Water Efficiency Issues

ACLARA The industry’s only fixed-network, remotely correlated, acoustic leak detection system cost effectively helps water utilities quickly identify leaks on water mains before they become major problems. Combining the Aclara STAR Network Advanced Metering Infrastructure system with leak detection technology from Gutermann International, the system automates the process of gathering the necessary data to identify leak locations and minimize water losses, enhancing conservation efforts. STAR ZoneScan’s ...>... More >

These are tough times for water resource managers and utility operators. Stricter regulations, aging infrastructure, and an aging workforce are just some of the many challenges plaguing utilities as they struggle to modernize their facilities. But there is some good news, SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition)—one of the key technologies for improving performance and controlling costs—now offers more power, more convenience, and more accessibility. The days of SCADA being out of reach financia...>... More >

What could you do with a chunk of $1.8 billion in grant funding for infrastructure upgrades? If the backers of HR1189 finally succeed, the Clean Water Affordability Act will open up the congressional checkbook and funnel some much-needed funds to financially stressed communities burdened with leaky pipes, inefficient pumps, and all manner of conveyance system meltdowns.   HR1189 is an ongoing attempt to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act so that “municipalities that would experience a si...>... More >

Aclara www.aclaratech.com American Water Works Association www.awwa.org Capstone Metering LLC www.intellih2o.com Clarus Environmental www.clarusenvironmental.com Hobas Pipe USA www.hobaspipe.com Isolux Technologies Div.; MEL Chemicals Inc. www.zrpure.com ITRON www.itron.com Johnson Controls www.johnsoncontrols.com Master Meter Inc. www.mastermeter.com Neptune Technology Group Inc. www.neptunetg.com Plast-O-Matic Valves Inc. www.plastomatic.com Rugid Computer www.rugidcomputer.com Sensus Metering Systems...>... More >

Inextricably linked, unavoidably interconnected and, at times, conflicted and conflagrant, the relationship between energy and water is the ultimate duality—polarized and indivisible. Those of us working in the fields of water resource management and/or energy efficiency and reliability know that while our concerns are often interchangeable and our challenges similar, we nevertheless find ourselves operating in two separate spheres, focusing only on our own specific challenges and demands and rarely gla...>... More >

Continuing education is a familiar topic of conversation among those in the water and wastewater industry. An important component of any operator certification program, continuing education is somewhat like adult education, in that both involve furthering knowledge about any given topic and expanding technical knowledge among certified professionals. While some embrace this opportunity, according to one operator not everyone feels the same way.  “While some are prone to welcome the good that comes ...>... More >

A. Y. MCDONALD MFG CO. The Unmeasured Flow Reducer (UFR) works with water meters to measure low-flow water caused by drips and leaks. Since low-flow water can account for up to 14% of household use and unmeasured water is non-billable, the customer can maximize revenue by installing the UFR. By capturing low-flow water and then batching it through the meter at a measurable volume, the UFR helps meters register nearly every drop. The UFR can also help homeowners identify and fix drips and leaks, for grea...>... More >

A.Y. McDonald  www.aymcdonald.com Aclara  www.aclaratech.com Badger Meter Inc.  www.badgermeter.com Capstone Metering LLC  www.intellih2o.com Clarus Environmental  www.clarusenvironmental.com Containment Solutions Inc.  www.containmentsolutions.com Degremont Technologies  www.degremont-technologies.com ETwater  www.etwater.com EWRI - Environmental & Water Resources Institute  www.asce.org/ewri Global Water Resources  www.gwresources.com Isolux Techno...>... More >

Officials with the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) are doing their part to boost water conservation. The authority is offering the owners of homes and commercial properties a chance to ignore its mandatory watering restrictions. These customers just have to sign up for a study on how effective smart irrigation controls reduce water waste. The SNWA has even agreed to cover up to 50% of the cost of these smart controls. The authority has made it clear, too, that these devices, which monitor weather...>... More >

What is the true cost of water? How can we measure our water productivity? Who stands to gain from our global water crisis? Most of us are still dealing with the economic meltdown that started in 2008—especially those of us tasked with overseeing our water supply. In the face of tightened budgets and increasing costs, it makes sense to question the push-and-pull between profit motive and public interest that exists in all areas related to water resource management. Because—as is often the case—in the fa...>... More >

When it comes to resource management and conservation, it may appear as if the water industry is playing catch-up with the electric utilities, both in terms of public awareness and the development of national resource management via the “Smart Grid.” But that’s about to change. Many experts agree that, while the initial attention paid to electricity is understandable—electricity is often supplied on an “as needed basis,” and excess supplies are not as easily storable as water—the time has come for smart...>... More >

