03.16.26 -- Baltimore's Multi-Million Dollar Sewage Struggle

When a water quality test came back positive for E. coli, Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District immediately implemented a series of daily flushing and chlorinating efforts with a boil water advisory in effect for 7 days that had people on edge for the upcoming Thanksgiving festivities.

Because many locations dealing with groundwater contamination generally have multiple micropollutants to remove, consulting engineers and water treatment plant managers are often put in a position to seek additional or alternative treatment approaches other than activated carbon or reverse osmosis.

In many countries, we take for granted the availability and reliability of safe drinking water.  A recent trip outside of the U.S. reminded me of this fact when I saw notices in the hotel rooms stating the drinking water met specific standards and was safe to drink. However, my friends from the country emphatically warned me not to drink the water.

Discover how the Village of Oak Park faced persistent water loss by implementing a systematic leak detection and mitigation approach.

Water and wastewater piping come in a variety of materials, joints, and diameters. They can meet a multitude of demands and needs for the country's infrastructure.

For most water utilities, master and production meters represent the system's financial and operational truth. These meters quantify the volume of water entering the distribution network, support water accountability programs, validate NRW calculations, and influence everything from treatment costs to rate structures.

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, is known for its deep-water fishing, beautiful beaches, luxurious hotels, and as an overall vacation destination for travelers from around the world. 

Quechan Casino Resort, a gaming facility located on Native American-owned land in Winterhaven, CA, began its wastewater treatment operations in January 2009. Early into the project development, it was decided that the Aqua-Aerobic MBR membrane bioreactor system was the optimum solution due to its small footprint, high-quality effluent, and low energy consumption.

Jet aeration retrofits modernize aging wastewater tanks with minimal downtime, integrating easily into existing basins while delivering long-term reliability, higher oxygen transfer efficiency, and significantly lower lifecycle costs.

Open-source collaboration transforms water management by democratizing technical expertise and breaking down data silos. This community-driven approach fosters transparent innovation, allowing global experts to share insights that build more resilient infrastructure and secure water futures.

Modernizing water infrastructure requires robust digital systems to manage high-volume metering data. Centralizing this information enables precise leak detection, accurate water balancing, and proactive customer engagement, ultimately driving operational efficiency and long-term sustainability goals.

Advanced analytics, machine learning, and AI are increasingly common topics in wastewater management. Plant managers hear about predictive maintenance, automated optimization, and forecasting tools that can alert operators before a process upset occurs. Some facilities are already testing these ideas, while others want to but feel held back because their data isn’t ready.