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Heavy Metal Combo

November 1, 2006By Ratana Kanluen, MSc., Sultan Amer, Ph.D.

A new treatment successfully removes arsenic, selenium, and mercury from a variety of waste streams

Arsenic, selenium, and mercury occur widely in nature, though at low levels, and are associated with sulfide ores, elemental sulfur, and in crude oil and coal deposits. These metals are used in the manufacture of numerous industrial products, such as semiconductors, fuel cells, photographic processes, agricultural products, preservatives and pharmaceuticals, to name just a few.

We Need Treatment -- Now!

November 1, 2006By Chuck McCloskey

Municipalities, industries find flexibility with mobile providers

Communities expect safe drinking water and clean water to do business. Water treatment plants are designed to provide that commodity but unforeseen situations often arise.

Arsenic and Old Graves

September 1, 2006By Jason Goodman

Deep-bed Detox

September 1, 2006By David C. Slack

An established technology is helping remove harmful nutrients from municipal wastewater

As total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for nutrient discharges have been developed and further revised by federal and state agencies over the years to address water quality concerns, deep-bed denitrification filters have proven to be a highly effective treatment technology used by wastewater plants to meet low total nitrogen (TN) limits. Patented in 1979, the technology of combining denitrification and solids removal in a deep-bed filter process has helped to dramatically improve wastewater quality at treatment plants across the country.

PPCPs' Double Life

September 1, 2006By Sherleen H. Mahoney

Experts are concerned about the potential health and environmental impacts of contaminants from pharmaceuticals and personal care products that survive municipal wastewater treatment

Each and every one of us contribute to water pollution. "Not I," you say? Well, if you use personal care products, such as shampoos, lotions, or antiperspirants, you do. If you take any kind of medication, over-the-counter or prescription, you do.

Probing for Better Data

September 1, 2006By Bob Dabkowski

A new sensor is helping operators control aeration and provide more accurate readings

Switching from a membrane-type dissolved oxygen (DO) probe to new, breakthrough luminescent technology has brought tighter control to the conventional aeration system serving the Holland Area Wastewater Treatment Plant. Plus, a four-month trial demonstrated that the new luminescent DO (LDO) probe performs well monitoring high-DO effluent from the facility's pure oxygen system. Until now, it had been difficult for the plant to find a reliable online measurement instrument for this environment.

A Change for the Better

July 1, 2006By Jim Brennan

Some New York water districts find that switching from sodium hypochlorite to calcium hypochlorite helps optimize chlorination while eliminating problems

Management at drinking water treatment facilities looking for an alternative to gaseous chlorine (Cl2) or sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) should seriously consider dry chlorine in the form of calcium hypochlorite briquettes. Drinking water treatment facilities switching from sodium hypochlorite to calcium hypochlorite for disinfection are finding this alternative to be an efficient solution for ensuring consistently accurate chlorination while eliminating many long-standing operations, maintenance, and safety concerns associated with NaOCl use.

For a Rainy Day

July 1, 2006By Heather Woodward, Lori Pfeil

Pointers on how to successfully implement your company's stormwater pollution prevention plan

So you've completed your stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWP3) and filed your notice of intent (NOI). You're finished, right? Did you forget about the little part on the NOI that says you have developed and implemented your SWP3 prior to submitting the NOI? You still have to implement those Best Management Practices (BMPs) and other required elements of your permit. After all, lack of SWP3 implementation and good recordkeeping may result in a notice of violation (NOV), which in turn may lead an inspector to take a closer look at your facility. This is like inviting the inspector to view the skeletons in your closet. Don't give them an excuse to keep coming back.

From the Editors

July 1, 2006By Angela Neville, JD, REM

The Rising Tide of Stormwater Utilities

Nowhere to Hide

July 1, 2006By Vaughan Harshman, PE

As communities grow more crowded, odor control has become a major concern in the design and operation of wastewater treatment systems

As populations and communities continue to grow and expand, the need to treat wastewater means more facilities near homes. So, out of sight, out of mind doesn't work anymore. Years ago, wastewater treatment plants were located far away from communities, and odor was only a problem for those at the facility. Now, with new home developments booming and urban growth extending into even the most remote areas, it has become an issue in all communities.

A Dark Legacy's Impact

May 1, 2006By J. Daniel Hull, JD

More often than not, Superfund is about cleaning up polluted groundwater

PITTSBURGH -- This, the sixth installment of my column, Waterlawged, has been difficult to write -- and I finally figured out why. Any lawyer who writes in earnest about "Superfund" and that statute's mission to address the serious, disturbing, and, indeed, darkest legacies of America's industrial history almost immediately starts to sound like next year's chapter president of the Sierra Club in Marin County, Calif.

From the Editors

May 1, 2006By Angela Neville, JD, REM

Caught in a Flood

It Rains, But It Might Not Pour

May 1, 2006By Hal Kimbrough

A new kind of insurance is helping collection system managers hedge their wet-weather flow-study risks

In wet weather monitoring, the collection system manager steps up, metaphorically, to spin the big wheel of weather chance. Too often they will experience the agony of a wet weather flow study budget wasted when there isn't enough rain during the period that the monitors are installed.

Passing the NPDES Litmus Test

May 1, 2006By Gary Antony, Brad Buecker

Power plant operators must control pH limits and contaminants in their wastewater streams to meet permit guidelines

When people think of water issues at electric utilities, the first thought that usually comes to mind is production of high-purity water for steam generation. Even though a power plant may not have myriad fluid processes like a refinery or petrochemical facility, water discharge from a steam-generating facility is usually considerable. Chemistry in discharge streams must be carefully controlled to prevent pollution of receiving bodies of water or surrounding land.

The Show Must Go On

May 1, 2006By Bob Radvanovsky, CISM, CIFI

Keeping water and wastewater services running during a crisis depends on securing facilities at multiple levels

Critical infrastructures are industrial sectors based on areas of utilization and specialty that are critically vital to the continued operations and maintainability of our nation's way of life. Several sectors are more important than others, either based upon financial or human risk factors.