Regulation Updates For Utility Managers

91. As Climate Change Parches The Southwest, Here's A Better Way To Share Water From The Shrinking Colorado River 11/22/2021

    Southwestern states, tribes, and Mexico share the Colorado River’s water under the century-old 1922 Colorado Compact and updates to it. But today, because of climate change and rapid development, there is an enormous gap between the amount of water the compact allocates to parties and the amount that is actually in the river. With users facing unprecedented water shortages, the compact is hopelessly inadequate to deal with current and future realities.

92. Connecting Every Drop: Are Your Water-Loss And Conservation Efforts Up To Date? 10/8/2021

    A new, peer-reviewed study published on Nature.com confirms what water utilities know and confront every day — water scarcity is already a problem, and its growth is forcing action now. Here are tangible steps that can be taken to meet current and future challenges.

93. Achieving Better Balance In The Water-Energy-Climate Nexus 10/4/2021

    Trying to balance urban population growth against water scarcity, energy consumption, and greenhouse gases (GHGs) can feel like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Fortunately, a recent report quantifying that delicate balance offers new perspective on solutions for water professionals.

94. What The Industry Is Saying About The EPA Contaminant Candidate List 5 9/28/2021

    It is assumed that most individuals involved in the advocacy, treatment, and regulation of drinking water in the U.S. have similar opinions on the importance of delivering clean, safe drinking water. But determining how regulatory steps regarding daily practices at water treatment plants (WTPs) should evolve tends to reveal some differences in opinion. Here are some recent industry reactions to the proposed Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List 5 (CCL 5).

95. Impact Of Congressional Ruling On PFAS 8/16/2021

    The ability of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to contaminate everything in their wake and resist degradation in nature has propelled these “forever chemicals” into a serious public health concern over the past two decades, galvanizing calls for sweeping federal legislation.

96. Capitalizing On Evolving PFAS-Removal Options 8/2/2021

    Granular activated carbon (GAC) and ion exchange (IX) resin have long histories in removing a variety of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as ‘forever chemicals.’ Here are some performance considerations of evolving options that can pay dividends for first-time and experienced PFAS removal operators alike.

97. 'Megadrought' Along Border Strains US-Mexico Water Relations 7/16/2021

    The United States and Mexico are tussling over their dwindling shared water supplies after years of unprecedented heat and insufficient rainfall. Sustained drought on the middle-lower Rio Grande since the mid-1990s means less Mexican water flows to the U.S. The Colorado River Basin, which supplies seven U.S. states and two Mexican states, is also at record low levels.

98. New Toolkit Arrives Just In Time For HAB Season 6/10/2021

    With harmful algal blooms (HABs) being forecast to increase, in part due to the effects of climate change, more water systems can expect to face problematic cyanotoxin conditions more frequently and for more days per year. In its efforts to mitigate the negative effects of such increases, the U.S. EPA has enhanced its information resources for water utilities by issuing a new Cyanotoxins Preparedness and Response Toolkit (CPRT).

99. New Methods Extend Options For NPDES Compliance Testing 6/10/2021

    The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), introduced as part of the 1972 Clean Water Act, has continued to evolve as new challenges and new technologies emerge. Its latest update, due to go into effect on July 19, 2021, expands the analytical test methods available to governing bodies, industries, and municipalities for compliance reporting under the NPDES permit program. Here is what that entails.

100. SWAN Corner: How Regulators And Innovators Are Working Together To Digitize Wastewater Regulations 6/8/2021

     Advanced technologies have been trickling into wastewater processes for the last decade, but only recently have bodies such as the International Standards Organisation added smart systems to their list of standardised practices. Collaborations with tech startups have played a vital role in bringing standards in line with current technological capabilities, but there’s a long way to go...