Using a calendar to determine when maintenance is needed for pumps, blowers, and other equipment no longer gets the job done. That’s because the ability to harness data to drive condition-based maintenance is now available. Understanding how your assets are performing, versus how they should be performing, is a key step towards predictive analytics. In this Water Talk interview, Manuel Parra, business development director for water and...  Continue Reading..

There are a variety of technology vendors serving the water and wastewater industry, and many offer products and prices that are very comparable. Sometimes the differentiator comes down to the service, which is driven by company culture. In this Water Talk interview, Rich Cavagnaro, CEO of AdEdge Water Technologies, and Fariha Hassan, a project manager with AdEdge, discuss the positive ways to impact company culture and how that can go a long...  Continue Reading..

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...  Continue Reading..

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...  Continue Reading..

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...  Continue Reading..

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...  Continue Reading..

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...  Continue Reading..

The dramatic rise in algal blooms, and increases in other contaminants, has left many municipalities struggling to get a handle on their source water. However, there are effective ways to manage those problems ahead of intake to stabilize the process inside of water treatment plants. In this Water Talk interview, Justin Voty, a marketing and commercialization manager with Innovative Water Care, and Jackie Schramm, a sales manager with Innovative...  Continue Reading..

As regulations become more stringent and increased demand is putting pressure on sources, traditional sampling to maintain water quality just isn’t cutting it anymore. Relying on periodic samples analyzed in a laboratory means water managers aren’t in touch with potentially large swings in the organic load and other problems flowing into their treatment plants. In this Water Talk interview, Kerim Kollu, an applications research...  Continue Reading..

Polymers used in wastewater treatment represent one of the most expensive operating costs for municipalities. By providing an optimal environment for the activation of these polymers, plants can improve efficiency by as much as 20 percent or more. At the same time, drinking water plant managers face enormous pressure to control the disinfection residual. In this Water Talk interview, Matt Boeh, director of sales for UGSI Chemical Feed, discusses...  Continue Reading..