Latest news, insights, and discussion on US and global drinking water regulations.

WATER INDUSTRY FEATURES, INSIGHTS, AND ANALYSIS

PFAS Settlements: Debunking The Myths And Revealing What's Really At Stake For Water Utilities Misinformation and confusion could prevent some utilities from benefitting from the aqueous film-forming foam multidistrict litigation (AFFF MDL) settlements. Here are five common myths about the AFFF MDL PFAS settlements and how public water systems can make the most of this unprecedented funding opportunity.
When Chemistry Meets Water Innovation
Nobel-winning molecular materials are poised to reinvent purification, desalination, and reuse.
Solving The World's Microplastics Problem: 4 Solutions Cities And States Are Trying After Global Treaty Talks Collapsed
Microplastics seem to be everywhere — in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat. Countries have tried for the past few years to write a global plastics treaty that might reduce human exposure, but the latest negotiations collapsed in August 2025. While U.S. and global solutions seem far off, policies to limit harm from microplastics are gaining traction at the state and local levels.
AEC System Proven Effective For Chloride Removal
In two bench-scale tests, a new technology effectively removed up to 99% of chlorides and 97% of total dissolved solids in a single pass. This solution offers a commercially viable alternative to traditional treatment methods.
Common Misconceptions Are Keeping Lakes "Sick"
Long-held misconceptions about lake management fuel the intensity and recurrence of harmful algal blooms.
Colorado's Subalpine Wetlands May Be Producing A Toxic Form Of Mercury — That's A Concern For Downstream Water Supplies
The wetlands found across the Rocky Mountains of Colorado just below tree line are crucial for regulating the supply of clean water from the highlands to metropolitan regions downslope, including Denver. However, new research shows the wetlands also harbor a health risk.
Grand Canyon's Dragon Bravo Megafire Shows The Growing Wildfire Threat To Water Systems
As wildfire crews battled the Dragon Bravo Fire on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim in July 2025, the air turned toxic. A chlorine gas leak had erupted from the park’s water treatment facility as the building burned, forcing firefighters to pull back. The water treatment facility is part of a system that draws water from a fragile spring. The fire also damaged some of the area’s water pipes and equipment.
What Are Legionella Log Books And Why Are They Important? Implementing and managing a Legionella control regime can sometimes seem daunting and complex. Invariably, a lot of resources, time, and effort are needed to achieve the required standard and provide assurance to senior management and auditors that controls are effective and those that are not are being managed and rectified appropriately.
How ABB's Flow And Digital Technologies Help Bawat With Smarter Ballast Water Compliance
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) sets strict global standards for ballast water management to prevent the spread of harmful aquatic organisms. For companies like Bawat, a Danish innovator in ballast water management, being able to verify ballast water flow measurements quickly, accurately, and from anywhere in the world is essential.
PFAS Policy In 2025: Why It's Time To Go Beyond Remediation The most common techniques for disposing of PFAS may no longer be good enough.

DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS

Seawater Electrochlorination Plant Maintenance, Services And Spare Parts

De Nora Water Technologies (DNWT) is the world leader in the supply of electrochlorination of biocide solutions to the power, marine, offshore industrial water disinfection and desalination markets. Over the past thirty years, DNWT has supplied 65% of the world wide installed base of on-site generated sodium hypochlorite.

Water Reuse: Solutions For Sustainability, Efficiency, And Resilient Water Systems

What is water reuse?

Water reuse is the process of treating and reclaiming water from various sources for practical purposes, including groundwater recharge, industrial applications, wetland restoration, agricultural irrigation, public access area uses, as well as drinking water applications. By reusing water, communities can reduce dependence on traditional water supplies, avoid costly imported water from 3rd party providers, and improve resilience in water systems. Thanks to progress in water treatment technology, along with economic and regulatory incentives, water recycling has become a cost-effective and sustainable solution to meet the growing demand for highly treated water and overcome supply shortages during droughts.

There are three primary types of water reuse: Indirect Potable Reuse (IPR), Direct Potable Reuse (DPR), and Non-Potable. In IPR reuse systems, advanced treated water is either injected into an environmental buffer (groundwater, river, or reservoir) before being extracted again for use, whereas DPR is directly blended into the drinking water treatment plant or distribution system. Non-potable water is not intended for human consumption and can be used for irrigation, industrial processes, laundry, or toilet flushing.

Advanced treatment technologies, such as membrane filtration, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet disinfection, ozonation, and advanced oxidation processes (AOP), play a crucial role in ensuring the quality and safety of reclaimed water.

Why reuse water?

As water scarcity continues to rise, water reuse is an essential strategy for creating a more sustainable future. The use of recycled water reduces the demand for freshwater sources, which are becoming increasingly scarce due to population growth, climate change, and other factors.

