Some of the American West’s most critical sources for drinking water have received new government protection.
California may have a reputation for persistent drought and water scarcity, but already this year the state’s freshwater reserves are worth celebrating.
With backing from two of the biggest tech entrepreneurs in American history, a new solar-powered solution to water scarcity has raised a massive amount of money.
Las Vegas water planners are prepping for a harrowing possibility: The disappearance of the Colorado River.
Lake Mead levels are low, which creates significant complications for water management in Arizona.
As pressure on water resources grows, there is at least one “water cop” trying to maintain order.
Water utilities around the country are inviting the public to think the unthinkable in a campaign kicking off October 10 known as “Imagine a Day Without Water”.
During the dry days of the California drought, one Silicon Valley city banned development because officials were unsure there would be enough water for projects.
As demand on water resources rises, will there be a mad rush to grab up the nation’s last untapped water resources?
A new report from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) spells out water use trends in the U.S. It is the 14th in a series of reports on U.S. water use, published every five years.
Hurricane Maria decimated Puerto Rico’s drinking water infrastructure last September.
When California Governor Jerry Brown signaled lifted emergency conservation measures last year, many environmentalists worried that water savings achieved during the drought would dry up.
Ratepayers are debating the merits of a proposal for a new desalination plant in Orange County, CA.
September of 2017 was the busiest month of hurricane activity on record, according to the Weather Channel.
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 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS).
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.
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.
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.
Denver Water and engineering partners resolve major water quality challenge in crucial South Platte River exchange reservoirs.
University of Miami professors who study water treatment and civil engineering say that water contamination issues point to human error.
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.
Wildfire is a natural part of many ecosystems, but recently these fires have become more severe, burning more acres and causing destruction in the western parts of the United States. Recently, U.S. EPA researchers have begun to look at the impact of these fires on our water supply, the natural resource we depend on for drinking, irrigation, fishing, and recreation.
Harmful algal blooms are a significant concern for many communities across the U.S. These blooms occur when cyanobacteria grow out of control in fresh and marine waters, often because of excess phosphorus and nitrogen from stormwater runoff and other sources such as fertilizers entering the water.
While septic systems are a viable and undeniably popular choice for wastewater treatment, they are ultimately only as reliable as their upkeep. Can we trust the technology and the human element to protect our waterways from pollution, or is it time to search for better solutions?
The HYDREX™ range includes both organic and inorganic chemicals formulated to meet the specifications of customers in the industrial and municipal sectors including effluent and sludge treatment.
Minimize potable water hauling costs with modular onsite storage units from newterra – the leader in advanced camp water solutions.
The DE NORA TETRA™ Denite® system integrates well with other plant treatment processes to provide superior total nitrogen (TN) and phosphorous removal.
The Leopold® Clari-DAF® MP (Membrane Pretreatment) system is ideal as a clarification technology for potable water treatment systems using membrane filtration.
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.
You might say that there’s a lot wrong with the water industry — problems including infrastructure, financing, and scarcity — but there’s also a lot going right. In this Q&A, Water Environment Federation (WEF) President Rick Warner is a source of insight and optimism.
“Water Champion” Paula Kehoe looks to do for the nation what she did for San Francisco — to greatly expand water reuse opportunities and implementation. In this Q&A, she discusses her new role as chair of a national commission for onsite non-potable reuse, the San Francisco model, and the best practices and obstacles for sustainable water operations.
The Global Cleantech 100 identifies nine innovative water/wastewater technologies set to make significant market impact in the next decade.
It’s a buzzword for the industry, but what does it really entail?
Are environmental interests and business interests mutually exclusive? Our divisive sociopolitical climate might make you think so — you’re either labeled ‘tree-hugging’ or ‘greedy’ — but it is not an either/or proposition, especially when it comes to water conservation.
Yes, America cleaned up at the Olympics this summer, but how does the U.S. fare on the world stage when it comes to water resiliency, efficiency, and quality?
A water technology expert tackles high-profile and important topics currently affecting municipalities, industry, and the community at large.
There are a lot of technology startups in the water space vying for attention, including a good bit in the New England area alone, but one Massachusetts company and its potentially "disruptive innovation" stands apart.
Survey data on U.S. consumers’ attitudes toward public drinking water confirms tough times now, but hints at better days ahead.
This year's Annual Conference and Exposition (ACE16), held by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) from June 19 to 22, was the first following the tragedy of Flint — a time when the drinking water industry is under intense scrutiny.
You’re in the business to offer exceptional service and help your clients operate smoothly. Effectively managing every ticket for every client issue can be time consuming and tough—especially without the proper best practices in place to help.
Fundbox is dedicated to helping small businesses grow by giving them access to credit that doesn’t require a personal credit score to get started. It uses cutting-edge technology, data science, and common sense to give small businesses access to previously unattainable financial options.
When a company stakes its reputation on delivering innovative technologies, products, and services, the specter of a changing regulatory landscape is considered more an opportunity than an obstacle. In this Water Talk interview, Mirka Wilderer, CEO of De Nora Water Technologies, discusses varying topics such as pharmaceuticals and nutrients in wastewater, the synergy of the company’s new MIOX and Neptune acquisitions, and how to address the growing concern over chlorate disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in drinking water. For example, De Nora’s new ClorTec Gen III onsite hypochlorite generators generate up to 3,000 lbs./day of chlorine-based disinfectants while reducing chlorate formation and cutting operating costs by 15 percent as compared to previously available models.
