• MBR System Treats Nut Processor’s High Strength Wastewater with Ease

  The macadamia nut is indeed favored by many as a high quality nut, evidenced by its extensive use in desserts or simply as a premium stand-alone snack. One of the world’s leading producers of these delicious nuts produces more than 15 million pounds each year from its Hawaii processing plant.

• PFAS Amendment Could Force EPA’s Hand On Regulation

  In a significant regulatory development for one of the greatest contaminant threats to U.S. drinking water, the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee has agreed upon a proposed amendment to a defense policy bill that would address the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

• EPA Outlines Possible Solutions To Looming Perchlorate Limits

  The U.S. EPA is gearing up to limit perchlorate in public drinking water systems, so municipalities should start preparing to adopt the appropriate testing and treatment technologies. In a recent report, the agency identified several technologies as the best available to address the perchlorate problem.

• Ohio River Protections No Longer Mandatory

  The Ohio River, which runs through or borders six different states, will no longer have mandatory pollution standards overseen by a multi-state agency.

• Doublethink In The Desert: The Myth Of Recycling In The Permian Basin

  Everyone is familiar with the water cut statistics: three to seven barrels of produced water emerge from the ground per barrel of oil. This oft-cited statistic is useful to appreciate the scale of the volumes of water produced in the Permian Basin. However, it does not tell the whole story.

• Reconditioned And Rehabbed Filters Succeed At Large Treatment Plant

  A large treatment plant includes several treatment processes that contribute to providing quality recycled water pursuant to the state of California Title 22 regulations. Major treatment processes include raw wastewater pumping, preliminary treatment, primary treatment, secondary treatment, tertiary treatment with Parkson DynaSand® filters, and disinfection.

• City Of Tacoma Improves Budgeting And Capital Projects

  On the banks of Puget Sound and in the shadow of Mount Rainier exists Tacoma, Washington. The city is home to approximately 211,000 residents, making it the third largest in the state of Washington. Tacoma’s vision is one focused on stewardship and resiliency, as outlined the Environmental Services Department strategic plan: “We believe everything we do supports healthy neighborhoods and a thriving Puget Sound, leaving a better Tacoma for all.”

• Initial Funding For Billion-Dollar Missouri River Pipeline Secured

  Solving water scarcity issues can be an expensive proposition. Desalination, for instance, is a notoriously energy-intensive process that requires significant investment in technology and equipment.

• Fine Tune Your Lab Testing Accuracy With Compliant Proficiency Testing (PT)

  Proficiency Testing (PT) is the name used by the International Standards Organization for a procedure also known as “inter-laboratory study” or “external quality assessment” or “ring test”. Proficiency testing, in simple terms, comprises a sample sent to a group of laboratories for measurement. The labs know what might be in the sample, but they don’t know exactly what is there or the concentration. Their results are compared with the known or true value and the lab is assigned a “Z” score to show how closely their result came to the target.

• Death In Baltimore Traced To Collapsed Catwalk In Wastewater Facility

  Following a tragic accident in a Baltimore wastewater treatment facility, a local Department of Public Works (DPW) employee has been found dead.

• Digitizing Collections Notices Is Vital To The Future Of Utilities, And Here’s Why

  Many utilities have done great work of moving customers to digital communications for their bills and payment confirmations. However, an important part of the billing cycle is often left to paper — the collections notices.

• Climate Change Is Driving Rapid Shifts Between High And Low Water Levels On The Great Lakes

  The North American Great Lakes contain about one-fifth of the world’s surface fresh water. In May, new high water level records were set on Lakes Erie and Superior, and there has been widespread flooding across Lake Ontario for the second time in three years. These events coincide with persistent precipitation and severe flooding across much of central North America.

• Working Under Pressure: Making Reliable Repairs Without Going Off-Line

  Ever since the introduction of centralized water treatment and distribution systems, leaks have been the bane of their existence. Finding a way to make reliable repairs rapidly and without having to disrupt service goes a long way toward satisfying customer and utility concerns. Here are some strategies and tips for making the right choices easier, quicker, and less expensive, even in the midst of an emergency.

• Pipe Repair: Defining The Fine Line Between Commodity And Calamity

  With aging infrastructure averaging more than 240,000 water main breaks per year across the U.S., viewing repair fittings as commodity products can backfire if the performance of those fittings cannot outlast the remaining life expectancy of the pipeline. Choosing repair fittings on price alone without regard for performance characteristics can lead to premature failure. Here are some tips to avoid such a calamity.

