SOURCE WATER CONTAMINATION RESOURCES

• Bushfires Threaten Drinking Water Safety. The Consequences Could Last For Decades

  Bushfires pose serious short- and long-term impacts to public drinking water quality. They can damage water supply infrastructure and water catchments, impeding the treatment processes that normally make our water safe to drink. Several areas in New South Wales and Victoria have already been issued with warnings about the quality of their drinking water. Here’s what we know about the short- and long-term risks.

• Understanding PFAS’ Impact On Remediation Strategies

  For more than 16.5 million water-utility customers in 33 different states, contamination caused by per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is a source-water issue that will not go away for a long time. What are the practical options for community water systems currently confronting this challenge? Here is an overview of several treatments and their relative successes against a wide variety of PFAS compounds.

• EPA Continues To Update Its Environmental Sampling And Analytical Methods (ESAM) Program

  EPA’s Homeland Security Research Program (HSRP) aims to increase the United States’ capabilities to prepare for and respond to environmental disasters involving chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear substances (CBRN). As part of this effort, EPA researchers develop scientific data, methods, and tools that can be used by various stakeholders, including laboratories and on-scene coordinators, to increase the effectiveness of response.

• Nutrient Sensor Action Challenge Winners: Data And Decisions To Manage Excess Nutrients

  Nutrients in the environment from excess nitrogen and phosphorous can result in negative impacts on water quality. EPA is improving nutrient management by incentivizing the development of low-cost technology solutions, such as nutrient sensors, in collaboration with USGS, USDA, NIST, NOAA, and the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS).

• WRF Hosts Capitol Hill, State-Of-The-Science Briefing On Harmful Algal Blooms

  To make informed decisions about how to limit exposure to cyanotoxins, utilities need information to select and implement a comprehensive and technically sound management approach. The Water Research Foundation (WRF) has been actively involved in developing effective innovative solutions to help utilities address this challenge and protect public health.

• How Giving Legal Rights To Nature Could Help Reduce Toxic Algae Blooms In Lake Erie

  August and September are peak months for harmful blooms of algae in western Lake Erie. This year’s outbreak covered more than 620 square miles by mid-August. These blooms, which can kill fish and pets and threaten public health, are driven mainly by agricultural pollution and increasingly warm waters due to climate change.

• Are We Really Protecting Rivers And Streams From Pollution? It’s Hard To Say, And That’s A Problem

  More public and private resources than ever are being directed to protecting and preserving aquatic ecosystems and watersheds. Whether mandated for land development, farming, or in response to the growing severity and number of natural disasters, scientists from Drexel University found evidence that decades of watershed restoration and mitigation projects have taken place, but their impact is mostly perceived.

• A Messy Problem Inspires An Award-Winning Solution

  Denver Water and engineering partners resolve major water quality challenge in crucial South Platte River exchange reservoirs.

• Drinking Water Challenges On The Rise

  University of Miami professors who study water treatment and civil engineering say that water contamination issues point to human error.

• Denver Water Proposes Innovative Plan To Remove An Estimated 75,000 Lead Service Lines In 15 Years

  Recently, Denver Water’s board approved its proposed “Lead Reduction Program Plan” to fully replace the estimated 75,000 lead service lines (LSLs) in their system within 15 years. The plan is an innovative solution that will remove the primary source of lead within Denver Water’s system, while avoiding the use of orthophosphate that can further exacerbate nutrient pollution problems in rivers, streams, and oceans.