In the summer of 1864, French chemist Louis Pasteur was vacationing in the small eastern town of Arbois where he found the local wines too acidic for his palette.
‘Sewer mining’ may sound like a search for mistakenly flushed and washed-away valuables, but it’s actually a sophisticated, sustainable strategy for combating water scarcity.
Each year, the oil and gas industry produces more than 800 billion gallons of wastewater. Coupling the massive volumes of wastewater generated over the life of the well and the millions of gallons of water needed to hydraulically fracture each well, it’s easy to see that oil and gas exploration and production is just as much a water issue as it is an energy issue.
Mines throughout Pennsylvania contain millions of gallons of contaminated water, putting thousands of stream miles at risk.
Wastewater plant managers are well aware that they can put a price tag on the water they treat and the byproducts that result. But many still wonder: what number should that tag show and where will they find the highest bidder?
Commissioner Mary-Anna Holden has been on the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities since 2012. As a mayor and councilwoman of Madison, NJ for 14 years, Holden chaired the water and wastewater utilities.
The Orange County Water District (OCWD) has been a leader in the recycled water movement. Its Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) operates as a possible model for the potable reuse systems of the future, taking treated wastewater that would normally be discharged into the ocean, purifying it, and then piping it into “recharge stations” where it is stored in underground aquifers for at least six months before traveling to consumers (that buffer puts the “indirect” in indirect potable reuse).
The Water Research Foundation (WRF) has initiated a research project titled “Blending Requirements for Water from DPR Treatment Facilities” which, as the name indicates, aims to determine the optimum phase for incorporating highly treated direct potable reuse (DPR) water into the larger supply.
It was named by the infamous explorer Captain John Smith after the Massachusett tribe of Native Americans, then subsequently renamed by King Charles I of England after himself. As Boston grew, the mighty Charles River proved a vital force behind its expansion, and its long and winding history a reflection of the city’s own.
The Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center project provides expanded reuse opportunities, increased sustainability, and promise for the future.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|