• 7 Strategies For Avoiding 'Boil-Water' Emergencies

  It’s every water distribution manager’s worst nightmare — the dreaded boil-water advisory. Even when faced with aging infrastructure, there are ways to alleviate timing and complexity concerns about emergency pipeline repairs in advance. Use this seven-step checklist to become better prepared to deal with water main break emergencies and to forestall the need to issue a boil-water advisory.

• Working Under Pressure: Extending Reliable Service Without Going Off-Line

  The good news about extending water service connections is that they represent new revenue opportunities. The bad news is that they can be costly and disruptive in terms of having to shut down the system and open it up. Before planning new service connections or extensions, compare how the following characteristics of hot-tapping with fabricated tapping sleeves can save both time and money in the long run.

• Dual Mixers Overcome Stratification And Prevent Ice Formation In Concrete Tank With Baffles

  The climate in Southgate, Ontario, is considered cold and temperate with significant rainfall throughout the year. Temperatures in winter average around -10°C and can drop as low as -30°C to -40°C for brief periods of time, which can wreak havoc on the local water storage tanks and distribution piping. Read more to learn how the installation of PAX Mixers has kept the tanks free from ice and has shown an improvement in disinfectant residual levels.

• Effective Solutions For Removing Short-Chain PFAS, GenX, And PFAS Precursors

  Debate about regulating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances is heating up across the country as the extent of known contamination continues to grow at an alarming rate. Also known as PFAS, this large group of toxic fluorinated compounds was used widely in industrial and consumer applications. Progressive water utilities are trying to quickly get a handle on the problem to better protect their customers from even further exposure.

• Water Stays In The Pipes Longer In Shrinking Cities — A Challenge For Public Health

  The geographic locations where Americans live are shifting in ways that can negatively affect the quality of their drinking water.

• Make The 'Smart City' Vision A Reality With Innovative Self-Funded Financing

  “Smart city” technologies are on the minds of cities everywhere today. There’s no shortage of networks, end-point devices, software applications, and services to help cities upgrade infrastructure to conserve water, save energy, reduce costs, and improve efficiency.

• The U.S. Drinking Water Supply Is Mostly Safe, But That's Not Good Enough

  Most Americans take clean drinking water for granted as a convenience of modern life. The United States has one of the world’s safest drinking water supplies, but new challenges constantly emerge.

• Houston's $1.76B Treatment Plant To Be Among Nation's Largest

  Houston has had more than its fair share of water issues in recent history, most notably a water quality crisis following Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Now, the city is making progress on a gargantuan drinking water treatment plant (WTP) expansion to change that narrative — at least on the drinking water side.

• EPA Stream Restoration Research Supports Chesapeake Bay Recovery

  Fifty-one billion gallons. That’s the average amount of water flowing into Chesapeake Bay on a daily basis. And as all that water seeps, flows, and cascades across the watershed before it spills out into the Bay — the nation’s largest estuary — it picks up signature characteristics of where it has been.

• Denver Hosts The Biggest Water Conference Of Its Kind

  More than 12,000 people are expected to attend the international ACE19 meeting, focusing on ‘Innovating the Future of Water.’

• Hackers Hold Baltimore’s Public Services, Including Water, Hostage

  In a sign of just how critical the digital grid has become, the City of Baltimore is currently being held hostage by cybercriminals following a data breach. Baltimore has been combating the cyberattack for weeks and, among the trove of disruptions it has caused, there has been a direct impact on residents’ water bills and related data.

• The Role Of Technology Providers In Collaborative Delivery Projects: What Value Do They Bring To The Table?

  Back in April I had the opportunity to attend the Design-Build for Water/Wastewater Conference in Cincinnati. I am a regular attendee of this conference, and this year I gladly noticed clear growth with respect to previous years.

• Western Virginia Water Authority Makes Asset Management Software Work for Everyone

  As the Infrastructure Asset Manager at the Western Virginia Water Authority, Jim O’Dowd has responsibility for planning, managing, direction setting, and administration of the Asset Management Program for the Authority’s water distribution and wastewater collection systems. These are made up of around 1,000 miles of sewer and 1,200 miles of water mains that serve over 200,000 people in Roanoke City, Roanoke County, Botetourt County and Franklin County, 240 miles southwest of Washington DC. Jim uses InfoAsset Manager and InfoAsset Mobile software to manage the Authority’s asset management and work order system, and InfoWorks WS Pro, IWLive Pro and InfoWorks ICM for water and sewer hydraulic modeling.

