Updated on April 19: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released both its final rule to classify PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and an enforcement discretion memo. This memo shows that EPA does not believe that water systems are the problem. However, the reality of...

Edited by Simona A Bălan and Thomas A Bruton, California Department of Toxic Substances Control; and Kimberly G Hazard, UC Berkeley. From the description: Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are extensively used in consumer products, despite their high persistence and other hazards. The risks posed by this chemical class to human health and the environment,...

CWEA’s coverage of PFAS is supported by Carollo. Advance your career with WEF’s industrial water resources! These peer-reviewed publications provide water quality professionals with essential technical knowledge and strategies. Order yours today! PFAS in the Water and Wastewater Sectors: Fundamentals, Management, and Treatment This collection of essays provides a state of the field on PFAS...

“One of the most effective near- and long-term solutions to reducing PFAS in biosolids is to prevent PFAS from entering wastewater treatment facilities in the first place.” The latest science is clear: long-term exposure to PFAS is linked to significant health risks, and PFAS can enter our water and land through several different paths. That’s...

Coverage of PFAS is supported by Carollo. The toxicity and widespread detectability of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have raised concern about their potential health impacts or changes to water and wastewater practices in response. PFAS are commonly present in water, human blood, environmental samples, household products, and biosolids (Ducatman et al., 2022; Hu...

As regular readers of my blog are likely aware, this week EPA announced proposed Maximum Contaminant Limits (MCLs) of 4 ppt for PFAS in U.S. drinking water utilities. I’m a social scientist, not a toxicologist or engineer. I can’t speak to health risks or the benefits of regulating PFAS. I can’t address the feasibility of...

View CWEA’s PFAS topics page > Research by Charles E. Schaefer, Jennifer L. Hooper, Laurel E. Strom, Ibrahim Abusallout, Eric R.V. Dickenson, Kyle A. Thompson, Gayathri Ram Mohan, Dina Drennan, Ke Wu, and Jennifer L. Guelfo (please see article for affiliations) Abstract Both quantifiable and semi-quantifiable poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were evaluated in the...

View CWEA’s PFAS resources page, support by Carollo. Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it is seeking public comment on its proposal to address environmental justice, climate change, and PFAS contamination in its National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives (NECIs).  Every four years, EPA selects national initiatives to focus resources on serious and widespread...

Coverage of PFAS is supported by Carollo. In 2018, the media seized on a story about a small dairy farm in Maine that was forced to no longer produce milk due to sludge and biosolids spread on the farm as fertilizer under a state-sponsored program from 1983 to 2004. Wastewater utilities were quickly blamed for...

View CWEA’s PFAS resources page, support by Carollo.   Three San Francisco Bay Area wastewater agencies are participating in an EPA-funded national research program looking at the prioritization, fate, and transport of unregulated organic chemicals (UOCs) in the environment resulting from land application of biosolids. The three agencies, including the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District...

In early 2022, OC San proudly announced they were the first municipal wastewater lab in California accredited to test for PFAS in wastewater. Today, there are 20 labs in California accredited for PFAS testing, OC San and the Inland Empire Utilities Agency are the only approved municipal labs. OC San operates a state-of-the-art Environmental Sciences...

The practice of treating wastewater has existed since the 19th century, beginning with centralized designs to keep sewage discharge out of clean water sources. Around this time, efforts to separate storm runoff from wastewater was also introduced in many communities. Fast forward to today, decades of focus on the environmental impact of waste treatment and...

Mark Kawamoto and his team at Orange County Sanitation District, also known as OC San, are trying to solve a riddle: “How does PFAS make its way into water resource recovery facilities?” PFAS are in wastewater that is treated at water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs), including at OC San’s two facilities, but the source of...

View CWEA’s PFAS resources page, support by Carollo. Exposure to a synthetic chemical found widely in the environment is linked to non-viral hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer, according to a new study conducted by researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC and published in JHEP Reports. These chemicals, which...

View CWEA’s PFAS resources page, support by Carollo. It is a fact that chemistry has changed our world for the better. It has played an important role in the production of commercial products, thus making a great variety of raw materials accessible to manufacturers across all industrial sectors and leading to the production of many...

The California Legislature has taken action to limit the use of PFAS in recent years, enacting bills to phase them out of food packaging, banning their use in nearly all firefighting foam, and requiring notification on cookware containing PFAS. Three bills relating to PFAS were passed in the 2022 Legislative Session. The bills included two...

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous, including detectable amounts typically in the parts per trillion (ppt) range in wastewater effluent and parts per billion (ppb) range in solids. The US EPA plans to publish ambient water quality human-health-based criteria for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) by Fall 2024. The EPA also...

