Articles by Pete Antoniewicz

41. USGS Shares Wellspring Of Insight On Groundwater Trends 9/24/2018

    If your customer base is among the 140 million people who depend upon groundwater for drinking water, irrigation, or agriculture, it is important to know whether you can expect the quality of your source water today to be the same tomorrow. Fortunately, a recent update to the first-of-its-kind assessment of trends in groundwater supply has been announced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to help you identify emerging problems. The results are detailed in an informative and easy-to-use interactive map.

42. Design-Build: Cyclical Trend Or Step Change? 9/10/2018

    Over the past two decades, the trend from traditional design-bid-build (DBB) construction project-delivery practices to design-build (DB) practices has grown. Is that merely a cyclical trend or a step change that is destined to be a fixture for a long time to come?

43. The Value Of Conducting An M36 Water Audit 8/24/2018

    Despite my fascination with the adage, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result,” I still occasionally find myself — a creature of habit — falling into a pattern of repetitive unsuccessful behavior.

44. My Most Personal Initiation To PFAS 8/13/2018

    When I attended the U.S. EPA-hosted PFAS Summit held at the Horsham, PA high school auditorium on July 25, 2018, the education I received from state and municipal leaders focusing on the local problem was more than just a professional briefing. It was ominously personal, due to the fact that the Water Online editorial office where I work and drink water every day is served by a utility sitting smack-dab in the middle of one of the most concentrated PFAS hotspots in the U.S.

45. Blue-Collar Heroes: Helping Smaller Rural Water Systems Flourish 8/1/2018

    While all water treatment utilities (WTPs) and wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) face challenges, small rural systems are particularly hard-pressed due to limited resources. In a contrast of proportions, small water systems supporting fewer than 3,500 customers serve about 8 percent of the U.S. population, yet constitute nearly 83 percent of nation’s 51,000 community water systems. Sixty-five percent of those small systems serve 500 customers or less, and many of them are rural systems. Fortunately, they do not have to face their challenges alone.

46. Great Lakes Competition Rewards Environmental Stewardship 7/3/2018

    The Great Lakes Basin Water Utility Energy Challenge has announced five winners in its inaugural competition among water utilities to reduce emissions associated with energy generation to support their plant operations. The 2018 winners included a variety of utilities ranging from small-town to large-metropolitan-area systems, competing in five major areas:

47. Is There A Cure For Wastewater's Summertime Blues? 6/25/2018

    As we approach the hottest months of the year, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) operators face a range of challenges arising from elevated summer temperatures. With all due respect to Eddie Cochran, this article outlines some of the cures — or at least preventive steps and countermeasures — for wastewater treatment’s “summertime blues.”

48. Play It Again, Sam: Potable Water Reuse Striking New Chords 6/21/2018

    The phrase “Necessity is the mother of invention” has been definitively traced back to early 16^th century England, and even attributed to Plato in the Latin form, “Mater artium necessitas.” In today’s world of water, necessity is also becoming a major factor in rising interest regarding potable water reuse. This is especially true in areas where changes in climate or usage demands have stressed traditional sources of supply, as evidenced by increasing numbers of applications worldwide. For those who work in a water-stressed environment, this article can provide added perspective on specific points of opportunity — and points of caution.

49. Mapping A New Future For Water Main Break Prediction 6/7/2018

    Every water distribution utility has a strategy for infrastructure asset management and repair — from simply reacting to breaks, to scheduling main replacements based on system-specific history, to prioritizing infrastructure repairs based on mathematical calculations of risks and consequences.

50. West Coast WTPs: Beware Of Intruders On Your Doorstep 5/16/2018

    As if they don’t already face enough challenges, water treatment plants (WTPs) in the western U.S. have yet another potential problem lurking in their source water waiting to blossom when they least expect it. This specific problem comes in the form of two invasive species: quagga mussels and zebra mussels.