• West Yost Associates Empower Clearer Determination Of Risk

  Lani Good, P.E., is an Asset Management Practice Leader. During her 5 years at West Yost Associates, she has specialized in Utility Asset Management. Her organization exclusively focuses on water, wastewater, and stormwater systems to ensure longevity for typical water infrastructure assets – pipes, pumps, storage and treatment plants.

• Freak Mud Flows Threaten Our Water Supplies, And Climate Change Is Raising The Risk

  Slurries of mud increasingly threaten the water we drink. This rush of sediment, known as “debris flow”, is a type of erosion where mud and boulders in steep catchments suddenly tumble down the stream channel, often traveling at speeds of several meters per second. And they don’t just damage water supplies — they can cut roads, damage infrastructure, and even kill people.

• Reports: Removing Antibiotics From Wastewater Can Help Stem Tide Of Drug-Resistant Superbugs

  A long-term health crisis may be on the horizon if municipalities don’t slow the flow of antibiotics from wastewater to the environment.

• Researchers Discover Global Wastewater Bacteria Comes In Only A Few Dozen Variations

  Recent scientific research advancements at the microscopic level could help shape the future of wastewater treatment and reuse, which is critical to maintaining global health.

• Achieving Level Pressure At Challenging Points In Distribution Systems

  When drinking water leaves a treatment plant through giant pipes, with the help of huge pumps, the pressure can exceed 200 psi. The high pressure is a necessity because water must travel a long distance in some cases. Water towers scattered throughout the distribution system aid in the process so it can reach all utility customers. The problem is that not all distribution points in a water system are created equal.

• Meter To Cash: Turning Water Into Dollars

  When speaking with anyone who works for a water utility their priorities quickly become apparent. Water quality and reliability, intractably related to each other, form the core mission of any water utility. Without maintaining water quality and safety, customers may become sick or worse.

• Newterra Enwave System

  Enwave New Orleans serves the mission-critical New Orleans Regional Medical Center and nearby commercial buildings. The company’s 26,000-ton chilled-water plant provides chilled water for air conditioning to more than 12 million sq ft of building space within a 15-square-block area. The company also provides steam to critical buildings in the district. Enwave identified COCHRANE® by newterra as the RO System of choice to handle their immediate water treatment needs, while offering a significant amount of savings in the long run.

• Temperature Monitoring Provides Additional Checks On Microbiological Conditions

  Effective control of the microbiological environment in water distribution systems is one of the biggest keys to providing a healthy product. When it comes to processes for achieving this, the U.S. can some take lessons from Europe, where utilities are more likely to monitor temperature. Advanced flow metering technology that incorporates temperature monitoring provides a significant tool for utilities without the need for additional instruments.

• How Anglian Water Predicts Flooding Incidents To Reduce Risk To Public Health And Safety

  In terms of geographic area, Anglian Water is the largest water and wastewater company in England and Wales, covering 20% of the land area. Some 112,833 kilometres of water and sewer pipes serve over six million customers and the company is committed to exploring new ways to operate more effectively and more sustainably. This commitment drives innovation at all levels within the business – from the strategic to operational.

• Using Advanced Tools To Stem The Lost Revenue Tide

  From the largest metropolitan utilities to the smallest water systems, leaks are a problem everywhere. Because it’s difficult to raise consumer prices to offset the losses, non-revenue water has a direct impact on the bottom line of municipal water systems. However, utility managers now have an opportunity to reverse the problem with advanced flow meter technology that combines multiple measurements.

• Knowledge Transfer For Water’s Better Informed Future

  Water industry managers are caught in a squeeze. On one hand, they need to capture institutional knowledge from long-term baby boomer employees before they retire. At the same time, they need to manage current operations optimally and attract and train next-generation replacements. Here is how advanced analytics solutions are making it easier to achieve all those goals while improving business outcomes.

