For a very basic explanation of the wastewater treatment process, check out this interactive graphic provided by the Water Environment Federation.

High quality wastewater treatment plants are carefully controlled, and testing is an essential part of the process.  Here’s a rundown on the testing done at the Saginaw plant:

Analysis is done daily on water quality with tests for suspended solids, five-day biochemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen, fecal coliform, phosphorus, pH, ammonia nitrogen. Those analyses are required to ensure the plant is meeting limits set by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit issued to the facility by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and Environmental Protection Agency, which require regular reports.

In addition to required tests, lab staff also perform a series of tests on a bi-weekly basis to determine if the following industrial contaminants are contained in the water: cadmium, chromium, copper, cyanide, iron, lead, mercury, nickel, silver, zinc, phenol, oils, greases and poly-chlorinated bi-phenyls (PCBs).

 

Reference Source: MLive.com

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 Recent Research Indicates That Viruses From Sewer Pipes Can Quickly Reach Deep Aquifers

It was previously believed that pathogens could not get into water wells that were sunk into deep groundwater aquifers.  Now this is no longer accepted as a forgone conclusion.  Over the past decade many disease-causing viruses have been found in very deep locations in both the United States and Europe.

Recent research shows that the viruses are in fact seeping into deep water well from sewer pipes. 

 

 Can A $31,000 Artificial Fish Help Keep Water Pollution in Check?

For the purpose of tracking sea pollution, a group called SHOAL Corsortium has launched a number of artificial fish off the northern coast of Spain. The fish, which are around  5 feet long and cost about $31,600 each , are designed to swim like real fish.  They have sensors that pick up and report pollutants.

The great advantage is that the technology allows pollutants to be detected and reported in seconds as compared with the weeks required by the traditional method of collecting samples and sending them to a laboratory for analysis.

According to one writer:

Equipped with artificial intelligence, the fish can navigate their surroundings and find their way back to shore when their batteries need to be recharged. If one fish detects significant or unusual pollutants, it can communicate with the others so that all can search together for the source, potentially spotting leaks or spills much faster than by conventional means. In addition to detecting pollutants, the robotic fish might also be used for applications like underwater security and search-and-rescue efforts, their inventors say.

The development of the robot fish was funded in part by the European Union aided by a weapons maker and various universities.

The fish were made to resemble real fish because Nature’s excellent design gives them a short turning circle.  They are even provided with an alarm system to alert monitors of mishaps, such as being caught by fishermen.

If all goes well, the Consortium hopes to produce the fish commercially.

The Causes of Color in Water, and How To Get Rid of It

 

If you live in the city, color coming from you kitchen tap is most likely the result of pipes.  Copper pipes might lend a bluish or greenish color, and red water almost always comes from aging iron pipes. The water may be cloudy for a time, and this usually means there is air in the city’s water line.  The test is to run it into a glass and watch it as it clears; if it clears from the bottom upward, it is air.  Brownish and rusty colored water can also result from city activities like repair of water lines and flushing of fire hydrants.  The cure for these is rinsing until the water runs clear.

With private water sources like wells, rivers or lakes,  the color issue is more complicated.  Color is commonly a problem of only surface water; it is rare in water from deep wells or springs.  Here are some common colors and what they indicate:

Yellow. Often referred to as “tannins,” indicates that humic acids are present. Water with an tannins often appears tea colored.

Reddish water indicates precipitated iron. The red color may be found on bathroom fixtures and laundry.

Reddish brown is also an indication of iron which will precipitate when the water is exposed to air.

Blue indicates the presence of excess copper. The water may leave green stains on fixtures.

Green water can be caused by algae growing in rivers or lakes at certain times of the year.

Dark brown or black indicates the presence of manganese and sometimes hydrogen sulfide.

There is an arbitrary color scale that is applied to water samples to give a framework for comparison. EPA regulations recommend that potable water should score at less than 15 color units.

 

 Treatment for Color in Water 

Activated carbon is the most commonly used color reducer.  All  carbons are not equally effective.  In general, macropore carbon, carbon with large pores, is preferred. Carbon made from Eucalyptus is best, but it is difficult to obtain.  Of standard carbons, carbon made from lignite coal is probably the best color remover.  A carbon’s ability to remove color is measured by a property called the “molasses number.”

Anion exchange (usually following a water softener) is a common treatment for tannins, and certain types of macropore carbon are also effective at tannin removal.

Iron and manganese coloration are treated in the standard ways that iron and manganese are treated. These can be as simple as a sediment filter for rusty water (oxidized iron) or a full-fledged oxidation/filtration treatment.

There are also ozone treatments that are used to remove color from water in swimming pools. Super-chlorination and potassium permanganate are also used for color treatment at times.

 

More about color in water.

We have written previously about how useful garden hose filters are for providing chemical free water for organic gardeners, keeping spots off of patios or driveways rinsed with a hose, and for filling outdoor fish ponds with water that won’t kill the fish.  They’re also great for providing clean water for horses or spot-free car wash water for home car washers.

