Water Online Radio

51. Fostering Innovation In Headworks 10/9/2019

    Some of the more complex wastewater screens — the initial step to removing objects from the incoming stream — are designed around the idea of generating residual business, so they require regular maintenance. That’s what prompted Duperon to invent the FlexRake, which has no lower sprockets, bearings, or tracks to foul or jam.

52. A Modern Approach To Sewer Overflows 10/7/2019

    As storm activity continues to grow, utilities are under increasing pressure to mitigate sewer overflows. Building enough storage to handle the excess runoff until it can be treated is no longer practical — in most places, it’s not even feasible to create a large enough space — and the issue will only get worse as storms continue to intensify. Meanwhile, most settling technologies that address overflows require chemicals and a complex process to start up, shut down, and store through off-peak times.

53. Avoiding The Pitfalls Of Capital Projects 7/18/2019

    When it comes to big projects, often part of a municipality's capital improvement plan (CIP), it's the planning part that is too often overlooked, or simply not well executed. This causes a number of problems during implementation — problems that can increase risk, waste time and money, and degrade project outcomes. In this Water Talk interview, James Strayer of Black & Veatch describes the typical problems capital programs encounter and explains how proper planning and asset management can help improve project success rates.

54. Plastic Piping Systems Adapting To Water Industry Needs 7/17/2019

    There’s a big difference between pipe and a true piping system, according to Brian LaBelle of GF Piping Systems. His insights from this Water Talk interview captured at ACE19 in Denver highlight the advantages of ever-advancing plastic piping capabilities that are helping the water industry engineer and fabricate resilient alternatives to aging infrastructure by using customized polyethylene, polypropylene, and PVDF piping systems.

55. Leveraging Water Data: The Future Is Here! 7/16/2019

    Technology is on pace to reach a milestone of 26 billion devices connected through the Internet of Things (IoT) by the end of 2019. In the water industry, IoT capabilities are enabling utilities to leverage meter reading data collected via secure private cellular networks to satisfy multiple purposes — increasing its value exponentially. In this Water Talk interview, Kristie Anderson from Badger Meter discusses how advances in smart solutions, smart water, and smart city technology are delivering real-world benefits that seemed like futuristic promises just a few short years ago.

56. Lowering The Cost Of Leak Detection 7/15/2019

    Aging infrastructure is shaping up to be an enormous burden on municipalities. The next 30 years will require a $1 trillion investment just to keep up with the replacement curve for water distribution pipes. At the same time, leak targeting and physical condition assessment of existing networks is an expensive proposition. In this Water Talk interview, Doug Hatler, chief revenue officer for Fracta, discusses the application of artificial intelligence in advanced screening solutions to bring those evaluation costs down.

57. How Advanced Flow Meters Are Changing The Game For Water Managers 7/12/2019

    Flow meters are not just hardware anymore. Advanced flow meters act as a data collection tool that can gather and relay valuable information for engineers and technicians trying to be more proactive in the operation of their water systems. In this Water Talk interview, Dave Baker, a regional sales manager for McCrometer, discusses advanced flow meter capabilities that are more user friendly as well as the importance of selecting the proper meter for specific applications.

58. Easing The Burden On Water Plant Operators 7/12/2019

    The goal of water plant operators is almost universal: to ensure they're providing quality water to customers while detecting leaks, running at optimal energy usage, and maintaining systems. The problem is traditional controls and SCADA systems have gotten so complex they can actually make the job more difficult. In this Water Talk interview, Malcolm Thompson, the chief financial officer of XIO, and Kevin Liscovitz, the chief operating officer of XIO, discuss newer technology making water plant controls as simple as possible for operators while providing better insight into asset management.

59. Solutions To Remote Data Entry In SCADA 7/12/2019

    A watershed isn’t typically tied into a water system’s SCADA system, but students and others observing the health of the resources may have information that can be of great value to plant operators. This is just one example of when there is a need to enter remote manual data into a SCADA system. In this Water Talk interview, Dave Spencer, technical sales with VTScada from Trihedral Engineering, discusses advanced technology that promote improved oversight by allowing the transfer of data into, and out of, SCADA systems.

60. Tackling PFAS And Other Emerging Contaminants 7/11/2019

    Manmade chemicals — most notably PFAS and 1,2,3-trichloropropane, or TCP — are emerging as a serious threat to water sources that municipalities at some point will need to address to meet regulations and provide quality water. PFAS has been rearing its head across the U.S.; and while TCP is mainly a California issue, it could prove to be more expansive. In this Water Talk interview, Jim Knepper, vice president and general manager of the Resinex division of Jacobi Carbons, and Mike Bickel, a municipal sales manager with Jacobi, discuss how activated carbon technology is helping water plant operators tackle looming problems such as PFAS and TCP.