Microplastics are some of the world’s most pervasive and troubling pollutants, finding their way into water, soil, air, wildlife, and humans. These tiny particles come from many sources, including larger plastic debris that breaks down into smaller pieces over time. When plastics are washed down the drain or flushed down the toilet in our service...

Stories about PFAS have multiplied as we discover more about these “forever chemicals.” They’ve been in our lives since the 1940s – used in clothing, carpets, couches, cookware, cosmetics, and more – but we had no idea until this century that prolonged exposure could be harmful to our health. At least 80 percent of PFAS...

View CWEA’s PFAS resources page, support by Carollo. Welcome to this special edition of CWEA’s winter magazine. Polyfluoroalkyl and Perfluoroalkyl compounds, or PFAS for short, are a family of chemical compounds with a’ persistence, ubiquity, and toxicity at very low levels that make them the leading contaminant challenge of our time. In 2020, the State...

For member Tony Pollak, the pandemic and sudden chlorine shortage that hit this spring have pushed his operations team to redouble their efforts. Tony is the Assistant Deputy Director of Operations for Western Municipal Water District in Riverside County. In late May, the District’s chlorine supplier informed them a west coast shortage would delay deliveries....

There are now 12 ELAP training webinar recordings available for viewing on the IAS website. Each webinar is approximately 1 ½ hours in length, including the Q&A following each session. There is no cost to view the webinars. View ELAP webinars IAS provides assessments for laboratories seeking to meet the California Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP)...

BREAKING NEWS – On Sept. 2nd, California’s Legislature passed the CASA supported wipes labeling laws and sent the bill (AB 818) to Governor Newsom’s desk. Stay tuned for updates! A preliminary class action lawsuit settlement between the Charleston Water System (Charleston, South Carolina) and wipes manufacturer Kimberly-Clark could affect any entity that owned and/or operated...

Since reopening campus at the University of California-San Diego last summer, university officials have relied on the tried-and-true public health strategies of testing and contact tracing. But they have also added a new tool to their arsenal: excrement. That tool alerted researchers to about 85% of cases in dorms before they were diagnosed, according to...

CWEA member in the news #membermonday. “We recycle (about) 100M gal of water a day and at least half of that goes to a spreading basin in LA County and percolates into our aquifer,” said Basil Hewitt, LACSD. Great @GOVERNING article about CA #waterreuse https://t.co/IGyM5ouyUw — CWEA (@cwea) August 9, 2021 CWEA Members Featured East...

View all of CWEA’s coverage of the wipes crisis > Congressman Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), today, joined with Congresswoman Lisa McClain (MI-10) to introduce bipartisan legislation to create a national standard for the labeling of non-flushable wet wipes. This common-sense standard would address the growing problem of these wipes being flushed into and creating obstructions in...

The  California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA), Central Valley Clean Water Agencies (CVCWA), California Water Environment Association (CWEA) and Southern California Alliance of Publicly Owned Treatment Works (SCAP) submitted comments to the Department of Water Resources regarding their Report to the Legislature on Indoor Residential Water Use Studies. At the outset, we recognize, appreciate, and...

Keep up-to-date on the situation on LA City San’s Hyperion Incident webpage. According to the page treatment plant operations and odors are returning to normal levels. Friday, 8/13 – LA City Sanitation & Environment releases a 30-day report to the AQMD and US EPA. The detailed report includes this heart-stopping moment by moment narrative of...

A team of researchers from California State University and the University of California are assessing the economic and environmental impacts of forthcoming water use efficiency standards (AB 1668-SB 606) on urban retail water suppliers. This assessment is funded by the State of California through a mutual agreement between the SWRCB and California State University. The...

Filanc carpenter Dion Jones was working on a new water storage tank in Lemoore when the tank suddenly exploded, rising 70′ in the air and sending 1.5 million gallons rushing out in all directions. Coworkers began CPR right away, unfortunately Mr. Jones passed away. A city water worker was also injured. Mr. Jones was an...

SCCWRP and its partners have developed an improved understanding of what contributes to sources of variability in methods for measuring COVID-19 virus levels in wastewater streams – key insights that can help water-quality managers use wastewater influent to track the prevalence of COVID-19 infections in communities. The SARS-CoV-2 measurement methods comparison study, completed in April,...

The study published in the journal Nature npj Clean Water reports water bodies influence by treated or untreated wastewater are likely not associated with the spread of COVID-19. The paper’s authors include distinguished Internal Water Association Fellow Dr. Charles Haas. From the paper’s summary…. The challenges posed by COVID-19 require many diverse fields of research...

