SOURCE WATER CONTAMINATION RESOURCES

• The Ocean Is Full Of Tiny Plastic Particles — We Found A Way To Track Them With Satellites

  Plastic is the most common type of debris floating in the world’s oceans. Waves and sunlight break much of it down into smaller particles called microplastics — fragments less than 5 millimeters across, roughly the size of a sesame seed. To understand how microplastic pollution is affecting the ocean, scientists need to know how much is there and where it is accumulating. Most data on microplastic concentrations comes from commercial and research ships that tow plankton nets — long, cone-shaped nets with very fine mesh designed for collecting marine microorganisms.

• Implementing Granular Activated Carbon Systems: Important Design And Start-Up Considerations

  As granular activated carbon (GAC) is increasingly employed to treat PFAS, new practitioners can improve their results by knowing what to expect — thanks to data and experience acquired from prior installations.

• Treating Contaminated Groundwater: Advanced Iron Removal System

  The City of Belleville, Ontario was planning on re-developing downtown waterfront property into a public space containing a park and a green space. Unfortunately, the proposed site had a long history as an industrial site – initially for a coal gasification plant from 1854 to 1947 and then as a bulk oil storage facility from 1930 to 1990.

• Wildfires Are Contaminating Drinking Water Systems, And It's More Widespread Than People Realize

  More than 58,000 fires scorched the United States last year, and 2021 is on track to be even drier. What many people don’t realize is that these wildfires can do lasting damage beyond the reach of the flames — they can contaminate entire drinking water systems with carcinogens that last for months after the blaze. That water flows to homes, contaminating the plumbing, too. Over the past four years, wildfires have contaminated drinking water distribution networks and building plumbing for more than 240,000 people.

• PFAS In Our Water Supply: Treatment vs. Destruction

  As per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) demand increasing attention due to health, environmental, and regulatory concerns, the pros and cons of available treatment options should be thoroughly evaluated.

• Water Quotes From Environmental Advocates

  Today, on Earth Day, I thought it appropriate to post my favorite water quotes from environmental advocates…

• Water Being Pumped Into Tampa Bay Could Cause A Massive Algae Bloom, Putting Fragile Manatee And Fish Habitats At Risk

  Millions of gallons of water laced with fertilizer ingredients are being pumped into Florida’s Tampa Bay from a leaking reservoir at an abandoned phosphate plant at Piney Point. As the water spreads into the bay, it carries phosphorus and nitrogen — nutrients that under the right conditions can fuel dangerous algae blooms that can suffocate sea grass beds and kill fish, dolphins and manatees.

• The Microplastics And PFAS Connection

  Microplastics, small plastic particles with sizes ranging from 5 millimeters to 1 nanometer with various morphologies such as microfibers, fragments, pellets (nurdles), or microbeads, have received increasing attention, including upcoming statewide monitoring in California.

• Meeting Customer Demands For Clean Water At Bristol Water

  Bristol Water provides clean, fresh drinking water every day to approximately 1.2 million people in the city of Bristol and surrounding areas in the west of England. As part of taking inventory on ways to improve its service, Bristol Water undertook its largest ever program of customer engagement. This invited customers to participate in the decisions Bristol Water makes about the future of their water services.

• Understanding Public Perceptions And Demands Of Aquatic Resources Can Support Sustainable Management Practices

  Surface waters – such as rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, estuaries, and coastal waters – are the primary types of aquatic resources that people interact with daily. As the global population continues to grow, demand increases for water resources. Scientists have long collaborated with government and local agencies to help manage these aquatic systems, and increasingly, researchers have been emphasizing the importance of treating our waterways as social-ecological systems. This view of systems recognizes the interconnected and resilient relationships between humans and nature. Understanding how individuals can positively interact and respond to water bodies over long periods of time would better support the sustainable management of aquatic resources.