Water shortages have become a problem in America due to an ever-increasing population and a dwindling water supply. Areas where water is being restricted are the west coast states, the southwestern states, and even states in New England.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
A powerful, novel technology for mercury removal in waste streams provides an ounce of cure for municipalities, government, and industry. Scientists at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have developed Thiol-SAMMS, or Self-Assembled Monolayers on Mesoporous Supports, as an effective and voracious tool for adsorbing mercury.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Creosote and other non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) are responsible for high pump-and-treat costs in groundwater remediation because, due to their molecular size, they tend to clog activated-carbon pores quickly. The result is frequent change outs, which renders the pump-and-treat method too expensive.
This article originally appeared in the 07/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
A recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency press release (EPA Region 8, 11/24/2003) reads as follows: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Denver office is seeking penalties of more than $400,000 against 17 facilities in North Dakota for violations of the federal Clean Water Act's Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan Regulations"
This article originally appeared in the 07/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
The correlation between age and the perception of time is an interesting study. When a teenager is 15, the sixteenth birthday seems to take forever to arrive. The flip side of this situation is that when you are 55, time seems to flash by at an incredibly faster rate.
- By Donald A. Flory, Ron Sparks, CSP, PE, REM
This article originally appeared in the 06/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Stormwater takes on a new dimension during times of drought and amid concern for climate change, especially in the desert Southwest of the United States where our rivers are mostly dry beds of sand and gravel. Stormwater Phase II Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) communities seeking appropriate best management practices (BMPs) to address sediment load -- the principal nonpoint source pollutant in the arid Southwest -- may find base flow conditions exhibiting no water and a high potential for in-channel scour and sediment loading.
- By Kristine Uhlman, CGWP, RG, Dr. D. Phillip Guertin
This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Oil skimmers are simple, dependable and effective tools for removing oil, grease and other hydrocarbons from water. They usually pay for themselves within a few months. In order to ensure the oil skimmer you choose is right for your operation, there are certain steps you can follow.
This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Fiberglass composites have become the material of choice in many water or wastewater treatment operations. For mild to severe corrosion service, they can often be the materials of choice for economy and durability.
- By J. Albert Rolston, PE, FAIChE
This article originally appeared in the 03/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Switzerland, a country known for its chocolate, cheese, bank accounts and clocks, also demonstrates quite a knack for supporting environmental protection. This small, landlocked country generates a seemingly endless number of businesses, associations, academic initiatives and other enterprises focused on making use of resources in a bio-friendly manner for the benefit of the global community.
This article originally appeared in the 02/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Imagine that you are in the final stages of constructing a 10-filter water-treatment plant. Startup for the filter control system alone requires the contractor to coordinate with representatives from the valve supplier, actuator supplier, instrument supplier, filter console supplier, the electrician and the integrator to put together a system that is supposed to work as one complete unit.
This article originally appeared in the 01/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
When the Oneida Indian Nation was expanding its operations from a small bingo/casino facility to a full resort complex, it began professionally designing new nine-hole and 18-hole golf courses. The two courses were initially designed to include both groundwater and public water systems to support their irrigation needs.
This article originally appeared in the 11/01/2003 issue of Environmental Protection.
Traditionally, training has often been approached as an afterthought -- a vendor demonstrating a specific product to operators after the product has been purchased and installed. But in today's highly competitive marketplace, training is an important part of the whole solution. Training provides operators with tools and insights that can help them lower costs and improve efficiency plant wide.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2003 issue of Environmental Protection.
Implementation of a new Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) has helped the Portland, Ore., Bureau of Water Works meet regulatory requirements while increasing laboratory throughput. Water quality laboratories across the country face the need to perform a higher volume of testing and improve data security in order to ensure the safety of the nation's water supply.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2003 issue of Environmental Protection.
All drinking water treatment plants (WTPs) must dispose of their potable water residuals. One privately owned water utility in Fairbanks, Alaska, uses a filter press to dewater its water treatment mineral byproducts. By doing so, the utility achieves zero discharge to the nearby Chena River, which serves as a recreational area and spawning ground for several fish species threatened with possible extinction.
- By Matthew Burdick, PE, Michael Spring
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2003 issue of Environmental Protection.
Activated carbon is well known for its ability to remove organic compounds from water through a process known as adsorption, remove chlorine and chloramine through various chemical reactions and serve as a general filter media; however, its use for reduction of bromate is unclear.
- By Kimberly Thompson, Neal Megonnell
This article originally appeared in the 07/01/2003 issue of Environmental Protection.
Water conservation and prevention of water pollution have become global issues affecting the life and health of people and the ecosystems they inhabit. The ability of ecosystems to recover has been stretched to the limit by overpopulation. As population reduction is unlikely and in fact the obverse is anticipated minimization of environmental impact is critical for the survival of the human species.
This article originally appeared in the 07/01/2003 issue of Environmental Protection.
Public drinking water plants seeking to guard against the threat of terrorist attacks might do well to review and enhance some of the technology they already have on site.
This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2003 issue of Environmental Protection.
Isn't the number of remedial technologies that actually exist to remediate and protect groundwater amazing? Not only does industry have a wide selection of pump and treat options, there is a full array of in-situ technologies that engineers continue to conceive and refine.
- By Charles Cohen, Thomas E. Jamrok
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2002 issue of Environmental Protection.
Membrane bioreactor (MBR) has emerged as the wastewater treatment technology of choice for an increasing number of municipalities over the last five years. This growth is driven by the very high quality effluent produced by MBR -- exceeding strict standards or ideal for direct reuse -- and is fuelled by a steady reduction in treatment cost resulting from improvements in membrane productivity.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2002 issue of Environmental Protection.
Virtually all industrial activities generate some amount of wastewater. Disposal of this water in an environmentally responsible way has been a legal requirement since the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2002 issue of Environmental Protection.