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.
In small Appalachian towns, finding enough money to maintain wastewater infrastructure is a big challenge.
The nation’s fastest-growing urban area has a water supply problem.
Despite years of reliance on groundwater to meet its drinking water needs, Fresno is now giving surface water a chance.
Cape Town was supposed to run out of water on April 22, but an intense conservation effort averted disaster.
A proposal to reinstate water restrictions that held sway during the since-ended California drought is under consideration by state water regulators.
Though this time of year typically means an abundance of water supplies throughout the U.S., a major foreign city is having to contend with the possibility that it will run out of water entirely.
Proposals under consideration in the Utah legislature could dramatically curb the powers of water systems in the state.
On average, water use by U.S. ratepayers appears to be dropping. Americans used 6 fewer gallons of water on a daily basis in 2015 compared to 2010.
Despite the fact that California’s drought is over, San Diego’s water worries have not evaporated.
The city of Waukesha, WI, has been working for decades to gain access to Lake Michigan drinking water and this month it finally landed a deal to accomplish that.
Access to clean, safe, fresh water is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity in the 21st century. By some estimates over 1.5 billion people face water scarcity issues that directly threaten their health or economic welfare on a daily basis. More concerning, the impacts of climate change and global population growth are expected to exacerbate these issues to impact over 2.3 billion people by the year 2050. These sobering facts are why six of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are focused on providing access to clean, safe water. Part of solving this challenge is reducing industrial water consumption to conserve water resources.
Cincinnati-based MadTree Brewing Company is serious about how they make their beer. Their scientific approach means that they also pay close attention to the water they use, a message they’re more than happy to share.
A high-quality workforce is a tremendous asset to any Utility. And utility technicians, across the board, have a lot of experience and skill. The challenge to utilities is that this “asset” is older than the average workforce currently driving other U.S. industries. According to PWC, over 30% of Utility workers are within five years of retirement. PWC also reported that first-year turnover is high among the next-generation of utility field service professionals, and getting worse.
Industrial wastewater operations have to tangle with myriad regulations and countless contaminants every day, making their work some of the most complicated that the treatment sector has to offer. Wrapping one’s head around these challenges can be difficult, but finding the solutions for them can be near impossible. Luckily, there’s an age-old technology that continues to offer industrial wastewater treatment operators salvation.
Do you view field service strategically? Leading organizations recognize that service is a great differentiator — stellar field service can be the path to setting your company apart, creating new revenue streams, and driving profits. These organizations are focusing on initiatives such as migrating from break-fix work to outcomes-based service models, better understanding and delivering on customer expectations, and embracing the need to continually improve operations by developing its people, processes, and technology use.
When it comes to data security, there’s often a gap between what your clients think they need and what they really need. Your job as an MSP is to create and deploy a solution that will deliver both. But, determining what that solution is will require more than just checking off a list of features and capabilities.
Wastewater treatment plants process tons and tons of sludge every year and they have to contend with the question of what to do with it. Increasingly, biosolids are looked at as an opportunity to help the planet.
Sevierville, Tennessee is the hometown of internationally known entertainer Dolly Parton and is a popular gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Located in Eastern Tennessee, the city has a population of 16,500 residents and is visited by 16 million tourists per year.
Easton Suburban Water Authority (ESWA) is in the business of providing water to its customers, not managing technology. One summer, Technology Manager Tim Ryan had enough with focusing valuable time and resources on the utility’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) IT network and servers.
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.
NASSCO PACP, MACP and LACP certified, InfoMaster is a complete ArcGIS-based asset integrity management and capital planning software for water and wastewater networks. It leverages existing GIS and IT investments with advanced modeling and sophisticated predictive analytics to give utilities a cost effective business intelligence and data collection platform for more informed, action-oriented decision making. With versions designed for the desktop, Web, and iOS mobile devices, InfoMaster enables day-to-day operational management and long-term network planning for users throughout the organization.
Siemens’ Revive™ oily water membrane systems replace both filtration and flotation with a single step, eliminating the need for polymers and allowing for better oil recovery. Revive™ systems can achieve Oil & Grease and Total Suspended Solids levels of <1 mg/L, and Silt Density Index of <3.
Mazzei MTM Mixing Nozzles provide dynamic mixing under pressure, which results in great mass transfer. When used in conjunction with the patented Mazzei® Injector, these nozzles dramatically enhance system mixing and contacting performance. Mazzei nozzles allow the delivery of treatment gases to any depth — all within a compact design, with trouble-free operation and easy installation. Many models are available for various applications.
The QPL1002 is a wideband cascode low noise amplifier fabricated on Qorvo’s 0.25um GaN on SiC production process. This cascode LNA is robust to 5W of input power with 17dB typical gain and 1.2dB noise figure from 0.03 GHz to 3.0 GHz. The QPL1002 is ideal for wideband communication applications across defense and commercial markets.