Cartridge-style garden hose filters are versatile because they can be made to perform different services simply by changing the filter cartridge.  The small,

disposable garden hose filters sold on many websites, by contrast, are one trick ponies: they remove chlorine.  Cartridge filters can be made to not only remove larger amounts of chlorine and chloramine, but to remove bacteria, fluoride, nitrates,  sand and other sediment,  hardness,  cysts, viruses, and even iron.  They can be used to raise the pH of acidic waters or to “sequester” hardness to prevent scale buildup.

In short, there are numerous uses.  We’ve featured articles previously about special applications like providing water for backyard chicken farms and we’ve mentioned unusual applications that our customers have told us about like using a garden hose filter to soften water to prevent spots on solar panels.

Here’s another very interesting application:

Our customer Grace Works of Balwin, MO makes a unique product called Flexi Fountain that uses a standard Pure Water Products garden hose filter to provide excellent, chlorine-free drinking water.

The Flexi-Fountain is a portable six station drinking water fountain that can be easily moved into place for any event where thirsty people.  It provides water without the need for paper cups and without lugging around heavy water cans or dispensers.  It works any place that can be reached with a garden hose.  Typical uses include football games, soccer, tennis, softball, baseball, cross country races, summer camps, booster club events, marathons, special outdoor celebrations, outdoor weddings,  child care and school playgrounds.

The garden hose filter gives thirsty outdoor water users excellent quality water without the need for plastic bottles.

We think Flexi Fountain is a great product.

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Witnesses said the hole opened up in the 9600 block of South Houston Avenue about 5 a.m. and eventually was the entire width of the street.

Two vehicles fell in first, a parked car and then a silver pickup truck driven by Mirko Krivokuca, who lives on the next block and was driving to work.

Krivokuca was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for “a couple of scratches,” his father, Petar Krivokuca, said as he stood in the rain , staring in disbelief at the massive hole.

Ola Oni said she was about to leave for work when her parked car dropped into the hole. She was just glad she wasn’t in it.

“It could have happened to me,” Oni said. “I am lucky. I’m happy.”

 

Giwa, too, had been about to go to work when she saw the sinkhole and ran back into her son’s home to call police. First responders arrived and told her not to go near the hole, she said.

Less than an hour later, the strip of concrete where Giwa’s car was parked caved in. Her car rolled upside down into the expanding hole.

A fourth vehicle was towed from the edge as it was about to fall in, witnesses said.

“I was really upset,” Giwa said later as she flipped through the pictures she’d snapped that morning. A few captured her shiny white car sitting next to the hole. The last showed an empty space where her car had been.

“I’m looking at my car going in the hole,” she recalled.

The sinkhole was caused by a water main dating from around 1915 that gave out and breached the sewer below, city Water Department Commissioner Thomas Powers said.

“As the water was flowing from the broken main, it undermined all of the soil underneath the pavement and washed it into the sewer,” Powers said.

Ald. John Pope, who represents the 10th Ward where the hole appeared, said the rainy weather “certainly (hadn’t) helped” the situation but that aging infrastructure was to blame for the street’s collapse.

Source:  Chicago Tribune.

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Source: Washington Post

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Israel Joins Other Advanced Countries in Ending Compulsory Fluoridation of Water

The debate over the fluoridation of water for the purpose of preventing dental caries has gone on for decades.  Most industrialized nations have dropped compulsory fluoridation of water, with the US being the one of the few advanced countries that still support the practice. Israel just took a strong step toward ending compulsory fluoridation via drinking water this month.

Israel’s Health Minister Yael German announced in April that municipalities and local authorities would in a year no longer have to fluoridate their drinking water.

German,  a former mayor,   who has in the past stated opposition to forcing residents to take a fluoride treatment with every drop of water  they drink,  said there were more effective and safer ways to protect children’s teeth – such as fluoride pills, toothpastes and education.

She said she signed new regulations for stricter supervision of water supplies that included canceling mandatory fluoridation. German then even appealed to the High Court of Justice against the Health Ministry’s requirement – since 2002 – that water be fluoridated in every authority with at least 5,000 residents.

As expected, there was strong protest and promise of overthrow of German’s ruling by the usual proponents of fluoridation, including the World Health Organization.

 

Source: Jerusalem Post.

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Fear of Frogs

by Janice Kaspersen, Editor, Stormwater

It’s not unusual to read about lawsuits over stormwater runoff, particularly in cases where water flows onto someone’s property as a result of construction, new development, or diversion.

That was the case recently with a New York homeowner, who received a $1.6 million settlement after a developer mistakenly diverted water onto his 40-acre property, turning it into a “wetland,” according to the suit. This case has a twist, however: Instead of just the usual claims of property damage or loss of use of the property, the owner cited his frog phobia as a reason to collect punitive damages.

