Water Online Radio
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A Cost-Effective Answer To Partial-Pipe Flow Metering
10/14/2019
One of the most perplexing challenges for wastewater plant operators is the need to measure the various sources of influent. This is especially true for closed-pipe systems where the use of traditional flow devices requires intensive and expensive engineering to keep the pipe full at the point of measurement.
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Extending SCADA’s Reach To Remote Resources
10/14/2019
Many water and wastewater treatment plant operators have a desire to ‘see’ and manage key systems beyond the reach of their plant walls and in-house SCADA systems, such as wastewater lift pumps or water distribution pumps. In this Water Talk session, Dave Stout and Ryan Hancock of In Control Technical Solutions discuss an answer that’s as simple as connecting a power cord and two wires. It employs a self-contained cellular modem that any utility can self-install — at a fraction of the cost for traditional remote cellular solutions — and use to monitor remote resources as part of their main SCADA system.
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Gaining Better Insights Into Water/Wastewater Operations
10/14/2019
The advantage in the growth of digital technology and Internet of Things (IoT) accessibility for water/wastewater applications is the depth and breadth of information available at a utility’s fingertips. The challenge is utilizing all that data in a convenient, comprehensive way. Mahesh Lunani, CEO of Aquasight, shares insights on digital solutions to that challenge, even in the face of a changing workforce. He describes a better way to integrate data from various siloed systems — SCADA, laboratories, smart meters, hydraulic models, GIS systems, etc. — and troubleshoot problems ranging from combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to water-loss and water-quality issues. Best of all, he relates it in the context of WEFTEC’s changing focus from wastewater treatment to water resource recovery.
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Putting Digital Instrumentation To Multipurpose Use
10/13/2019
Instruments that deliver only one measurement point are achieving just a fraction of their potential, according to Ryan Williams. That is why smart technology is the essence of this Water Talk discussion with him and his Endress+Hauser associate Alan Vance. It explores how digitalization can elevate the role of instrumentation systems or independent flow, level, pressure, and temperature sensors to make utility managers and maintenance crews more productive than ever. Opportunities range from an electromagnetic flow meter with zero straight-pipe-run requirements, to self-diagnosing instruments, to remote-access monitoring and control, to predictive analytics for the newest members of the utility workforce.
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Filling The Technical Skills Gap
10/11/2019
As the water and wastewater workforce ages, and fewer technically skilled people enter the industry, municipalities and other large operators with water needs are finding themselves in a bind.
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The Shifting State Of CWA Regulations
10/10/2019
While the Clean Water Act (CWA) is a federal regulation, the job of enforcing its standards has been kicked to the state level, where results can be mixed. Bluefield Research recently analyzed the trend and its impact, presenting its findings in a recent Water Online webinar. It was also a topic of discussion at WEFTEC 2019, where Bluefield's president, Reese Tisdale, sat down with Water Talk. In the interview, Tisdale addressed the evolution of the CWA, current treatment issues, and financial forecasts for the industry.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.