From the academic research magazine Frontiers in the Built Environment… Research article by Dr. Thomas Dight and Dr. Michael Gormley, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK There is emerging evidence of the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via the sanitary plumbing wastewater system, a known transmission pathway of SARS-CoV-1. These events can no longer be dismissed as isolated cases, yet a lack...

Read our first article “The SLO Mystery: What Caused a Sudden Drop in Nitrification?” It’s a nightmare every wastewater operator fears – one day your secondary and nutrient removal processes are humming along and the bugs are happy. The next, the biomass is dying, ammonia levels begin rising, turbidity goes up and the process is...

Don’t miss the AC21 session, Improving your Utility’s Cybersecurity, Moving Past the Oldsmar Hack on Thursday, June 10. Register before April 23 to receive a $130 discount. What are a few important lessons of the Florida cyberattack and was there a similar TeamViewer attack at a California water facility? There are a few important lessons...

Healthy Davis Together wastewater monitoring operations, led by UC Davis researchers with support from the city’s Department of Public Works, has deployed newly arrived wastewater sampling equipment to 15 additional sample collection locations (nodes), expanding monitoring to more neighborhoods served by the city wastewater collection system. The virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) can be shed in...

In earlier days of the COVID-19 pandemic, before diagnostic testing was widely available, it was difficult for public health officials to keep track of the infection’s spread, or predict where outbreaks were likely to occur. Attempts to get ahead of the virus are still complicated by the fact that people can be infected and spread...

View all coronavirus stories > Updated 3/23/21 – Water/wastewater workers should use the business/industry “EMERGENCY SERVICES.” The “Water and Wastewater” sector on MyTurn is once again NOT WORKING to book appointments, so CDPH told us to select “Emergency Services” instead. On March 11th the California Department of Public Health announced water and wastewater workers are...

Announcement from the State Water Board ELAP office. This is a State Water Board sponsored training event, it is not organized by CWEA. ELAP and A2LA Workplace Training are excited to announce the 2016 TNI Quality System Documentation Workshop as part of ELAP’s compliance assistance initiative, the Roadmap to ELAP Accreditation. This training is designed to help laboratories implement the 2016 TNI Quality...

Stay up-to-date on water infrastructure cybersecurity by becoming a member of WaterISAC. Update 2/17/21 Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released their initial review of the incident. “On February 5, 2021, unidentified cyber actors obtained unauthorized access to the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system at a U.S. drinking water treatment facility. The unidentified actors...

State Water Board press release Public water systems throughout California are facing heightened financial challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, as about 1.6 million residential water customers, or 12% of all households, have been unable to pay their bills, according to the State Water Resources Control Board’s comprehensive survey. The results of the survey were presented...

Originally published in WEF’s Stormwater Report As the stormwater sector grows in complexity with new the rise of new contaminants, technologies, and practices, so too do stormwater management regulations. Because the regulatory landscape of the stormwater field tends to be more dynamic than other water management segments, it can be difficult for stormwater managers to...

This article is part of our water reuse coverage, supported by Hazen & Sawyer > The California state Water Board is beginning the development of Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) statewide regulations by assembling an Expert Panel as required by AB 574 (Quirk-2017). This panel is expected to assist the Water Board’s Division of Drinking Water...

Great news – on December 19th, State Water Board approved the DPR regulations. California water associations applaud new rules with a unified, one voice > We are living in a hotter, drier California. 2020 is on track to be one of the hottest on record. Seven of the ten most destructive wildfires in California’s history have burned in the last five years.  And, California has only recently...

From the International Water Services Flushability Group… Products that meet the IWSFG flushability specifications are unlikely to cause harm to wastewater conveyance systems or treatment plants.  The IWSFG flushability specifications are available for use by product manufacturers, governmental organizations, and other entities that want to determine if products that are flushed are safe for wastewater...

View all coronavirus articles here > Testing mixed liquor sludge can better detect COVID viral infection in communities Accurately identifying changes in community COVID-19 infections through wastewater surveillance is moving closer to reality. A new study, published in Environmental Science & Technology, identifies a method that not only detects the virus in wastewater samples but also...

The Water Sector Coordinating Council (WSCC) is urging U.S. water and wastewater utilities to coordinate with state and local health departments to ensure they are included in distribution plans for the COVID-19 vaccine. Today, WSCC, issued an open letter describing utility actions to increase the speed of receiving vaccine doses for water sector workers. Timely local...

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is once again extending its Emergency Residential Community Assistance Program, which is designed to help residential customers struggling to pay their water, sewer and Hetch Hetchy power bills during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program, which launched in May, was set to expire at the end of the year,...

