Views on the Latest Regulations

11. Water Industry Responds To Proposed LCR Revisions 2/21/2020

    With more than 50,000 community water systems (CWS) in the U.S., it is amazing that only 285 individuals had logged public comments on the U.S. EPA’s proposed Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) Revisions by the February 12, 2020 deadline. Yet, what those respondents had to say could have a big impact on how we deal with lead in drinking water moving forward. Here is a cross-section of the industry’s response.

12. LCR Revisions: Speak Now, Or Forever Hold Your Peace 1/29/2020

    Are you completely ready to implement the scores of changes in the U.S. EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), exactly as proposed? If not, act quickly, because time to register constructive feedback before the February 12^th deadline is running out. Less than three weeks before the end of the comment period, the EPA’s webpage for feedback displayed only 131 public submissions regarding the proposed regulations.

13. Understanding PFAS' Impact On Remediation Strategies 1/8/2020

    For more than 16.5 million water-utility customers in 33 different states, contamination caused by per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is a source-water issue that will not go away for a long time. What are the practical options for community water systems currently confronting this challenge? Here is an overview of several treatments and their relative successes against a wide variety of PFAS compounds.

14. Preparing To Tackle The Hydra Of LCR Revisions 12/30/2019

    As a journalist serving the water industry — but not yet a seasoned technical veteran — I attended a recent Lead In Drinking Water Forum sponsored by AWWA NJ to learn about the challenges of complying with the proposed Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR). What I heard impressed upon me the technical, administrative, and logistical challenges of delivering safe, lead-free drinking water all the way to user taps. Here are my takeaways.

15. Forward-Looking Technology Anticipates Compliance Needs 10/19/2019

    When a company stakes its reputation on delivering innovative technologies, products, and services, the specter of a changing regulatory landscape is considered more an opportunity than an obstacle. In this Water Talk interview, Mirka Wilderer, CEO of De Nora Water Technologies, discusses varying topics such as pharmaceuticals and nutrients in wastewater, the synergy of the company’s new MIOX and Neptune acquisitions, and how to address the growing concern over chlorate disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in drinking water. For example, De Nora’s new ClorTec Gen III onsite hypochlorite generators generate up to 3,000 lbs./day of chlorine-based disinfectants while reducing chlorate formation and cutting operating costs by 15 percent as compared to previously available models.

16. Satisfying LCR Compliance Measurement And Management 10/15/2019

    The challenges of complying with the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) and other emerging regulations in a post-Flint world are high-priority for a variety of organizations — from government agencies, to public water systems, to individual facilities such as schools. This Water Talk discussion with Megan Glover of 120 Water Audit addresses the scope and execution of those challenges. It covers everything from providing point-of-use testing kits for sampling individual water spigots to managing overall Safe Drinking Water Act and LCR compliance through cloud-based software. Most important, it gives context to practical solutions for the many utilities and facilities coping with some level of lead exceedance.

17. The Mainstreaming Of Potable Reuse 6/25/2019

    With ever-growing demand for water resources, the reuse discussion has been building for years. More utilities are considering it, policy is being created around it, and new technologies are making it more efficient. To better understand the evolving landscape, Water Talk sat down with Brown and Caldwell's regional One Water leader, Allegra da Silva.

18. EPA Outlines Possible Solutions To Looming Perchlorate Limits 6/18/2019

    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.

19. 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.

20. The ABCs Of PFCs 7/11/2018

    Nick Burns, director of water treatment technology for (the Americas region of) Black & Veatch, discusses the health concerns, current regulatory status, and documented presence of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), also sometimes called perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), in drinking water supplies — as determined by sampling under the U.S. EPA's Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule 3 (UCMR3).