Regulators from across the country met in Vermont this week at the Environmental Council of the State’s (ECOS) fall meeting to discuss some of the nation’s most pressing environmental challenges. I joined members of ECOS’ Shale Gas Caucus to discuss an emerging threat imminently impacting oil and gas-producing states: the question of what to do with the massive amount of wastewater produced by the oil and gas industry each year.

No business wants the word "toxic" associated with its operations. The world has grown very weary (and wary) of companies that aren't environmentally responsible. So while toxic wastewater as a byproduct of mining, oil refining, or other industrial processes isn't new, the impetus to treat these streams is steadily rising.

The global oil and gas industry association, IPIECA coordinated a session during World Water Week in Stockholm on water management within the sector from now to 2030.  

Understanding the impacts of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) on source water, in both quantity and quality, is of vital importance to industry, the economy, and society. The latest research on the subject is presented, along with possible solutions to help overcome known and potential problems.

From cleaner water to infrastructure upgrades, good stories are easy to find after the state of New Hampshire set out to hold polluters accountable for contaminating groundwater with methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE), a gasoline additive now banned or limited in several states. Through private well testing, watershed protection and new water facilities, the people of the Granite State are turning the tide on water contamination and restoring the safety and reliability of their drinking water supplies thanks to bold action to make sure polluters pay for damage.

Discover how one beverage manufacturer was able to balance producing a quality product while also undertaking the challenging of reclaiming and treating its effluent.

Managing the treatment of wastewater — especially industry-generated wastewater that can elevate dissolved oxygen (DO) demands far beyond those of municipal/residential applications — is hard enough. Trying to do so during upset conditions is enough to put any water treatment professional on edge. Here are several preventive and remedial options to keep in mind before or after DO readings go haywire.

A static headspace method was developed using Teledyne Tekmar automated headspace vial samplers to meet the method requirements of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau of the US Department of the Treasury (TTB) method SSD: TM:2001 for testing fusel alcohols in alcoholic beverages.

Wastewater utilities have a new opportunity to turn their sludge (biosolids) into something special.

DC Water’s taste test shines the spotlight on municipal water quality, public perception, and consumer relations.

We’re entering the home stretch of the 85th Session of the Texas Legislature.

It may sound intimidating, but water that has been treated to “ultrapure” condition is more than necessary in many applications. This highly-cleansed product is a fundamental part of many industrial operations, from the medicine we need to get well to the power we rely on in our daily lives. But, as the name implies, it’s no small task to get average influent to the ultrapure level.

Wastewater ponds may seem an unlikely place to look for solutions an electricity security crisis. But their underutilized surfaces could help tackle two problems at once — high power prices and algal growth.

Coal-fired power plants generate coal fines and coal ash from a number of sources, including coal combustion residuals (CCR), particularly fly and bottom ash from coal furnaces, and coal pile runoff during rain events. In support of an industry-wide effort to reduce, improve, and remove coal ash ponds, a variety of technologies have been tested and employed. Read the full application note to learn more.

To break down the treatment options here are three popular ultrapure treatment processes from leading technology suppliers.

More than 500,000 underground storage tanks (USTs) can be found in communities across the country, storing petroleum and other hazardous substances. Leaks or spills of these substances can contaminate the surrounding soil and groundwater, which can compromise public and private drinking water supplies. These toxic chemical releases can pose serious health, economic, and environmental risks to nearby residents.

Since the industrial revolution, the total amount of waste has constantly grown as economic growth has been based on a ‘take-make-consume-dispose’ model. This linear model assumes that resources are abundant, available, and cheap to dispose of. In the U.S. and around the world, there is a move towards a ‘circular economy’ where products and waste materials are reused, repaired, refurbished, and recycled.

Discover how one beverage manufacturer was able to balance producing a quality product while also undertaking the challenging of reclaiming and treating its effluent.

Regulators from across the country met in Vermont this week at the Environmental Council of the State’s (ECOS) fall meeting to discuss some of the nation’s most pressing environmental challenges. I joined members of ECOS’ Shale Gas Caucus to discuss an emerging threat imminently impacting oil and gas-producing states: the question of what to do with the massive amount of wastewater produced by the oil and gas industry each year.

Boiler feedwater is comprised of two very important, and increasingly expensive resources: steam condensate return and city (or well) makeup water. The condensate is valuable due to low electrical conductance, purity, and high temperature. The makeup water is valuable because it is being overused and under conserved in many parts of the country, making the cost of water rise in almost all parts of the U.S.

Instead of taking the traditional approach of adding an additional oxidation ditch to increase treatment capacity, Riviera Utilities had the desire to “future-proof” the plant and prepare to meet more stringent effluent requirements.

Managing the treatment of wastewater — especially industry-generated wastewater that can elevate dissolved oxygen (DO) demands far beyond those of municipal/residential applications — is hard enough. Trying to do so during upset conditions is enough to put any water treatment professional on edge. Here are several preventive and remedial options to keep in mind before or after DO readings go haywire.

Membranes have long been proven effective for a variety of applications, but certain other applications pose difficulties for the technology, mostly due to O&M concerns. Next-generation membranes, however, have the ability to overcome traditional challenges — just in time to meet requirements for greater contaminant removal and sustainability.

We’re entering the home stretch of the 85th Session of the Texas Legislature.

Pulsafeeder’s Eclipse pumps provide successful chemical dosing at the Middlesex Water Company in Highland Park, New Jersey.