sources. IX is most commonly known for removing nitrate but is also
effective at removing contaminants such as perchlorate, arsenic, Chrome-6, and more recently, PFAS (Per- and
Polyfluorinated Substances).

Designed to transform mechanical meters into communication data points, Itron's Cyble communication modules enable remote reading and monitoring of water meters on-site events. 

The MEGALUG Series 1100CH split restraint harness for couplings have a split design for ease of installation. It restrains both existing and new couplings on Ductile Iron Pipe.

Pilot tests conducted at numerous facilities demonstrate that Loprest treatment processes successfully reduce iron, manganese, arsenic, nitrate, and many other select contaminants in drinking water to well below the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL). Loprest can provide self-contained portable, free-standing pilot units or mobile, trailer-mounted units, depending on specific testing needs at each site.

The Series 17T2000 Amperometric Titrator is an analytical instrument for the electrical determination of the end point of a titration for free, combined, or total chlorine residual. It can also be used to determine bromine, iodine, ozone, permanganate, and chlorine dioxide residuals.

LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER

DRINKING WATER VIDEOS

Learn how a tool-free, verifiable locking system streamlines complex installations like deep-bore directional drilling and provides the security needed for critical infrastructure.

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.

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.

This 45-minute webinar will explore the latest technology and methodologies that are transforming water management. Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of how real-time data analytics can significantly enhance the efficiency and accuracy of water-loss detection and proactive management.

A group of Congressional Democratic lawmakers from Michigan has proposed legislation to provide $600 million in financial assistance to help Flint deal with its current water crisis.

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.