DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS AND LEGISLATION
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Small Water Authority Faces Big FineThe water authority in a tiny Pennsylvania town owes the state a large fine.
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Obama Administration Wants More Power Over WaterThe Obama administration officially unveiled a long-awaited proposal to expand its authority to regulate water.
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Massachusetts Considers Major Water Infrastructure BillThe Massachusetts Senate recently cleared a major water infrastructure bill.
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GOP Bill Takes On EPA Water AuthorityWater policy has become a rallying point for conservatives in Congress this year.
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Water Funding Slashed In Obama's Proposed BudgetPresident Obama's proposed budget for next year cuts government funding for water projects.
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Texas Wins Advantage In Groundwater Fight With New MexicoThe federal government is siding with Texas in a groundwater dispute with New Mexico.
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Lawsuit Lands Utility In Federal CourtEnvironmentalists are going after a top Maryland water utility with a lawsuit in federal court.
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Will Erin Brockovich Regs Cost Communities Dearly?Local officials in California are concerned that a potential statewide drinking water regulation may hit municipalities with challenging new costs.
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Settlement May End Bickering Over Los Angeles GroundwaterWater stakeholders in the Los Angeles area recently won court clearance to implement a major plan to share water storage space underground.
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California Drought Subject Of Controversial BillHouse lawmakers approved a controversial bill to take action against the California drought, passing GOP-backed legislation in a party-line vote last week.
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Leaked EPA Water Regs Draft Raises ConcernA leaked draft of a controversial EPA proposal has stirred up questions and concerns with water policy stakeholders.
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Can Arizona Lawmakers Nullify All EPA Regulations?Arizona is getting in the ring with the EPA. Conservative lawmakers from the Grand Canyon State have introduced a bill in their state legislature that would nullify all EPA regulations in Arizona.
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AARP Fights Water Utilities In ArizonaAARP, the advocacy group aimed at protecting the interests of people over 50, is diving into Arizona water policy.
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Did The Feds Trick States Into Regulating Tap Water?James Salzman, author of the book “Drinking Water: A History,” illuminated tap water's backstory in a recent interview with NPR.
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EPA's 5-Year Plan Gets Mixed Reactions From Water IndustryIndustry interests and advocacy groups are sounding off on the EPA's plans for the next five years.
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Bill Could Give Florida Ratepayers More Power Over UtilitiesNew legislation may now allow customers to petition the state's Public Service Commission (PSC) to revoke a utility's state operating certificate. Under the new provisions, the PSC could cancel a utility company’s certificate of authorization to operate a water or sewer system if 65 percent of its customers sign a petition.
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Over $600 Million Goes To Water In California Budget ProposalA new budget proposal for the state of California places a major emphasis on tackling the water crisis.
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Spending Bill Includes Over $2 Billion For State Water FundsThe water sector watched closely this week as Congress moved a massive spending bill. Among the more notable line items is a combined $2.35 billion for the Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water state revolving funds, which provide low-interest loans to cash-strapped communities for upgrades to their waterworks.
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EPA, New Jersey Clashing Over Water Quality RulesThe EPA is lobbying New Jersey lawmakers to oppose a proposal it sees as potentially harmful to tap water.
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EPA Backs Off Restriction Of Lead In Fire HydrantsThe EPA has decided to reconsider a controversial requirement that would force cities to buy new fire hydrants to protect the water supply from lead.
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Disagreements Emerge As Water Bill Nears Finish LineWater utilities are at the center of a new fight in Congress. Senate and House negotiators are hammering out the final language in a major water infrastructure bill, and some even say it could pass by the end of the year. Both chambers already approved the legislation, but a deal must be struck on the final language in the measure before it can be sent to the president for his signature.
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Water Ranks High On EPA Agenda For 2014"Water quality protection programs face complex challenges, from nutrient loadings and stormwater runoff to invasive species and drinking water contaminants. These challenges demand both traditional and innovative strategies," the agency said in its statement of priorities.
