Source Water Resources

  1. D.C. Circuit Upholds EPA's Hazardous Substance Designation For PFOA, PFOS 8/24/2026

    The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit recently rejected industry challenges to the EPA's designation of PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under CERCLA, leaving the agency's April 2024 rule fully intact. While the case centered on the EPA's authority to make the designation, its practical significance for water utilities is simpler: the liability concerns that have accompanied the rule since its adoption remain unresolved.

  2. Colorado River Water Conservation Efforts Get Only Halfway To A Solution 8/20/2026

    In August 2026 the nation’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, both on the Colorado River, hit their lowest levels since they first began to be filled in 1936 and 1963, respectively. The federal government and the seven Colorado River basin states have been unable to reach an agreement about who should reduce water usage by how much to avoid catastrophic declines in lake levels.

  3. Sample Collection And Storage: Protecting Water Quality Results From The Start 8/18/2026

    Flawless analytical procedures mean little if samples are compromised before testing. Discover how proper container selection, representative collection techniques, and rigorous preservation protocols prevent pre-analysis error to ensure defensible, accurate water quality results.

  4. How Donner Summit PUD Cut Backwash Water Use By 45% With Ultrasonic Algae Control 8/18/2026

    Recurring algal blooms severely compromise water treatment efficiency, clogging filters and wasting finished water through frequent backwashing. Targeted ultrasonic suppression controls raw water algae growth at the source, significantly improving influent turbidity and lowering operational costs.

  5. Reverse Osmosis Gets Smarter: New Technologies Target Energy Use And Membrane Fouling 8/18/2026

    Nearly 45–60% of a reverse osmosis (RO) plant's operating cost is linked to energy consumption, while membrane fouling can reduce productivity by 15–40% and increase cleaning costs by thousands of dollars annually. The newest generation of RO systems is therefore focused on reducing energy demand, extending membrane life, and using intelligent monitoring to predict fouling before performance declines.

  6. How To Check Colorimetric Accuracy And Troubleshoot Unexpected Results 8/17/2026

    Achieve defensible testing results by mastering analytical controls. Learn how strategic blank corrections, scheduled primary and secondary standard verifications, and systematic troubleshooting eliminate measurement errors and simplify regulatory compliance across everyday laboratory operations.

  7. When Water Test Results Don't Add Up 8/17/2026

    Undetected interferences in water analysis lead to reporting errors and costly compliance failures. Learn how to identify sample matrix disruptions using spike-and-recovery testing and apply practical lab techniques to ensure accurate, compliant data.

  8. The Two-Sided Water Problem — What Process Manufacturers Are Missing On Both Ends Of The Line 8/4/2026

    Process manufacturing represents an underexamined water-withdrawal category. Inside every one of these facilities, water is lost twice — once at the tap, and once at the drain — both losses driven by the same root cause and both solvable by the same intervention.

  9. The Future Of Field Water Testing: Shifting From Sequential To Parallel Analysis 7/13/2026

    Manual water testing drains operational hours and increases human error. Transitioning to parallel analysis lets field technicians test multiple parameters simultaneously, reducing testing times by up to 75% while improving field data integrity.

  10. Brackish Water Desalination: A Strategic Imperative For Sustainable Water Stewardship Across The American Water Landscape 7/10/2026
    As droughts intensify, groundwater depletes, and climate extremes worsen, many water-stressed regions are increasingly turning to brackish groundwater desalination, for both potable use and industrial applications where water quality demands are less stringent. Hence, brackish water reserves are emerging fast as a strategic priority, ensuring a supplement for long-term national water security.