Water Instrumentation Podcasts

  1. Advanced Testing For Better Biofilm Control In Distribution Systems 7/8/2019

    Excessive amounts of diverse microorganisms, also known as biofilm, significantly impact water quality and promote corrosion in distribution systems. The fastest way for biofilm to proliferate is through ineffective management. However, taking control isn’t as simple as adding plenty of disinfectant to the water, and traditional testing involves sending samples to a lab and waiting days. In this Water Talk interview, Dave Tracey, director of strategic sales channels for LuminUltra, discusses innovative biological monitoring technologies that simplify testing so it can be done in the field with immediate results.

  2. Demystifying Intelligent Water, Or What To Do With Data Overload 6/28/2019

    Do your eyes glaze over when the words "smart water" or "intelligent water" are mentioned? If so, a new collaborative paper between Arcadis and Bluefield Research may be your antidote. First, learn the who, what, where, and why from Jim Cooper, the Intelligent Water Lead for Arcadis, in this Water Talk interview.

  3. Improved Monitoring Produces Better Decision-Making Data 6/26/2019

    Each municipal water utility faces its own unique challenges, so there’s no on-size-fits-all solution for any specific problem faced by plant operators. The good news is there are ways to collect actionable data for making smarter decisions with plant assets. Armed with this information, water managers can better optimize equipment, contain costs, and produce a high-quality product. In this Water Talk interview, Amanda Scott, an industrial and environmental manager with Suez Water Technologies and Solutions, discusses how advanced water quality monitoring technology and newer approaches to emerging problems provide tighter control over daily operations at treatment plants.

  4. New AMI Capabilities Help Satisfy Utility Aims 6/22/2019

    Finding new ways to capture and utilize data is important for utilities looking to improve operating efficiency and customer service. This interview with Frank Brooks and Dave Rubin from Aclara — a smart-infrastructure solutions partner for water, gas, and/or electric utilities — outlines ways to do both within a common infrastructure.

  5. How To Turn Data Into A Difference-Maker 11/27/2018

    With the proliferation of sensors, data collection, and cloud storage, there is the potential for operational insight heretofore never available, and the opportunity will only expand as the technology evolves and the Internet of Things becomes, well, more of a thing. But data is only truly useful if it informs decision-making that results in positive impact — for an organization's bottom line, its personnel, its customers, or even the world at large (i.e., the environment).

  6. Coming Around To Big Data 10/23/2018

    Big Data is on the minds and lips of many water system managers, but how many utilities are actually utilizing it? Jason Carter, the Water Utility Innovation Leader at Arcadis, notes that the water industry is a bit behind, but he also sees a clear path forward — one where Big Data plays a central role in operations and, consequently, newfound efficiencies.

  7. The Onset Of Water's Digital Transformation 6/29/2018

    The future of water looks daunting with the ever-looming challenges of population growth, climate change, and failing infrastructure, but the future also includes technological advances that can help overcome these hard-to-solve issues. The key, explains Water Talk guest and digital technology consultant Gigi Karmous-Edwards, is to embrace our digital capabilities as they continue to develop. We are already in the age of smart water, but the majority of utilities are not taking advantage of the power of data for optimizing operations and informing decision-making. It is only when wide-scale implementation occurs that the digital transformation arrives. In the interview below, Karmous-Edwards explains the impact on the horizon.

  8. Quality Control Leads To Quality Water, Beer 10/25/2017

    The importance and utility of sensors for delivering precious drinking water — and beer — is of topic in this conversation with MJ Peters of Sensorex. The company provides UVT-LED sensors for monitoring UV transmittance, offering quality control for advanced treatment applications such as potable water reuse. One such application was the AZ Pure Water Brew Challenge, where recycled water was used to make beer.

  9. Drumming Up Chemical Injection 10/24/2017

    The operating ranges for chemical injection need to be large because of the variability of flow in many treatment operations. As Bill McDowell, Vice President of Operations with Blue White Industries explains in this Water Talk interview, “You might be down to as low as 5 or 10 milliliters a minute and then one hour later; you might need to pump 15 gallons a minute out of the same pump and through the same sensor.”

  10. Predictive Maintenance Enabled By Moving Secured Data To The Cloud 10/24/2017

    Cloud-based monitoring and reporting was all the rage at WEFTEC 2017. Water Talk sat down with Tom Perry, National Product Manager with Veolia to discuss Aquavista, one of the more established technologies for capturing critical data, storing it in the cloud and allowing it to be accessed real time, 24/7 from any smart, web-enabled device.