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EPA Lead Regulations Stall Fire Hydrant InstallationCities across the county have stopped installing fire hydrants because federal regulators say they could contaminate water with lead.
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Lithium In Drinking Water Linked To Suicide PreventionSome studies show that lithium in drinking water correlates with lower suicide rates. Last week, a researcher at the Medical University of Vienna offered a theory as to why that is.
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Water Quality On Planes Improves Little Since Previous EPA StudyIt might be wise to buy bottled water at the gate. The drinking water on aircraft is often contaminated.
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Federal Bill Pitched To Water UtilitiesWater utilities would benefit from legislation under review in the Senate, according to groups working in support of those measures.
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Shutdown Takes Growing Toll On Water SectorAs the U.S. government shutdown drags into another week, its impact on the water sector is spreading.
WATER INDUSTRY FEATURES, INSIGHTS, AND ANALYSIS
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AMI Expansion – Utility Takes R900® System Further Without Moving An InchAccording to Utility Operations and Maintenance Supervisor Kenneth Klinepeter, October 2004 marked the beginning of the Borough of Middletown, Pennsylvania’s move from the “dark ages to the 21st Century” of meter reading.
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Three Channel's A Charm: MD WWTP Chooses UVThe Seneca Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) receives wastewater from the greater Washington, DC area. Heightened security and concerns over the hazards of using chlorine gas had the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) reconsidering their wastewater disinfection process equipment.
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Trillion Dollar Investment Needed To Bring Current Water Assets Up To StandardBrian Labelle of GF Piping Systems shares his thoughts on the trends in the water industry.
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Increase Process Availability By Using Coriolis Mass FlowmetersEntrained gas can disturb the sensitivity of mass flow measurement of liquids, decreasing accuracy or even stopping measurement completely. New Coriolis mass flowmeter technology has come on the market that ensures both stable and uninterrupted measurements with high gas content.
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Cost Effective Sour Water StrippingRefineries are challenged to properly reuse or dispose of sour water by removing ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from water through a process called stripping.
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Not All UV Lamps Are Created EqualWhen the Summerville, GA, WWTP was looking to convert from chemical disinfection to UV, staff made the common mistake of purchasing low-price aftermarket lamps to keep costs down. Within eight months, the lamps in the UV system failed to meet expectations for permit requirements, and they had to gain approval for emergency procurement of WEDECO’S ECORAY® lamps as replacements. Today, the plant achieves the required disinfection with a significant reduction in energy use.
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Hybrid Blowers: Should WWTPs Believe The Hype?In 2010, an energy analysis of the Freeport Wastewater Treatment Facility in southern Maine revealed that the plant had significant inefficiencies in usage. Specifically, the plant’s 30-year-old multistage centrifugal aeration blowers were accounting for as much as 90 percent of electricity consumption.
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Intelligent Data From Water MetersUtilities can now use intelligent data to improve customer service, increase revenue, and expand conservation initiatives. Neptune’s N_SIGHT™ software suite includes cloud-based intelligent data hosting and analytics management. This video shows how the software can reduce non-revenue water, eliminate major investments in internal IT support, and reduce truck rolls with virtual disconnects.
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On-Site Chlorine Generation Solves Problems For MUA
By making a fresh, dilute hypochlorite solution only as needed, Authority eliminates numerous maintenance and reliability issues.
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Raw Water Treatment For Drinking Water ProductionWater is an essential element of life: it accounts for 70% to 80% of the weight of a human being. The quality of water is an important parameter that affects all aspects of the well-being of ecosystems and mankind, from human health, to food production, economic activities and biodiversity.
DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS
ETS-UV for Wastewater Treatment
UV has made tremendous gains in the last 25 years, and is now recognized as a primary method of disinfecting wastewater. All of the typical wastewater organisms are rendered nonviable by a correct dose of UV light; ETS maintains comprehensive databases of organisms and the amount of UV required to achieve 1, 2, 3 or higher log removals to meet and exceed a discharge permit.
AE
4 → 8 lb/day MOS
Automated for ease of use and peace of mind. Economically improves your bottom line.
