Already widespread, nitrogen contamination of environmental waters is on the rise, according to a major study published this summer in the journal Science.
Members of Congress are pushing President Trump to speed up the military’s investigation into perfluorinated-compound (PFC) contamination of drinking water.
Treatment processes at a wastewater plant in California hit a snag recently when the facility was inundated with salt.
Another community appears to be struggling with a drinking water contaminant that continues to plague treatment facilities around the country.
Rhode Island is checking small water systems for perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) as part of a policy that could become a model for other states.
The Trump administration’s changes to the U.S. EPA have drawn both praise and criticism. In Pennsylvania, a new report on the potential for harm to the Delaware River has drawn the latter.
A San Jose Water Quality Engineer said, "“I wasn’t convinced that PSI’s Monoclor™ chloramine dosing system would solve our problems after several failed attempts to improve residual, but with PSI offering a trial including installation, operation, and troubleshooting for three months, San Jose Water decided to invest the necessary resources to pilot this system.
The Great Barrier Reef — a chain of 2,900 individual, underwater corals comprising the world’s biggest structure made by living organisms — is one of the most visible victims of climate change.
Sooner or later, each wastewater plant has to approach a manufacturer and discuss a purchase. Anyone who has ever tried to buy a piece of expensive, sophisticated wastewater equipment will know there are pitfalls. Some manufacturers offer the best solutions, others don’t. Some manufacturers will go above and beyond to meet a customer’s needs, others won’t. But how do you figure out who has your best interests in mind and who is just out to make a sale.
Although industry only accounts for 20% of water consumption globally (vs. 70% for agriculture and 10% for domestic consumption), most multinational industrial companies are now focused on ensuring they provide effective environmental management wherever they are in the world.
RWL Water and Emefcy have merged to create Fluence Corporation, bringing together breakthrough, energy-saving technologies and proven delivery platforms that optimize treatment solutions for the complete water cycle. Fluence products address all segments of the water value chain, including desalination, reuse, wastewater treatment, freshwater treatment, and waste-to-energy — making it one of the world’s most comprehensive distributed water services firms. Visit us at WEFTEC booth #7135.
Water is the lifeblood of electrical power plants, whether they are water-cooled steam plants or turbine-spinning hydroelectric installations. Regardless of how the facility generates electricity, there is a growing awareness that each power plant is part of its own, unique industrial watershed — drawing water from the environment, altering its contents and temperature, releasing some to the atmosphere as steam, and returning the rest to receiving waters.
The population continues to grow, demanding more output from fewer resources. This strain is felt acutely in the power industry. New plants are built to accommodate the growing population’s power needs, requiring more water than ever for power generation and cooling. As freshwater resources continue to dwindle, more plants are turning to reclaimed water.
Speaking at the Water 2.0: Digital Transformation for the Water Industry Conference in San Diego in early August was an exciting challenge. Here was a tech-savvy, deep-thinking audience that clearly saw the challenges and opportunities presented by America’s need to invest $2.5 to $4 trillion for water and wastewater upgrades over the next 20 years.
San Jose Water Company (SJWC) provides drinking water for over a million people in the greater San Jose Metropolitan region and is a recognized leader in drinking water treatment and distribution system water quality management. With over 90 water storage facilities in service, planned maintenance and rehabilitation of capital assets is a key component of SJWC’s CIP program.
Election season is in full swing and while it may not be the “hottest” topic being debated amongst presidential candidates, the topic of water isn’t being ignored as we approach November. Several candidates have addressed the challenges plaguing water and wastewater systems nationwide.
For both disinfection and TOC-reduction applications, NeoTech Aqua Solutions’ patented ReFleX™ UV chamber technology represents the state-of-the-art in high-efficiency UV systems by reflecting over 99% of the UV we generate back into the water.
The NeoTech Aqua Disinfection Series is specially designed to disinfect water and is an essential component in advanced oxidation processes.
NeoTech Aqua Solutions’ Patriot Series utilizes D438 chamber technology in a stacked and manifolded configuration to support larger flow volumes. By integrating NeoTech Aqua’s patented ReFleX chamber technology, Patriot systems provide the most efficient and versatile UV water treatment equipment available for large volume users. Further, when configured as an n+1 design, the NeoTech Aqua’s Patriot systems meet most redundancy requirements.
