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Hustle & Flow

March 1, 2006By John R. Kastrinos, Mark D. Kelley, Michael C. Alfieri

Proactively managing stormwater runoff requires the right tools for handling flow, storage, and time

Managing stormwater infiltration is an ongoing and increasing need. Factors influencing stormwater filtration management include:

In the Storm's Wake

March 1, 2006By Michael R. Filmyer, PE, LO

A guide to restoring water and wastewater services to a community following a natural disaster

When a natural disaster, such as a hurricane or a major flood, strikes, a typical first response is to evacuate quickly. Upon return and property review, the next priority is to find clean water to drink and use for washing and cleaning. The need for a functioning sanitary sewer system is of equal importance to bring a community back to normal functioning capacity.

The Fight for Funding

March 1, 2006By Ken Kirk, Adam Krantz

Continued cuts in federal subsidies for clean water systems are calling attention to a looming crisis

Nearly 35 years have passed since the historic enactment of the Clean Water Act (CWA) in 1972. And thanks to the hard work of the nation's municipal clean water agencies, great gains have been made during that time. Yet, three decades since the CWA's enactment, we are still far from the "zero discharge" and swimmable/fishable goals of the CWA.

There and Back Again

March 1, 2006By Dennis F. Hallahan, PE

As demand for usable water slowly outstrips supply, reuse systems may be the solution to everyone's problem

A serious problem faces our society as the demand for clean water begins to exceed the available supply. Treating and reusing wastewater is becoming an acceptable solution to this problem.

Catching a Killer

January 1, 2006By Peter Ritchey

pH adjustments can increase the arsenic-removing capacity of adsorptive media

Arsenic (As) removal from drinking water by adsorptive media has been a proven technology for years. In the western and southwestern United States, however, much of the As-tainted groundwater has a pH value that is high enough to significantly reduce the operating capacity of adsorptive media, including the iron-, alumina-, and titanium-based media commercially available to municipalities.

Exorcising Groundwater Contaminants

January 1, 2006By Joseph L. Devary

New remediation technologies are seeping out of the labs and into the market

Groundwater and soil contamination are among the most time-consuming and costly environmental remediation challenges facing our communities today. Solvents, metals, organic compounds, and other chemicals remain in the soil and seep into groundwater long after the facilities that used or created the contaminants have stopped operating.

Under Surveillance

January 1, 2006By Corey M. Willson

A growing Florida county utility uses high-tech markers to see underground

The Wastewater Operations Division of Charlotte County Utilities in Charlotte County, Fla., operates in a unique underground construction setting. The county is in the process of substantially expanding its utility infrastructure to serve thousands of platted residential lots and accommodate the demands of rapid population growth.

Who's Greener -- Democrats or Republicans?

January 1, 2006By J. Daniel Hull, JD

Neither, apparently, and lawyers could not care less

In olden times, just over 30 years ago in the mid-1970s, the environmental movement was still young, "environmentalists" were a troublesome new class of malcontents and eccentrics, and men were still men. Environmental legislation seemed highly partisan. Democratic majorities on both sides of Congress (until 1980 when the Senate changed) were the driving force behind new clean water and clean air amendments, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Comprehensive Response, Compensation, & Liability Act (CERCLA)/Superfund.

Has the NRDC Gone Hollywood?

November 1, 2005By J. Daniel Hull, JD

A good measure of star power can't hurt one of the country's most influential political action groups

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Daniel Hinerfeld, the young, ultra-articulate director of communications for the Southern California office of the Natural Resources Defense Council ("NRDC"), agreed to let me drop by in mid-September to interview him and some other NRDC staffers so I could write this installment. I was slightly nervous about visiting.

Scaling Back the Mineral Problem

November 1, 2005By Daniel J. Cho

Electronic descaling is saving millions in pipe cleaning and maintenance costs

Physical water treatment (PWT) is a general term that refers to non-chemical methods of controlling or preventing fouling, especially mineral fouling or scale. PWT technologies use the laws of physics to impact water chemistries and mitigate scale without the use of chemical additives. Such technologies target lime scale, an extremely adhesive crystalline precipitate of calcium carbonate, which is responsible for the majority of scaling problems. Calcium carbonate also traps other minerals, such as magnesium, to form combined scales, just as it traps soap in residential sinks and bathtubs to form so-called "soap scum."

A Different Kind of Water System

September 1, 2005By David Cain, PhD

New IT developments can make water compliance management more effective

Water quality is intimately connected to quality of life. Although this fact of life has been understated for many years, water professionals have long known that clean water is an increasingly scarce and valuable commodity that cannot be taken for granted. The Clean Water Act brought about increased regulatory oversight, resulting in recent criminal charges and fines against violators, and environmental organizations are succeeding in bringing about public awareness of the need to protect water resources by encouraging businesses to include water stewardship and utilization in corporate sustainability reporting.

Back to the Basics

September 1, 2005By Steve Harris

A new biostimulant economically treats wastewater sludge by breaking it down into gas, ash, and water

Despite the very best in design, there does come a time in every wastewater lagoon system when sludge must be removed.

Highlighting UV's Growing Legal Impact

September 1, 2005By Bertrand W. Dussert, PhD

Ultraviolet disinfection's new role in future U.S. drinking water regulations

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is a proven disinfection technology that has been used for almost a century. The technology is used to disinfect drinking water (municipal and consumer), wastewater (discharge and water reuse), indoor air, swimming pools, and industrial effluents from the food and beverage industries, cooling towers, fish hatcheries, ballast water, semiconductor fabricators, and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

On the Lookout

September 1, 2005By Paul W. Schmitt

Proper use and maintenance of permanent and portable combustible gas detection equipment can save lives and reduce costs

There are two standards that apply to municipal water and wastewater treatment plants: NFPA 820 Standards for Fire Protection in Wastewater Treatment and Collection Facilities, 2003, and OSHA 1910.148 Appendix E: Sewer System Entry. While both standards apply, they address different facets of the treatment facility.

The Earth Day Senator

September 1, 2005By J. Daniel Hull, JD

Saying goodbye to a mentor who was a pioneer in the U.S. environmental movement

n the July/August edition of Water & Wasterwater Products, the first appearance of this column, I referred to my first "real" job: a 1974 internship in the office of the U.S. Senator from Wisconsin who died recently at the age of 89.