Water Online Radio
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A Better Path To Ammonia Removal
10/29/2019
Ammonia removal is a key metric for assessing wastewater treatment facility performance. However, traditional methods to monitor the process — based on measuring process parameters or nitrogen species — tend to be lagging indicators.
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The Rising Need For Resiliency
10/28/2019
For water utilities, it can be hard enough to keep up with day-to-day demands — given the poor state of infrastructure, lack of funding, a retiring workforce, et al. — let alone prepare for events that have yet to happen. But building resiliency for "what if" scenarios is extremely important, says Dr. Zeynep Erdal, Integrated Solutions Leader for Black & Veatch’s water business. In this Water Talk interview, Dr. Erdal discusses the different forms of resiliency, including data security, keeping physical assets on-line, renewing scarce resources, and protecting our environment and water supply. She also addresses the realities of resiliency in terms of current preparedness among utilities.
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Bringing Light To Dark Data
10/28/2019
If you're not benefiting from the analytics readily available to your utility operation, you're missing out on efficiency and cost savings. For the curious and for skeptics, or if you want to advance your smart water journey, this Water Talk interview with Kevin Stively, Vice President and Smart Utility Services Leader at Brown and Caldwell, is a must-listen. Stively notes how the investment in smart technologies can be small — in comparison to the payback — and taken in "baby steps."
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The Future Of Water Reuse
10/28/2019
Water reuse has long been trending up, but where do we stand in 2019 and beyond, particularly with respect to potable reuse, which has been more difficult to implement? Andrew Salveson, Water Reuse Practice Director at Carollo Engineers, talked about adoption rates, national and regional activity, and what's on tap for water reuse in this Water Talk interview. While the West and Southwest parts of the U.S. have been faster to embrace the practice due to drought and scarcity, Salveson explains why the Northwest and East Coast, where rain is abundant, are also getting on board.
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Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal Evolves With S2EBPR
10/28/2019
Leon Downing, Principal Process Engineer and Innovation Leader at Black & Veatch, sat down with Water Talk's Todd Schnick and Kevin Westerling to discuss the exciting developments taking place with sidestream enhanced biological phosphorous removal, or S2EBPR. Black & Veatch is co-leading a Water Research Foundation (WRF) study conducted to establish a standard research approach for S2EBPR, which Downing calls "the evolution of biological phosphorus removal."
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How New Technology Lowers The Cost Of Ownership For Remote Sites
10/27/2019
Whether a utility operates a couple of pumping stations or a couple hundred, driving out to those locations for monitoring and maintenance is labor-intensive and costly.
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Blower Rentals Offer Tailored Solution To Temporary Needs
10/27/2019
There are many reasons for a utility to rent a blower for wastewater aeration. Besides the obvious — an emergency — plant operators may need a rental to bridge the gap during upgrade projects, supply seasonal need to supplement air, or perform testing.
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Presidential Plans At WEF
10/25/2019
Recently appointed Water Environment Federation (WEF) President Jackie Jarrell understands the trials and tribulations of WEF members, and not just from afar. As the deputy director of Charlotte Water, a utility with about 1,000 employees and 800,000 customers, she has firsthand experience with common industry challenges, including aging infrastructure, a retiring workforce, and emerging contaminants of concern such as PFOS. As president of WEF, she wants to ensure that every utility, large or small, has the tools to deal with these and other issues.
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Process Intensification And Innovation
10/24/2019
Two VPs from Brown and Caldwell stopped by Water Talk to share leading-edge insight on topics important to just about every American utility — doing more with less and innovating for the future. Jose Jimenez, VP of Water Technology and Innovation, notes how "process intensification" can be achieved through gains in energy efficiency, among other ways, and illustrates the impact by sharing real-world results from a Pueblo, CO, case study. Sarah Reeves joins the conversation with a focus on the need for innovation, citing the three big drivers that are compelling a change to status quo approaches.
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A New Leader And Era For WEF
10/23/2019
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) has long led the way for water and wastewater professionals, but now the 35,000-member organization has a new leader of its own — Water Talk guest Walt Marlowe. Fresh off his initiation as executive director on Sept. 9, the executive director sat down to discuss his varied background, his views on the state of the water industry, and his plans for WEF moving forward. He also shares lessons learned from former executive director Eileen O'Neill, as well as his impressions of WEFTEC, North America's largest water quality event and the setting for this interview.