Aclara  www.aclaratech.com American Water Works Association  www.awwa.org Badger Meter Inc.  www.badgermeter.com Capstone Metering LLC  www.capstonemetering.com Containment Solutions Inc.  www.containmentsolutions.com DIG Corp.  www.digcorp.com FDIS Green  www.fdisgreen.com Isolux Technologies Div.; MEL Chemicals Inc.  www.zrpure.com ITRON  www.itron.com Johnson Controls  www.johnsoncontrols.com Niagara Conservation  www.niagaraconservation.com Plas...>... More >

ACLARA The industry’s only fixed-network, remotely correlated, acoustic leak detection system cost effectively helps water utilities quickly identify leaks on water mains before they become major problems. Combining the Aclara STAR Network Advanced Metering Infrastructure system with leak detection technology from Gutermann International, the system automates the process of gathering the necessary data to identify leak locations and minimize water losses, enhancing conservation efforts. STAR ZoneScan’s ...>... More >

Aclara www.aclaratech.com American Water Works Association www.awwa.org Capstone Metering LLC www.intellih2o.com ET Water www.etwater.com Hunter Industries www.hunterindustries.com Isolux Technologies Div.; MEL Chemicals Inc. www.zrpure.com ITRON www.itron.com Janney Capital www.janney.com Johnson Controls www.johnsoncontrols.com Micro-Comm Inc. www.micro-comm-inc.com Neptune Technology Group Inc. www.neptunetg.com Sensus Metering Systems www.sensus.com Sewerin USA LLC www.sewerin.net SJE-Rhombus Contro...>... More >

Intelligent irrigation products are key to solving issues of higher water prices, while reducing stress on aging infrastructure and facilitating corporate responsibility programs. They also help utilities stretch their budgets. The good news is that manufacturers are introducing products that provide even more efficiency and flexibility for saving water. Back to School Soil moisture sensors are contributing significantly to conservation and water savings. Rain Bird, in Azusa, CA, recently introduced the...>... More >

Management at United Water New Jersey understands that implementing a robust supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system at a water treatment plant can provide more than centralized control of processes that ensures a reliable water supply for customers. United Water operates SCADA systems for water and backup and emergency power at its recently upgraded Haworth Water Treatment Plant in Haworth, NJ. The utility depends heavily upon SCADA when shedding load during demand response events that ...>... More >

Water scarcity is a looming problem and changing individual behavior to compensate is a key constituent of sustainability. Behavioral change is a complex task requiring a combination of appeals, information, financial and social influences, and barrier elimination efforts. Implementing these concepts has been notoriously difficult, and it is only recently that advances in data access and presentment have allowed for a program that encourages behavioral change—providing a detailed, highly granular person...>... More >

CLIVUS MULTRUM INC. Clivus Multrum, Inc., designs, manufactures, and sells composting toilets and greywater irrigation systems, with the aim of conserving water and keeping the nutrients in human waste from becoming a source of pollution. For more than 30 years, Clivus Multrum has led the way in providing environmentally sound waste treatment solutions to customers in North America and beyond. Today, these systems are used in green buildings, parks, recreation facilities, nature centers, and homes aroun...>... More >

Keeping the integrity of a water conveyance system is critical, says John Kurdziel, director of Technical Services and Market Development for Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS). “You put a lot of money into treating the water,” he says. “The last thing you want to do is lose it.” An aging underground infrastructure, a focus on water efficiency as a conservation effort to offset ongoing water shortages, and a concern for water quality are all factors that come into play as public and private water utilities...>... More >

Aclara  www.aclaratech.com Badger Meter Inc.  www.badgermeter.com Capstone Metering LLC  www.capstonemetering.com Containment Solutions Inc.  www.containmentsolutions.com ETwater  www.etwater.com Global Water Resources  www.gwresources.com Hobas Pipe USA  www.hobaspipe.com Isolux Technologies Div.; MEL Chemicals Inc.  www.zrpure.com ITRON  www.itron.com Mala GeoScience USA Inc. www.malags.com Master Meter Inc.  www.mastermeter.com Myron L Co.  www.m...>... More >

Executive Summary Every year, utilities are losing millions of gallons of water—and significant revenue—for a variety of reasons, including aging infrastructure and outdated measurement practices. With new mandates for tighter water management and accountability being established by the US Department of Energy (DOE), utilities are under greater pressure to more efficiently manage their resources. Today, automatic meter reading (AMR) and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) technologies represent an op...>... More >

Faced with revenue shortages and failing infrastructure, many cities are struggling to balance current costs and future challenges.>... More >

Onsite Wastewater Treatment Partners With Reuse A serious problem faces our society as the demand for potable water begins to exceed the available supply. Treating and reusing wastewater is becoming an acceptable solution to this problem. Engineers across the country are challenged to deliver cost-effective wastewater treatment and reuse solutions that protect the public health. Many of the solutions being developed are novel approaches. In the absence of sewers, onsite wastewater treatment systems are ...>... More >

