Is there value in anaerobic digesters beyond wastewater treatment? According to Nick Bonkoski, a domain leader for anaerobic digestion systems at Suez Water Technologies, the answer is a resounding “Yes.” The insights he shared with Water Talk at WEFTEC 2019 paint a bright ecological and financial landscape of how municipal wastewater treatment plants now incorporate co-digestion of food waste with biosolids to capitalize on excess...  Continue Reading..

When low population density and troublesome topography make traditional gravity sewers cost-prohibitive, septic-tank effluent-pumping (STEP) technology offers an affordable alternative. In this Water Talk discussion, Mike Saunders, market segment leader for engineered systems at Orenco Systems, outlines how to match the right technology to the need. Orenco’s new decentralized liquid-only sewer systems treat septic effluent that is reduced...  Continue Reading..

Engineered skid systems provide a compact configuration chemical feed at water and wastewater treatment plants. While these all-in-one metering pump solutions bring tremendous value to their users, traditional platforms have their pitfalls.  Continue Reading..

Many food processing facilities operating today were designed and built to accommodate consumer habits of a bygone era. As those commercial markets have evolved, and industry has adapted to the changes, the wastewater plants at those sites are no longer capable of processing the waste generated during production.  Continue Reading..

Improving wastewater treatment efficiency requires some type of change in the physics, biology, or economics of the process. In this Water Talk interview, Jeff Kelly, Red Valve’s senior product manager for the Tideflex Aeration and Mixing System, describes how to change all three — to the tune of a cost-saving 50-percent reduction in applied airflow! The Tideflex approach uses a unique diffuser design to support on/off aeration and...  Continue Reading..

For the past 10 to 15 years, wastewater treatment operators have faced increased clogging issues related to baby wipes, disposable diapers, rags, and other foreign debris. At the same time, the use of low-flow toilets has increased the solids concentration of sewage flow. This discussion with Brad Jernigan and Christina Foster from Pentair addresses differences between how grinder pumps (low flow/high head) and chopper pumps (higher flow/lower...  Continue Reading..

Joe Vesey, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Xylem, is a believer in approaching water challenges holistically to create economic value and social value for water treatment operators and the communities they serve. At WEFTEC 2019, he entertained Water Talk’s moderators with his company’s involvement in confronting increasing stresses on water’s supply-and-demand equation. The discussion ranged from saving one...  Continue Reading..

Population growth, stricter regulations, and increased energy costs continue to exert significant pressure on municipal wastewater operations. But rather than investing in tired, old solutions such as the construction of additional concrete tanks, water system managers are seeking new ways to stretch the limits of their infrastructure.  Continue Reading..

Reducing the solids coming into wastewater facilities is a daily grind for plant managers, but advanced technology is making it easier on those professionals.  Continue Reading..

With all the permutations of flow and instrument readings in water and wastewater treatment operations, having the foresight to optimize responses to changing conditions is a challenge. In this Water Talk session, Ari Opdahl, senior product manager with Bentley Systems, offers a better way to manage tools, people, and resources to achieve desired outcomes. Digital-twin technology helps utilities mirror and simulate water-system conditions and...  Continue Reading..