Vertical Non-Clog Wastewater Pumps: NSWV Model 200 & 250
NSWV pumps are designed to handle wastewater and other non-corrosive liquids with soft solids in suspension.
Grundfos KPL Range Of Axial And Mixed Flow Pumps
The range of KPL submersible axial-flow propeller pumps represents strength and durability and is ideal for flood control and other heavy-duty pumping applications. Their high-efficient and compact design makes it possible to reduce the physical size of the pumping station, and hence cost for civil construction work.
Model R82 Pulse Burst Radar Transmitter
The Magnetrol® Model R82 is an economical, loop-powered radar transmitter bringing radar to everyday applications.
VIEWS ON THE LATEST REGS
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Treatment Plant Discovers Fountain Of Youth, Long-Range Regulatory ComplianceAn old (but important) drinking water facility finds new life through treatment upgrades, enabling compliance with strict water-quality regulations well into the future.
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The Little-Known Cure For Disinfection ByproductsA timeless drinking water facility needed a timely solution to disinfection byproducts (DBPs). The treatment process selected was (and is) unique to the region, but the results suggest that it deserves more consideration.
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Lead-Free 2014: Guidelines For ComplianceIt was a long buildup to the federal lead-free rule, characterized by some last-minute changes, but the moment has finally arrived.
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Expert Analysis: Do Our Water Systems Make The Grade?Water Online Radio sits down with water expert G. Tracy Mehan, a principal with the Cadmus Group and former Assistant Administrator for Water at the U.S. EPA, to get an overview of the progress and challenges facing the water and wastewater industry.
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The Year In Water Regulations: What You Need To KnowThe steady march of water-related mandates was afoot in 2013, though a bit slow and meandering. The following is an overview of the EPA’s rulemaking progress over the past year.
MORE WATER INDUSTRY FEATURES
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TrojanUVSigna™ Wastewater UV Disinfection System - Features Overview (Video)No longer should large wastewater facilities feel limited to chlorine disinfection. Now – with the TrojanUVSigna™ – those facilities can confidently choose UV and benefit from its inherent safety features, cost-saving advantages and disinfection performance.
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Impulse Detection Leads To Mitigation Of Pressure EventsWater hammer events can result in service issues for utilities, as the sudden increase in pressure can contribute to pipe fatigue, eventually causing pipe failure—a costly situation for municipalities. By Barry Ceci, founder, president and CEO, Telog Instruments
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The Many Faces Of SCADAFor over a decade, utilities have turned to supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems to monitor and control their re-mote infrastructure. By Christopher Little
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Ultraviolet Disinfection Improves Access to Clean Drinking WaterAccess to clean drinking water is a growing concern worldwide. Ultraviolet (UV) Disinfection technologies can protect the environment by disinfecting water and making it safe for use before returning it to nature. In this video, watch as Disinfection Market Manager Jay Jordan discusses how products from Xylem, such as the WEDECO LBXe, provide important wastewater treatment solutions.
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Upgrade To Diffused Aeration Results In Significant Energy SavingsAfter 35 years of use, the fiberglass jet aeration manifolds in the Western Regional Water Reclamation Plant (Dayton, Ohio) had deteriorated, rendering four of eight wastewater aeration tanks inoperable. Managers recognized an opportunity to utilize a fine bubble diffused aeration system that eliminated the need for the pumps. The result: higher oxygen-transfer efficiency and reduced power costs to operate the system.
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Send In The Bugs: Biological Filtration Solves Contaminant, Capacity ConcernsEvery drinking water system is part of the community it serves, but not quite like Waterford Township, MI, where treatment plants sit side-by-side with homes. The unique, decentralized system utilizes 13 separate treatment plants to clean the local, iron-rich well water. Due to “explosive growth,” the municipality needed to bolster the water supply with more wells, but had zero room for plant expansion. How do you treat more water in the same space?