NeoTech Aqua Solutions provides the most efficient and cost-effective UV systems for destroying Total Organic Carbons (TOC’s) in water. Whether your destroying NDMA, 1,4-dioxane, TCE, MTBE, urea, endocrine disruptors or other organics, only NeoTech Aqua provides ultraviolet TOC reduction with a treatment chamber optimized for low pressure mercury lamps. As a result, NeoTech Aqua’s UV systems achieve a three times greater TOC reduction per kilowatt compared to standard UV systems, reducing our clients’ costs and energy consumption. In addition to efficiently generating ample 185 nm UV for TOC reduction, NeoTech Aqua’s TOC reduction systems also generate significant levels of 254 nm UV which serve as a powerful disinfectant, providing you both TOC-free and organism-free product water.
The NeoTech CU4-X™ UV Water Treatment Control Interface is a remote and compact master controller capable of managing up to four NeoTech ultraviolet water treatment chambers independently and simultaneously.
The NeoTech D222™ is specially designed to disinfect water and is an essential component in advanced oxidation processes.
The U.S. EPA has updated its sampling guidance for determining and fighting against unknown contaminants in drinking water. Here’s why routine preparation can be a utility’s best friend in case of emergency.
Arizona is taking steps to allow for direct potable reuse throughout the drought-plagued state. With the practice legalized for wide use, its popularity around the world may rise.
Updates to a seminal document for running water and wastewater utilities as efficiently as possible call for review by those facing new obstacles.
With Donald Trump appointee Scott Pruitt helming the U.S. EPA, the National Rural Water Association sees an opportunity to free its members from burdensome regulations and change the perception of the country’s smallest water utilities.
The U.S. EPA’s latest roster of concerning drinking water contaminants offers clues into what may be threatening consumers and the regulations that come next.
For years, I’ve been standing on my deck in San Francisco, looking south to Silicon Valley for innovation in water efficiency. But I’m starting to realize that I might have been gazing in the wrong direction. Maybe I need to turn around and look north, over the spires of the Golden Gate Bridge, toward the Emerald Triangle in Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity counties, the hotbed of California’s newly legalized commercial cannabis production.
At the end of The Big Short, a postscript stated that one of the story's protagonists, Dr. Michael Burry (played by Christian Bale), was now focused on investing in only one commodity: water. That got my attention.
There have been many publications lately that claim universal appeal of the ORP sensors and their applicability across the board. This concerns me, because the authors sometimes forget to mention some well-known practical limitations of the method, let alone the realities of water treatment applications potentially influencing the sensor performance.
Since chlorine technology was first used to disinfect drinking water in Jersey City, NJ, in 1908, most waterborne diseases have been eliminated in the U.S. Chlorine is still the most common disinfectant for drinking water and wastewater. Chlorine is also used for disinfection and as a biocide in numerous industries.
We all hope that the Flint Water Crisis – where cost-cutting measures led to the drinking water supply to become severely tainted with lead – was an isolated incident. However, it is not impossible that a similar event could happen again, especially in a similarly desperate city with limited financial resources. Here are a few key points that should be considered to avoid repeating such a tragedy.
Chemical, petrochemical, and oil-refining plants are process-intensive operations with regulatory requirements to protect the surrounding water and air from the effects of industrial pollution. These external demands are matched by equally compelling internal pressures to address product purification needs, find alternatives to utilizing costly fresh water in production processes, reduce the carbon footprint, and operate efficiently and profitably.
High levels of radionuclides (uranium/radium/etc.) in drinking water aren’t very common, but they are very dangerous. If you’ve long dealt with radionuclides, you’re familiar with the treatment requirements — but are you treating as cost effectively as possible?
Water is the lifeblood of electrical power plants, whether they are water-cooled steam plants or turbine-spinning hydroelectric installations. Regardless of how the facility generates electricity, there is a growing awareness that each power plant is part of its own, unique industrial watershed — drawing water from the environment, altering its contents and temperature, releasing some to the atmosphere as steam, and returning the rest to receiving waters.
When Flint Michigan discontinued purchasing water from the Detroit Water Authority and began using the Flint River as their raw water source they unfortunately did not consider the potential impact on lead and copper corrosion and the impact on the public.