Although in the end he didn’t get the $250,000 in punitive damages he was seeking, the town of Clarence, NY—which had given the developer permission to divert the water—will be digging a drainage ditch to help remove the water and will pay $1.3 million in damages, with the rest of the money coming from the developer. An error by the town’s engineer, who approved diversion of the runoff into a channel that turned out to be too small to accommodate it, led to the flooding of the property.

As this article from the Daily Mail reports, the homeowner traces his phobia to an unfortunate childhood experience involving bullfrogs. “I’m petrified of the little creatures,” he’s quoted as saying, adding that he sometimes had to call family and friends to come chase the frogs away from his door so he could get into and out of his house.

A lower court had originally awarded him the $250,000 as well, but that was overturned by an appeals court, which said that since the developer had not acted maliciously, punitive damages did not apply.

Source: Stormwater.

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A Fee Is Being Considered In PA for the Extraction and Removal of Water

 

Introductory Note:  A friend once said that water isn’t really “wasted” unless it is sent off of the planet.  He meant that water is ultimately always recycled, so when we use it we’re just borrowing, not consuming.   That’s what the Pennsylvania official in the AP story below has in mind by suggesting that we should classify the ways water is used and charge for it accordingly.

Using water to water a lawn is one thing, but doing something with it that takes it out of circulation, out of Nature’s recycling system, is something quite different.  There are, of course, many subtle distinctions be be considered here.  For example, the official would levy fees on companies that bottle water and take it out of the state, but one could argue that if a man in Virginia drinks the water and sends it through the wastewater  treatment system from which it arrives at a Virginia lake from which it is evaporated and formed into a cloud, it might well fall as rain on Scranton, PA.  It’s harder to make such a case for the oil company which injects water deep into the earth, but, time is long, and who knows whether in a few eons the water will make its way back to PA.–Hardly Waite, Pure Water Gazette.

PITTSBURGH – The head of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission says he’s considering seeking a new fee on water extracted by industry and permanently removed from the environment.

Commission executive director John Arway said that with a $9 million budget shortfall expected in 2017 at the agency, which is funded mostly by anglers and boaters, he’s “searching high and low” for alternative funding, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Officials say a fee on “consumptive use” of water, with revenues going to the commission and the state Department of Environmental Protection, may have legal precedent and tentative bipartisan support.

“When people drink water or take a shower, it’s returned through the sewage system,” Arway said. “When farmers irrigate fields it drains back into the ground. The Pennsylvania Constitution says we, the citizens, own the water. Some of these companies take it out of the environment, use it for free and it’s gone, never returned to Pennsylvania’s environment.”

The bottled water industry, for instance, pays nothing to remove the water that it treats, packages and mostly ships out of the state. The Marcellus Shale natural gas industry also extracts water for free, since the process of hydraulic fracturing pumps water so far below the water table it is rendered unusable. There are other industries that make similar permanent use of water, Arway said.

“That’s our water they’re taking for free,” Arway said. “They’re stealing the resource from us, and that makes me mad.”

While land ownership in the western United States usually includes water rights, rules dating back to English common law in the eastern states including Pennsylvania reserve most flowing water and its aquatic life in a trust owned by the citizens of the state. Arway cites a 1940s state law requiring dredging companies that remove sand and gravel from the Allegheny and Ohio riverbeds to compensate the state as a precedent for a new regulation that would compensate the state for permanent extraction of water.

A resolution introduced in the state Senate would allocate money to study the issue and recommend a fee structure for permanent use and degradation of water.

Chris Hogan of the International Bottled Water Association said that while the industry supports regulation of industrial use of water, the trade group oppose the kind of state fees Arway has proposed.

“The consumptive use of water for bottled water is arguably one of the highest and most appropriate consumptive uses of water in a product, since it quite literally is then directly consumed by consumers,” Hogan said. He said bottlers are already subject to permit and inspection fees and taxes, and since much of the product is returned to the environment the industry is actually a “net importer of water into states in the region.”

Steve Forde, a spokesman for the Marcellus Shale Coalition, said that in 2011 in Pennsylvania drilling operations used 8 million to 10 million gallons of water per day, among the least used by water consuming industries. Fracking operations accounted for 0.1 percent of 9.5 billion gallons of water extracted daily from the state, according to a 2011 U.S. Geological Survey report.

In addition, new cost-saving technologies developed in the past three years enable operators to reuse water used in fracking, reducing the industry’s need for water, Forde said.

“There’s a good business case to be made for reducing water withdrawal. Transporting it to the well and then disposing of it , it’s expensive,” he said. “In our business, hydraulic fracturing is where water is utilized, and the truth is we’re not using as much water as we did just a few years ago.”

A spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Protection department said the resolution is under review. Arway said the commission, which gets most of its money from license and permit fees and a federal excise tax on fishing and boating gear and fuel, will see a shortfall in four years due to employee pension obligations and growing infrastructure expenses, and water usage revenues would help make up the difference.

Source:  AP.

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