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Arsenic Removal From Source WaterMitch Matthews, Regional Sales Manager for Severn Trent Services’ water purification business, discusses the ongoing need for arsenic removal and Severn Trent’s chlorine-based disinfection options.
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Coagulation and FlocculationWater is clarified using the processes of coagulation and flocculation, which remove suspended solids (turbidity) from water by causing the suspended particles to aggregate into a slime, that settles out of the water.
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How Can A Pipe Deliver Energy Savings?Maury Gaston, Manager of Marketing Services for American Cast Iron Pipe Company (ACIPCO), discusses the benefits of ductile iron pipe including energy savings, certified sustainability and a new polyethylene encasement.
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Finding Extra Time – And Money, And Water – With Neptune’s R450™ SystemThe county seat of Shelby County, Sidney, Ohio straddles the Miami River Valley 40 miles north of Dayton and 85 miles west of Columbus. Named after Sir Philip Sidney, poet and member of British Parliament, the City is home to a population of a little over 21,000.
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Acoustic-Based Condition Assessment Provides Accurate Remaining Pipe Wall Thickness Measurements For Columbus, OhioThe City of Columbus, Ohio’s water infrastructure is quickly coming to the end of its life expectancy. As a result, the city is significantly increasing its budget for large-scale pipe replacement projects.
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Choosing the Best Blower Technology for Energy NeedsWhile energy-efficiency is an important factor when choosing aeration and blower systems, every wastewater treatment plant has its own unique set of energy requirements. Aerzen offers a wide range of different technologies tailored to customers’ needs: Positive Displacement Blowers, Hybrid Blowers, and Turbo Blowers. In this video, Regional Sales Manager Tom McCurdy explains how Aerzen’s Performance Cubed program offers a targeted aeration technology plan for any facility.
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Electromagnetic Flow Meter Uses “Heartbeart” Technology For Seamless MeasurementIn this video, learn how new “heartbeart” technology from Endress+Hauser can benefit professionals in the water and wastewater industry. The Promag W 400 electromagnetic flow meter implements on-demand verification, monitoring, and continuous diagnostics to provide seamless documentation for regulatory compliances.
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How One City Optimized Energy Use And Capital Spending through Performance ContractingIn 2012, the wastewater treatment plant in Denison, Texas, needed major renovations, as aging equipment and failed system components placed a significant burden on the city’s operating budget. Learn how the city leveraged performance contracting to fund the repairs and achieve more energy- and cost-efficient operations.
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Mueller® Super Centurion 350™ Fire Hydrant Datasheet
Our Centurion® 5-1/4” main valve fire hydrants are now available with 350 psi working and 700 psi test pressure ratings as an option. The Centurion 350™ Hydrant is built to take the pressure in more ways than one. Its reinforced main valve reliably seals at this higher pressure rating – and it’s reversible. Up top in the bonnet, a roller bearing above the thrust collar assures easy operation of the hydrant when opening or closing.
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Flood Improvement And LID Modeling Using XP‐SWMMOver the years, a number of severe storms have impacted the Harris Gully watershed, including Tropical Storm Allison, which resulted in $5 billion in damages in 2001. Inundation was especially severe at the downstream portions of Harris Gully, where Rice University and the Texas Medical Center are located. A1D/2D hydraulic model (XPSWMM) was instrumental in simulating and evaluating the effects of a proposed drainage alternative.
By Andrew Juan, Dr. Nick Fang, and Dr. Philip Bedient, Rice University
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Dissolved Oxygen Measurement In A Wastewater Treatment PlantBreakdown of organic wastes entering a wastewater treatment plant is accomplished by using a biomass or blend of beneficial microscopic organisms, bacteria, and solids. This converts the non-settleable solids (dissolved and colloidal matter) into settleable solids, carbon dioxide, water, and energy.
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Road To R900® RF Technology Leads To More Actual Reads And Proof Of ConsumptionLocated in Davidson County eight miles northeast of downtown Nashville, Madison, Tennessee sits within the country music capital’s metropolitan area while maintaining its own friendly, small-town charm.