Here are some key benefits of water reuse:

Safeguard quality and resilience: Reused water is purified well beyond drinking water standards, improving resilience and ensuring quality for both potable and even non-potable purposes.
Uphold safety: Treatment processes like ozone and ultraviolet light can be used to disinfect or break down complex contaminants, ensuring water is pathogen-free and concentrations are below maximum contaminant levels (MCL).
Ensure cost savings and efficiency: After treating a waste stream to discharge level, it may require less treatment to bring it to reuse standards, making reuse not only environmentally responsible but also cost-effective in many scenarios and locations.
Conserve traditional water supplies: By reusing water, we can lessen our reliance on conventional water resources like rivers, lakes, and aquifers, thereby conserving them for future generations.
Reduce carbon footprint: Water reclamation is often more efficient than treating a raw water resource, which can lessen environmental impact.
Enable versatility and customization: Advanced treatment systems are tailored to meet specific needs for a variety of sectors, including industrial, urban, agricultural, and public access area uses.

How to reuse water

The major aim of every reuse project is to minimize human health risk associated with the use or consumption of reclaimed water. While the exact treatment requirements depend upon the source water quality and the reuse purpose, to be cost-effective, the treatment must be energy efficient and have a high-water yield.

An adequate treatment design plan depends on the application the water will be used in. In non-potable applications, normally filtration and disinfection will suffice, while potable reuse generally requires a combination of advanced treatment processes such as membrane filtration, reverse osmosis, disinfection, and/or advanced oxidation.

Xylem has brands and solutions to fit every stage of the water reuse process:

beginning with the transport of raw sewage and wastewater with Xylem brands like Flygt
to secondary treatment to remove most dissolved and suspended organic matter and nutrients with brands like Sanitaire and Envirex
to tertiary stages that remove residual particulate matter, nutrients, TDS, and nematode eggs with brands like Leopold and Davco
along with disinfection and advanced oxidation that inactivates pathogens, and breaks down trace constituents and emerging contaminants of concern with brands like Wedeco, ETS-UV, ATG UV Systems, Pacific Ozone, and Wallace & Tiernan
and finally, digital solutions like YSI, OI Analytical, Xylem Vue that leverage remote monitoring, alerts, and data analytics for proactive and predictive maintenance

Based on practical knowledge from decades of combined brand experience, thousands of installations worldwide, and strengths in powerful R&D innovation, our team looks at the entire wastewater process at your plant. We will work with your consulting engineer and State regulators to integrate the right technologies to meet your intended targets. Modular design makes it easy to fit your requirements now and easily expand to meet your future needs.

Water reuse partnership

Though Xylem has teams of specialists, years of expertise, deep understanding of water regulations, and a broad solutions portfolio, we understand the complexities of water systems and the potential to partner with various water treatment experts. Xylem has partnered with hundreds of different firms around the globe to ensure the most efficient and viable water systems for communities and municipalities.

Our goal is to thoroughly understand each project, determine the best methods, and customize optimal solutions that meet local regulations and requirements while delivering resiliency, quality, and cost savings.

Let us be your partner in making every drop count. Contact us today to discuss your project needs.

AOS Advanced Oxidation System

Highly effective against bacteria and viruses, the Advanced Oxidation System (AOS) is also well-suited for the decontamination of hard-to-treat organic contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and other micropollutants The AOS can be configured to deliver optimized performance for most water or wastewater treatment applications.

Aqua ElectrOzone Ozone Generation System

Ozone treatment for water and wastewater has been utilized successfully for several decades and continues to be a viable disinfection solution for both municipal and industrial plants, worldwide.

PFAS Testing Program

There are over 4,500 compounds currently classified as PFAS compounds. BioLargo's PFAS treatment is customized to the water to reduce energy, breakthrough, waste products, and operation and maintenance costs.

Potable Water Treatment Mini Train System_Datasheets_PWT-125_

Potable Water Treatment Mini Train System: PWT 125

For remote sites with peak populations between 500 and 2,000 people, the newterra PWT-125 Mini Train System offers exceptional capacity and flexibility. The base system for up to 500 people consists of two 40' containerized elements – a discrete distribution/disinfection unit and a treatment unit. The Mini Train design allows up to four (4) treatment units to be added to a single distribution unit, providing potable water treatment for 2,000 people. The system is designed to integrate with containerized or free standing tanks for water storage. The treatment system is available for both groundwater and surface water sources.

VIEWS ON THE LATEST REGS

HAAs In The EU: Monitoring For Haloacetic Acids Under The Drinking Water Directive

PFAS Unpacked: Experts Answer Questions On EPA Rules, Funding, Treatment, And More

With the U.S. EPA's PFAS rules now in place, utilities are finding themselves with a growing number of questions regarding how to treat these chemicals, the potential costs, and much more. For answers, Water Online's chief editor, Kevin Westerling, hosted an Ask Me Anything session featuring Ken Sansone, Senior Partner at SL Environmental Law Group; Kyle Thompson, National PFAS Lead at Carollo Engineers; and Lauren Weinrich, Principal Scientist at American Water.
Monitoring Know-How For PFAS Regulations

A Q&A to explain and resolve issues confronting water suppliers as they endeavor to comply with the monitoring requirements of federal PFAS regulations.
Clearing LCRI Hurdles

