WEF, CWEA and IWF are pleased to announce the 2nd Membrane Applications Specialty Conference covering the latest research and experience in the design and operation of membrane treatment systems for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants. The conference will focus on membrane system design and operation, energy management, and modeling including membrane bioreacters (MBRs), tertiary filtration and nanofiltration/reverse osmosis applications.
The conference will be held June 6-9 at the Hilton in Anaheim. Attendees may earn .75 CEUs, 12 PDHs and 4 contact hours.
Register by May 5 for Super Saver discounted rate of $145 for WEF Member or $165 for nonmembers.
According to a report – Infrastructure 2010: An Investment Imperative – released on April 13 by the Urban Land Institute, more and more urban areas throughout the U.S.in both dry and rainy locales, are facing growing pressures on their water infrastructure systems, necessitating both greater investments for overhaul and a change in development patterns that are more conducive to conservation.
Citing “water profligacy as an American way of life,” the report cautions that most water districts do not charge ratepayers the full cost for constructing and maintaining systems. As a result, businesses and households tend to use water inefficiently and don’t conserve, even though per-capita water demand could outstrip future availability in some parts of the country. The report shows that the U.S. has the highest “water footprint” in the world, using nearly 656,000 gallons per capita annually, greatly outstripping far more populous China, which uses less than 186,000 gallons per capita annually.
The report points out that according to the World Bank, 80 countries have water shortages that threaten health and economies, and 40% of the world has no access to clean water or sanitation. Water supply cannot keep pace with demand as populations increase – creating an acute problem in America and worldwide. Infrastructure 2010 is the fourth of an annual overview series that analyzes the infrastructure needs and compares the infrastructure policies of the United States with other countries.
The Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF), through the Endowment for Innovation in Applied Water Quality Research, is offering $100,000 to encourage researchers working in wastewater, water reuse, biosolids, stormwater, watersheds, and other areas to pursue groundbreaking research. Now celebrating its 10th year, the Paul L. Busch Award has supported some of today’s most talented young researchers as they begin to forge a legacy of innovative research leading to practical solutions for water quality problems. The award is one of the largest in the water quality industry.
The WERF Endowment for Innovation in Applied Water Quality Research grants the award to an individual or team. Utilities, universities, environmental firms, and others conducting water quality research or engineering work are encouraged to apply. Applicants may self-nominate or be nominated by a third party. Interested individuals or teams must submit their application to WERF by June 1, 2010. More information on the Paul L. Busch Award, including the application process, is online at www.werf.org/PaulLBusch
The Water Environment Research Foundation will receive $10 million in U.S Environmental Protection Agency funds to evaluate new technologies that will help utilities cope with aging and failing water and wastewater systems. As the recipient of this cooperative agreement, WERF will administer $6.25 million to address wastewater and stormwater infrastructure research and will coordinate with the Water Research Foundation to administer $3.75 million to address aging drinking water systems. These funds will be further leveraged by a 33.3% cost share.
The development of this research program stems from EPA’s Sustainable Water Infrastructure Initiative, which seeks to promote better use of resources, increase the sustainability of US water infrastructure, and reduce the gap ($220 billion over the next 20 years) between the projected need for infrastructure funds and actual funding.
Research efforts initiated under the cooperative agreement will examine innovative tools and procedures to cost-effectively improve the maintenance, rehabilitation, and replacement of the aging sewer lines, water mains, and other components that constitute our water and wastewater infrastructure. Research efforts will focus on four key areas:
- condition assessment for water and wastewater conveyance systems
- system rehabilitation for water and wastewater conveyance systems
- advanced design and engineering concepts
- innovative treatment technologies for wastewater, stormwater, water reuse, and drinking water
The USGS Water Analysis 1900-2005. The survey of national water use is conducted every 5 years. (graph: Pacific Institute)
Dr. Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institute points to a recent USGS water use survey showing only a tiny increase from 2000 to 2005 – an amazing number considering population and economic growth during that period.
He points to two major breakthroughs: water efficiency and major changes by industrial water users. From his post…
Water Number: 410 billion gallons per day in 2005 compared to 413 billion gallons per day in 2000. Despite continuing population growth, despite continued economic growth, total water use in the United States is effectively unchanged… Even more remarkable? Water use today is lower than it was 30 years ago, in 1975.
Which begs the question for CWEA members? Will flow rates continue falling and how will that affect the wastewater treatment system?
Add a comment below to share your thoughts – will future wastewater flow rates rise or fall? How will this impact collections, the treatment process and the fiscal health of municipalities?
The Technical Advisory Committee issued a joint letter raising concerns about the use of silver in consumer and industrial products.
Silver is highly toxic to aquatic life at low concentrations, is persistent, and can bioaccumulate in some aquatic organisms, such as clams. Due to concerns about bioaccumulation and the placing of strict silver effluent limits in discharge permits, publicly operate wastewater treatment works (POTWs) have implemented pollution prevention programs to identify and reduce silver discharges to sanitary sewer systems. These programs have been very successful in reducing POTW influent and effluent silver concentrations.
Photo by Daniel A. Anderson/University Communications
UCI engineers Pai Chou (pictured), Masanobu Shinozuka and colleagues are developing a water pipe monitoring system that features GPS tracking, fail-safe wireless communication, and cameras (such as the one shown, above) to record video. They’ve created CD-sized sensing devices that attach to the surface of water and wastewater pipes. These sensing devices will detect vibration and sound changes that indicate pipe problems. The sensors will then relay the information over long distances to a central location for recording, processing, and diagnostic analysis.