Aclara   www.aclaratech.com Badger Meter Inc. www.badgermeter.com Containment Solutions Inc. www.containmentsolutions.com FDIS Green www.fdisgreen.com Isolux Technologies Div.; MEL Chemicals Inc. www.zrpure.com Johnson Controls www.johnsoncontrols.com KVAR Energy Savings www.kvar.com Myron L Co. www.myronl.com Niagara Conservation www.niagaraconservation.com SeaMetrics www.seametrics.com Sensus Metering Systems www.sensus.com SJE-Rhombus Controls www.sjerhombus.com Sontek www.sontek.com Zoeller Pum...>... More >

In 1974, the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was enacted, providing a cohesive federal set of standards for water quality delivered to consumers 1 . As a result, utilities were required to meet Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) of certain constituents prior to water entering the distribution point. Today, the SDWA regulates 87 primary contaminants, and the EPA publishes and maintains a Contaminant Candidate List and is required to make regulatory determinations (i.e., a decision to regulate or not) for a...>... More >

The small- to medium-sized water storage industry is seeing strong sales from the sustainability trend in water reclamation and decentralized wastewater treatment, and the locations aren’t just for those lonely tanks standing in a deserted field or far away hillsides. Water reclamation and wastewater treatment projects are part of sustainability efforts at major food processing sites, universities, swank retail locations, and sports stadiums. Decentralized wastewater treatment has even found a home in a...>... More >

The city of O’Fallon, MO, was losing 83,000 gallons of water day because of leaks in its municipal water lines. Dan Scherer, director of water and sewer operations for the city, thought it’d be even worse. Still, 83,000 gallons multiplied by 365 days does equal a lot of lost water throughout a typical year. “You hope that leak testing doesn’t find anything,” says Scherer. “But you have to be realistic. A lot of our water system is relatively old: our water loss was creeping up from year to year. We want...>... More >

“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” –Loran Eisley Introduction Prior to reservoirs and the extraction of groundwater, the availability of fresh water greatly influenced the movement of human populations within ancient Utah. Located within the geographical boundaries of the Great Basin, Utah’s early indigenous people lives were intricately connected to fresh water sources. While tribal boundaries were often determined by waterways, the appropriation or diversion of water resourc...>... More >

Dr. Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institute recently wrote that due to limitations on water supply and the high costs of developing alternative supplies, maximizing the efficiency of water use is paramount to achieving sustainability. He notes: “A key to improving efficiency is understanding where, when, and why we use water” (Gleick 2010). Unfortunately, data of this granularity is hard to come by in the water industry. In most utilities, data is a sparse commodity or is collected in such vast and widely...>... More >

Introduction Throughout California are thousands of small rural community drinking water systems (with less than 3,300 customers) and wastewater systems (with less than 10,000 customers) whose residents are predominately economically disadvantaged (defined as being less than 80% of the state median household income). What is significant about these systems, as noted by the EPA, is that “96% of all health-based violations occur at systems serving less than 10,000 people. The majority of public water syst...>... More >

Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are evolving so rapidly that many operators are having trouble keeping up. Areas with rapid growth include Ethernet networking, automation, smart phone applications, energy efficiency, and enterprise merging. Each one of those subjects is an entire field within itself. How are water agencies handling the tidal wave of technology? “You should be overwhelmed,” says Kip Edgley, vice president, Automation/Integration, Veolia Water North America, Techn...>... More >

Whether you are a pessimist or an optimist, it’s tempting look to some imagined future to justify our current worldview: Either things will continue to get worse, or things can only get better. But when it comes to our water infrastructure, we need not prognosticate to see what the next two decades will look like. Real-world examples can be found with the click of a mouse or glance at your daily newspaper: Just type “water” into a Google news search, and you’ll see story after story about boil water not...>... More >

New processes that complement reuse and strategies are changing the way we look at desalination.>... More >

A. Y. McDonald Mfg. Co. www.aymcdonald.com Aclara www.aclaratech.com ADI Systems Inc. www.adisystems.ca Badger Meter Inc. www.badgermeter.com Containment Solutions Inc. www.containmentsolutions.com CP Solutions Inc. www.cpsolutionsinc.net Degremont Technologies www.degremont-technologies.com DIG Corp. www.digcorp.com FDIS Green http://fdisgreen.com Isolux Technologies Div.; MEL Chemicals Inc.  www.zrpure.com ITRON www.itron.com Johnson Controls www.johnsoncontrols.com KVAR Energy Savings www.kvar.c...>... More >

Entities with both single and multiple locations drastically cut outside water use with advanced technologies.>... More >

As discharge criteria are becoming more stringent and reuse applications are increasing, membrane bioreactors are getting another look.>... More >