Assessing what lies ahead in the 10-year race to go lead-free, otherwise known as the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI).
Making Sense Of GRR For LCRR: How Galvanized Service Lines Factor Into Inventory Requirements

Many water systems are still tackling the challenge of identifying and compliantly managing galvanized and galvanized-requiring-replacement (GRR) service lines.
A Tiny Bit Of PFAS

In the most recent edition of Water Innovations, there is not a single article focused on PFAS. That wouldn't be exceptional if not for the fact that discussion around per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances has so thoroughly dominated the water space lately. And yet, I penned this as an intro to the edition — just "a tiny bit of PFAS" content — because a small portion of PFAS is of the utmost importance in terms of treatment, policy, and cost.

MORE WATER INDUSTRY FEATURES

Moving Toward Sustainability: Perfecting Wastewater Pretreatment For Direct Potable Reuse

This article will explain why pre-treatment is so important to direct potable reuse and the most important aspects of pre-treatment design.
Analytics: A Referee For The Tug-Of-War Between MSC-EVs' Nature And Nurture

Like a referee in a contest, advanced analytical methods are essential to mediate the push and pull of different factors influencing therapeutic efficacy.
How Blast Freezing Affects The Quality Of Bottled Drug Substance: Test Results And Insights

Uneven ice formation during bottle freezing creates a "Volcano Effect," pushing solutes into highly concentrated zones. This test-based study explains this risk to drug substance quality.
Martin County Saves Millions With leadCAST's Automated Workflows And Statistical Analysis To Tackle LCRR

With the LCRR deadline fast approaching and over 59% of its service lines unverified, Martin County recognized the significant work ahead in preparing to meet the LCRR requirements. The county needed to establish a clear strategy for its compliance program, and to support this effort, it needed an engineering consulting partner with extensive expertise in LCRR.
Decoding LCRI: Exploring How Technology Can Help With Compliance

The use of lead pipes was banned in the 1980s, yet over 9.2 million American households still connect to water through lead pipes and lead service lines. These decades-old lead pipes pose an ever-present risk to the health and wellbeing of Americans.
Rapid Thermal Stability Screening And Selection Of Monoclonal Antibody Drug Products

Learn more about a differential scanning calorimeter that offers thermal stability screening of buffer formulations and protein sequence modifications.
Reporting To The IRB: Investigator Noncompliance

Reporting noncompliance concerns is crucial to protect research participants, allowing researchers can ensure ethical research conduct and protect the rights and welfare of participants.
Fluorometers In Drinking Water Monitoring: Real-Time Tools For Clean, Safe Water

In this blog post, we’ll dive into how fluorometers work, what they measure, and why they’ve become essential for maintaining clean drinking water in a world facing increasing water quality concerns.
5 Misconceptions About PFAS Removal Technologies

This article will explore five common misconceptions about GAC and IX technologies for PFAS removal, helping utilities choose effective, site-specific treatment strategies for contaminated drinking water.
World's Largest 1,4-Dioxane Treatment Initiative

Groundwater on Long Island, New York, contains the contaminant 1,4-dioxane. Despite no federal regulation, local water providers and state authorities have taken action to address contamination, establishing a state-enforced maximum contaminant level.
Greater Efficiency And Peace Of Mind With The KETOS SHIELD

In this case study, explore how a municipality automated its water quality testing to ensure compliance in real time.
The Cost Of Not Using Ozone, A Lifecycle ROI Analysis For Water Treatment Systems

Focusing on lifecycle ROI reveals ozone's value. It significantly reduces chemical and operational costs while extending filter media life, providing measurable long-term financial savings and compliance resilience.
Advanced Wastewater Treatment Solutions For Industry And Municipalities

This resource will help you navigate the complexities of industrial and municipal wastewater treatment, understand the latest technology, and see how Aria Filtra® technology addresses the needs of modern wastewater management.
Preparing Water Infrastructure For The Future

The current state of the water infrastructure in the U.S. is in need of critical attention. Aging and underfunded systems, increasing demand, and the impacts of climate change are putting immense pressure on the nation’s ability to deliver this essential resource.

Quantification Of Semaglutide With A Reliable Analytical Method

Explore a validated LC-MS/MS method for precise Semaglutide quantification in plasma, which features enhanced sensitivity, peak definition, and reproducibility using innovative technologies.
Selecting A Platform Filter For High Concentration mAbs

Read more about how Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies evaluated a prime filter with challenging simulant solutions and how the experimental data confirmed superior performance, which demonstrated twice the throughput.
Mastering Condensate Management

This series explores crucial questions surrounding condensate management. In the first part, we examine where condensate comes from and what it contains.
Challenges In Ensuring Long-Term Water Quality (And How To Address Them)

Read about how mixers help prevent stratification, maintain consistent disinfectant distribution, and reduce sediment buildup, thereby mitigating public health risks associated with water storage.

WATER INDUSTRY FEATURES, INSIGHTS, AND ANALYSIS

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