LATEST HEADLINES

• Researchers Urge Reduced Use Of PFAS Chemicals In Consumer Products

  Human exposure to unnecessary and potentially harmful chemicals could be greatly reduced if manufacturers add chemicals only when they are truly essential in terms of health, safety and functioning of society.

• Clean TeQ Successfully Completes Demonstration Project For Brine Hardness Removal In China

  Clean TeQ Holdings Limited (Clean TeQ or Company) (ASX/TSX:CLQ; OTCQX:CTEQF) is pleased to announce the successful completion of its hardness removal demonstration project in Inner Mongolia for Jiutai New Material (Jiutai).

• IDE Technologies To Provide Reverse Osmosis Solutions For Singapore’s Jurong Island Desalination Plant

  IDE Technologies, a world leader in desalination and water treatment solutions, today announced it has been awarded the contract to deliver a reverse osmosis (RO) system for the Jurong Island Desalination Plant (JIDP).

• Onsite Assessment Bolsters Wastewater Technician Training

  An overhaul of British Water’s wastewater treatment technicians’ training means plant operatives will now undertake onsite assessment to complete the course.

• 7 Trench Safety Toolbox Talk Topics From United Rentals To Advance Worker Knowledge About Trench Hazards And Safe Work Practices

  United Rentals, Inc. recently announced seven Trench Safety Toolbox Talk topics to help utilities and contractors promote a safety culture.

• Aegion Corporation Awarded $5.1M Wastewater Rehabilitation Project For Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District

  egion Corporation (NASDAQ:AEGN) today announced that its subsidiary, Insituform Technologies, LLC, has been awarded a contract valued at $5.1 million from the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) to complete the rehabilitation of over 18 miles of 6- to 96-inch wastewater pipelines using Insituform® CIPP.

• San Luis Reservoir Algal Bloom At ‘Danger’ Level: Public Urged To Avoid Water Contact

  The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is urging people to avoid physical contact with the water at San Luis Reservoir in Merced County until further notice due to blue-green algae.

• New Jersey High School Student Wins 2019 U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize, Will Represent The U.S. In International Competition

  The Water Environment Federation (WEF) proudly announces that Sonja Michaluk has won the 2019 U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP), the nation’s most prestigious youth competition for water-related research.

• With Funds From The Government Of Japan - UNDP Supports The Harnessing Of Solar Power To Treat Wastewater In Gaza

  The United Nations Development Programme and the Government of Japan, in partnership with the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture, Palestinian Energy and Natural Resources Authority (PENRA) and the Costal Municipalities Water Utility inaugurated the Photo Voltaic Solar System for the Rafah Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Plants project.

• Sherwin-Williams Now Accepting Impact Award Entry Submissions For Water And Wastewater Projects

  Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings is now accepting entry submissions for its annual Impact Award, which recognizes outstanding water and wastewater projects completed in North America.

• EPA Administrator Concludes Engagements At G20 Environmental Ministers Meeting

  Yesterday, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler concluded his visit to Karuizawa, Japan where he attended the inaugural G20 Energy and Environmental Ministers Meeting.

• Decontamination Plant Benefits From Borger’s Pumps

  Three rotary lobe pumps made by Borger are playing a vital role at a decontamination plant used by fire services and disaster relief agencies to detoxify oil that has escaped into water.

• Billions Globally Lack ‘Water, Sanitation And Hygiene’, New UN Report Spells Out
• American Water Employees Raise More Than $270,000 In Support Of Water For People
• Endress+Hauser Releases Memosens CCS51D Free Chlorine Sensor
• Utilis Projects Presented By Two Independent Firms Show Results Exceed Those Of Alternatives
• Knowing The True Cost Of Water: Industrial Water Solutions At Singapore International Water Week
• Gillibrand And Delgado Introduce Legislation To Help Communities In New York And Across The Country Repair Their Aging Water Infrastructure
• Are Hurricanes And Tropical Cyclones Moving At A More Leisurely Pace?
• Veolia Launches First Complete Carbon Reporting Platform In The UK
• Unprecedented Funding For Research Into Atmospheric Rivers And Stormwater Capture In California Approved By Legislature
• WQRF-Funded Research Demonstrates Cost Savings Of Using In-Home Devices To Reduce Health Risks In Drinking Water
• Carper: USAF Diverted $66M Away From Other Projects To Address PFAS Contamination
• World’s Smallest UV LED System Validated Following Established US-EPA Protocols Across All 5 Models