Over the summer, the East Coast found itself in the crosshairs of a storm that threatened to pound the region with record wind and rainfall. As prognosticators, weathermen, and news anchors conspired to predict the worst—flooding, deaths, billions of dollars in damage—Hurricane Irene made landfall with some vigor, but not nearly the level of violence that had been predicted. And while much of the eastern seaboard emerged from the storm unscathed but underwater, ultimately Hurricane Irene will most likel...>... More >

ADVANCE PRODUCTS & SYSTEMS Advance Products & Systems’ Kleerband Flange Protectors and Radolid Protection Caps protects bolts, nuts, and flange faces on raised-face or full-face flanges in areas subject to the ravages of extreme corrosion conditions. Kleerband Flange Protectors are a transparent polymer band with grease injection fittings and relief vent plug that allows 360° of continuous inspection without removing the flange protector. They are for use in valve vaults, meter pits, lift statio...>... More >

Some people may say an anniversary is just another number, but some numbers can be quite meaningful. It seems like it was only yesterday that EPA’s WaterSense program was launched and shortly thereafter released its first specification for high-efficiency toilets. In the five years since the program’s launch, WaterSense-labeled products have helped consumers save 125 billion gallons of water and $2 billion on utility bills. These impressive numbers are a reflection of the effort WaterSense partners have...>... More >

Utilities and water agencies continue to adopt automatic meter reading (AMR)/Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) at a record pace. Could it be called a stampede? Not yet, but nonetheless, we see city after city announcing another energy-saving, labor-saving, water-saving AMR/AMI project. Smart metering makes it possible, but it’s a foregone conclusion that, no matter the meter, accuracy of the data is no longer the question. Now utilities are asking about wringing the maximum value from the data. And...>... More >

A.Y. McDonald  www.aymcdonald.com Aclara  www.aclaratech.com ADS LLC  www.adsenv.com Badger Meter Inc.  www.badgermeter.com Capstone Metering LLC  www.capstonemetering.com Containment Solutions Inc.  www.containmentsolutions.com Data West Corp.  www.dwcorp.com Isolux Technologies Div.; MEL Chemicals Inc.  www.zrpure.com ITRON  www.itron.com Johnson Controls  www.johnsoncontrols.com Master Meter Inc.  www.mastermeter.com Neptune Technology Group Inc....>... More >

We’ve asked this question before: Is it better to encourage efficiency though incentives and benefits, or are we better served by mandating use reduction through regulations, fees, and penalties? Some believe that it’s only by targeting the end-user that we can impact water use and water waste. But what about the water purveyor? Who’s got the rawest nerve, and how do we impact their choices? It’s certainly tempting to say “play or pay” and force the hand of the water customer by enforcing water efficien...>... More >

Rural water purveyors overcome the challenges and enjoy the benefits of automated metering.>... More >

Everything grows old—grandpa, that pretty first grade teacher you had in elementary school, vehicles, television wonders, quarterbacks and pitchers . . . and all the infrastructure which supports our needs at home and work. Most people don’t notice infrastructure growing old as much as the other aspects of normal life; therein lies its danger. What does energy have to do with the infrastructure? Isn’t infrastructure made of concrete, pipe, steel, metal bits and pieces, asphalt, and other hard things tha...>... More >

ADS LLC The ADS Enigma is a digital logging correlation system for determining the location of leaks in buried pipes. Noise logging and noise correlation are combined into one operation with the ADS Enigma to provide improved operational efficiency and optimum performance for challenging leak detection and water loss control. It provides leak detection products and services for cost-efficient products, responsive services, and single-point accountability. www.adsenv.com AMIAD FILTRATION SYSTEMS LTD As r...>... More >

A small-scale water reuse experiment that began during the early 1960s has evolved into an essential part of the infrastructure of a major university. People weren’t talking a lot about water efficiency back in the 1960s. Looking back to those times, it may have seemed the supply of water, like the supply of gasoline and supplies of just about everything else, had no limits. But it was around that time that society began to take a closer look at how our behavior might be affecting the environment. The s...>... More >

While to other countries, the United States is considered relatively young, our infrastructure is aging. When it comes to our water distribution networks, utilities and municipalities can benefit from detecting smaller leaks before they surface or become catastrophic. Not only have small leaks been shown to be precursors to larger leaks and failures, repair of an existing leak means bringing non-revenue water back into the system. Leak detection not only plays a vital role in water conservation, but in ...>... More >

It is a simple technology. Rain can be captured from rooftops in a simple rain barrel or in a complex cistern system holding many thousand gallons of water. The revival of rainwater harvesting in the US began in the 1990s, driven by two movements. The US Clean Water Act, first enacted in 1972, created regulations to clean up the rivers and lakes throughout the country. Starting in 1990, the EPA began requiring municipalities to obtain permits to prevent harmful pollutants from being washed or dumped int...>... More >