The Environment Working Group (EWG) recently released a report that claims up to 110 million Americans could have drinking water contaminated by PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) — much higher than the previous estimate of 16 million affected Americans.
Turbidity, a measure of the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid, was originally intended as a qualitative measure of the aesthetics of drinking water. It is not a measure of actual particles in the water; it measures how much those particles affect light being transmitted through the water, or how that light reflects off particles in the water. Today’s turbidity designs and methods have been regimented in an attempt to bring quantitative consistency to the measurement for both aesthetic and pathogenic qualities of drinking water.
Turbidity measurement is both a nebulous, oft-misunderstood concept and the master link in a chain of events affecting U.S. EPA drinking water compliance. It can influence, or be influenced by, almost every other link in a water treatment process. Here is a quick overview of turbidity’s relationship to drinking water compliance standards and some tips for keeping a water treatment process in balance.
California is one step closer to a more resilient and secure water future for our communities, environment, and economy thanks to the passage of two bills in Sacramento this week.
One of the many travesties in the failure to properly protect drinking water in the United States is EPA’s decades-long inability to set an enforceable drinking standard for perchlorate, a chemical that harms the thyroid — critical for normal growth and development — and that contaminates drinking water systems serving over 17 million people in the U.S.
By now, just about everyone in the U.S. has heard about Flint, Michigan’s water woes. Despite the many issues raised by that incident, urban water systems are not the sole reason the 2017 Report Card from the American Society of Civil Engineers gives the U.S. drinking water infrastructure an overall “D” grade. Hidden within that disheartening rating are the harsh realities faced by rural water systems.
Water Research Foundation (WRF) research examines successes and challenges for “One Water” management of resources and long-term sustainability.
One thing was certain after the Two Nations One Water: U.S.-Mexico Border Water Summit concluded March 2 at El Paso Water’s TecH2O Learning Center. Policymakers, researchers and industry experts from both sides of the border care deeply about water sustainability and are committed to solutions to ensure the long-term vitality of their respective communities. About 300 convened at the two-day event, eager and ready to work together.
It’s no secret that the U.S. EPA has changed course in the last year. But how have those changes affected local water and wastewater treatment operations? And how are those operations going to evolve along with the federal agency?
PFC contamination is the number one drinking water issue today. So how are local and federal leaders working to put an end to it?
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