Achieving operational excellence is challenging, especially under rigorous specifications. Advanced inspection technology can help meet strict standards while enhancing quality assurance.
Over the past 10 years, DC Water has become the harbinger of the modern water utility. It’s often unconventional approach to tackling age-old problems usually elicits one of two responses from other utility professionals. The first response is one of resignation — if only I had the budget that size permits, I’d be able to do similar things. And the second is one of awe — there’s no way I have the amount of gumption to convince regulators or customers that I have a better way.
World Water Day (Thursday, March 22nd this year) does a great job of focusing our attention on water issues. And especially with storms on the East Coast and drought in the West, not to mention the looming possibility that officials will have to shut off the taps in Cape Town sometime this summer, a lot of the messaging around water is pretty much like being smothered in a wet blanket.
Corrosion control has always been a priority for distributing safe drinking water throughout the world’s networks of pipeline. This has become all the more critical following the outrageous lead poisoning revelations in Flint, MI — an incident caused directly by corrosion of the city’s lead-based infrastructure.
Did you know that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had a published Contingency Plan in anticipation of the current government shutdown? I guess in hindsight, you would have expected it for an agency with 134 facilities dotted across the country. And in fact, it’s required by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under Circular A-11, Section 124 that all government agencies have plans for an orderly shutdown “in the event of an absence of appropriations.”
Globally, over 80% of the wastewater generated by society flows back into the environment without being treated or reused. Clean water is an essential part of daily life, from catchment all the way through to wastewater treatment, therefore analysis throughout the whole cycle is crucial. Whether in lakes, pipes, or bottles, we can accompany you with our range of instruments, test kits and applications for your water and wastewater needs.
With the proliferation of sensors, data collection, and cloud storage, there is the potential for operational insight heretofore never available, and the opportunity will only expand as the technology evolves and the Internet of Things becomes, well, more of a thing. But data is only truly useful if it informs decision-making that results in positive impact — for an organization's bottom line, its personnel, its customers, or even the world at large (i.e., the environment).
In the wastewater treatment industry, coagulation has become one of the most widespread processes for effectively separating contaminants and effluent. But coagulation is a complicated and sensitive process, one that alters the chemical balance of the wastewater in order to strip it of unwanted constituents. As in many such processes, pH plays a critical role, and treatment professionals must analyze it closely if they want to properly coagulate their product.
The gas detection camera technique has a wide range of potential uses in the petrochemical industry, all of which have positive benefits for the owner of the plant. It is an accepted Alternate Work Practice in the Method 21 leak detection procedure and has clear time and cost benefits over the conventional VOC meter or sniffer method. Although limited to a certain extent by environmental conditions, the camera has proven many times that it can identify leaks at some distance thereby reducing the cost of surveys by removing the requirement to provide access to every potential leak path.
The business of water and wastewater is critical, but expertise in this area is finite — thus the trend towards outsourcing water operations, particularly in the industrial market. Whether it's securing and optimizing water use, running treatment equipment, sustainably releasing or reusing the water, capturing energy from it, or all of the above, it's often a wise business move to turn to experts. In this Water Talk interview, Miles Sherman, Regional Vice President of Services with Suez Water Technologies and Solutions, discusses the capabilities and benefits offered through this type of outsourcing, the various service models that exist, and the drivers that will continue to broaden the trend.
Effective control of the microbiological environment in water distribution systems is one of the biggest keys to providing a healthy product. When it comes to processes for achieving this, the U.S. can some take lessons from Europe, where utilities are more likely to monitor temperature. Advanced flow metering technology that incorporates temperature monitoring provides a significant tool for utilities without the need for additional instruments.
Finding new ways to capture and utilize data is important for utilities looking to improve operating efficiency and customer service. This interview with Frank Brooks and Dave Rubin from Aclara — a smart-infrastructure solutions partner for water, gas, and/or electric utilities — outlines ways to do both within a common infrastructure.
Inspecting for foreign body contaminants in 25 and 50 lbs bags of sugar presents many challenges. This application note explains how x-ray inspection and the right software simplifies the process.
The quality of drinking water is regulated by a variety of guidelines, such as the EU Council Directive 98/831,2 and WHO guideline. The key principles used to define these limits consider both health hazards and sensory and technical reasons. Iron, for example, does not exhibit a risk for health in concentrations usually found in drinking water.
What do a drinking establishment and an eco-friendly writing utensil have in common? They both reflect new and unconventional ways that water is being injected into commerce.
Monitoring the integrity of hundreds of kilometers of oil or gas pipeline networks may seem like a daunting task at first, but fortunately, technology can take over many of the labor-intensive tasks. Canadian video analytics specialist IntelliView knows the demands of oil and gas pipeline operators all too well. The company recently developed a smart camera solution, including a thermal camera from FLIR, to remotely monitor oil pump stations for leaks in an automated way.