Schreiber’s Peripheral Drive Clarifiers are favored because of their ability to accomplish rapid sludge removal and continuous collection and removal of floatables. Instead of the typical center-drive high torque arrangement, Schreiber Clarifiers utilize the mechanical leverage and mechanical simplicity of a peripherally driven system. A low horsepower single drive unit is all that is needed to rotate both the scraper and the skimming assemblies. The assemblies are suspended from a rotating access bridge or, in the case of smaller units, a lightweight rotating beam arm. The rotating skimming equipment removes floatables regardless of wind direction, and the helical scrapers convey settled solids to the center of the basin for removal in one revolution or less.
Qorvo’s QPC6082 is a low loss, high isolation single-pole 8-throw switch optimized for CDMA, WCDMA & LTE applications that require high linearity. The switch features RF and antenna ports that can be directly connected to 50 systems. The switch's control logic is compatible with +1.3 V through +1.8 V systems.
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.
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.
Aside from having to deal with weather, mud, and the occasional slippery rock, there are key issues related to sample quality that can make testing water specimens from the field a bigger challenge than lab testing. That is why, when it comes to confidence and accuracy in onsite testing for nitrates, nitrites, phosphates, pH, and more, there’s nothing like using the right tools to do the job on the spot. Here is a quick checklist of trials, tribulations, and potential solutions for streamside sampling.
Water treatment professionals face many challenges while working to provide customers with safe drinking water. Disinfection is critical to protect public health, but harmful byproducts may form during the process. In addition, some disinfectants volatilize and lose effectiveness when exposed to sunlight. Keeping tanks covered may help to reduce these problems while providing additional benefits.
As with so many other drinking water treatment processes, corrosion control demands a delicate balance among multiple factors. From the water-purifying chlorine that increases corrosion risk, to alternative strategies that reduce corrosion — using either elevated pH or phosphates — keeping corrosion under control requires sound strategy and reliable execution. Here are several approaches to addressing those conditions, along with options for better, more effective corrosion control.
A potable water plant in Eastern Angelina County, Texas, serves over 2,000 rural customers.
Operational savings realized through high-tech leak detection techniques could pay for your utility’s advanced leak detection equipment.
Water professionals are tasked with protecting the public health every minute of every day. They must ensure the removal of contaminants and pathogens from the public water supply. To do so, they employ a variety of treatment methods.
While many water/waste water facilities stick with outdated supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, Aguas de Saltillo in Mexico is taking a different path and accelerating toward Industry 4.0 — and is seeing numerous benefits today.
Drinking water and wastewater systems are generally the largest energy consumers for municipal governments. However, there is little published information available on the exact energy usage for specific systems.
Reverse osmosis (RO) has become a widely utilized treatment process for diverse applications such as medical and laboratory research, desalination, and treatment of industrial wastewater and municipal water/wastewater. Because of its widespread use and technically advanced nature, a variety of quality parameters should be monitored by those treatment operators who utilize it.
Utilities continually face new challenges. Where treatment facilities were once expected to simply disinfect the water, they must now avoid creating disinfection byproducts during the process. New and more stringent regulations require removal of additional micropollutants and emerging contaminants. Finding the best technology to accomplish these goals can be difficult.
The Ecomuseum Zoo is home to the most impressive ambassadors of Quebec’s wildlife. All residents of the Ecomuseum Zoo are there for a special reason: orphaned, injured or born under professional human care, each of them could not return to the wild. Hence, they have found a forever home at the zoo.
The Golden State Water Company selected WRT’s Z-92® Uranium Removal treatment system to reduce high concentrations of uranium in a single treatment system for three wells located in the Morongo Valley of California. Since installation of the Z-92® Uranium Removal treatment system in Morongo del Sur in 2013, the uranium levels are being reduced to levels below the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL).
The use of chlorine to treat and disinfect drinking water and wastewater has been in practice for decades, with the earliest recorded attempt dating all the way back to 1893. Since then, it has come a long way.
Discover the steps you can take to improve the quality of your chromatography sample prior to performing your column separation, to ensure optimal isolation of your target protein.
Nitrogen and phosphorus are two wastewater constituents that, together, pose one of the most high-profile threats for consumers and the environment. An abundance of these elements is what ultimately leads to the formation of toxic algae in surface waters, an environmental issue that regularly gains mainstream headlines and, in some cases, poses an acute health risk to consumers.
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.
Metal detector sensitivity performance is usually expressed in terms of the diameter of a test sphere made from a specific type of metal, such as ferrous, non-ferrous, aluminum or stainless steel.
District Sales Engineer Andy Singer has spent enough time troubleshooting problems in the field that not much surprises him anymore. When it comes to dry barrel fire hydrants, though, he still gets a chuckle out of some of his more outrageous experiences. Here is his educational and entertaining take on the care and maintenance of fire hydrants, and ways to maximize a utility’s return on what potentially can be a 50+-year infrastructure investment.