British researchers look at the dangers of working around raw sewage. They find SARS-CoV-2 is unlikely to be spread by sewage. “Overall, we conclude that while virus particles contained in respiratory droplets are known to be highly infectious, evidence suggests that feces and urine probably contain low levels to no infectious particles. In comparison to...

Stanford researchers examined the best place to search for SARS-CoV-2 by examining raw wastewater effluent and settled primary sludge. Sludge appears to be the most efficient place to test for SARS-CoV-2 RNA strands for wastewater surveillance. “The primary settled solids samples resulted in higher SARS-CoV-2 detection frequencies than the corresponding influent samples. Likewise, SARS-CoV-2 RNA...

AquaVitas, an HHS contractor, will be conducting SARS-CoV-2 testing in wastewater treatment plants, and requests assistance in identifying utilities interested in participating.  This opportunity is open to all wastewater treatment plants, whether they are currently submitting wastewater samples or not. Priority will be given to treatment plants that serve large populations. AquaVitas plans to begin...

In recent years, PFAS has become a topic of public concern, particularly when found in water supplies. We in the water sector are also concerned about PFAS because protecting public health and the environment and increasing sustainability in our communities is our daily mission. The Water Environment Federation (WEF) and its members always prioritize science,...

 The CWEA-CASA free COVID-19 webinar series continues with an in-depth discussion from four prominent experts and moderated by CASA’s Greg Kester. Sponsored by GT Molecular Speakers and their topics include: Dr. Rose Kantor, with the University of California, Berkeley speaking on their project to conduct wastewater Based Epidemiology (WBE) for the San Francisco Bay...

Today, at the virtual 2020 WEFTEC conference, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the next step in EPA’s effort to help address workforce challenges that are facing America’s drinking water and wastewater utilities. The new America’s Water Sector Workforce Initiative outlines actions that the public and private sector are committing to that...

On August 25, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler launched an innovation challenge to identify solutions to destroy PFAS. The Innovative Ways to Destroy PFAS Challenge is a partnership between federal and state agencies seeking detailed plans for non-thermal technologies to destroy PFAS in concentrated aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), used in firefighting. This challenge...

Our COVID-19 webinars continued on August 27, 2020 with another deep dive into the emerging role of wastewater surveillance. Collecting samples from the sewershed and at the treatment plant can help communities track coronavirus and gain early-warning signs about potential community spread. We heard from leading state, national, and international experts about the latest research...

A panel of wastewater and public health experts has determined that occupational risk of COVID-19 infection for wastewater workers is low. The panel also found that standard wastewater treatment processes inactivate the virus and additional research should be conducted to further increase understanding of hazards and protections for personnel. WEF convened this blue-ribbon panel of...

View complete coverage of Coronavirus worker safety > From the CDC on Monday, August 17, 2020 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in collaboration with agencies throughout the federal government, are initiating the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) in response to the COVID-19...

By Paula Hansen and Artem Dyachenko East Bay Municipal Utility District Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) is a disinfection method that uses short-wavelength ultraviolet (UVC – approximately 254 nm) light to kill or inactivate microorganisms (e.g. bacteria, viruses, molds, and other pathogens). It destroys nucleic acids of the microorganisms and disrupts their DNA, leaving them unable...

View all coronavirus stories > WEF releases an updated and expanded version of “The Water Professional’s Guide to COVID-19” Authors: Rasha Maal-Bared, Naoko Munakata, Kyle Bibby, Kari Brisolara, Charles Gerba, Mark Sobsey, Scott Schaefer, Jay Swift, Lee Gary, Samendra Sherchan, Akin Babatola, Lola Olabode, Robert Reimers, Robert Bastian, and Albert Rubin  Primary Messages The research...

  View this post on Instagram   Wastewater Utility Manager Vince Ines shares, “Our dedicated employees at the wastewater treatment plant are trained for emergency events such as COVID-19 and are prepared to handle these situations”. Learn how you can do your part to protect vital infrastructure! #venturawater #cityofventura #stayventurastrong A post shared by Ventura...

Use alkalinity profiling in wastewater operations to control biological activity and optimize process control The Water Environment Federation’s new Operations Challenge laboratory event will determine alkalinity needs to facilitate nitrification. Operators will evaluate alkalinity and ammonia by analyzing a series of samples similar to those observed in water resource recovery facilities. This event will give operators...

  This article was produced and published by the Water Education Foundation as part of its Western Water news. The Foundation can be found at www.watereducation.org. Our thanks to WEF for permission to republish their article. By Gary Pitzer Water Education Foundation WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Lower flows damage equipment, concentrate waste and stink up neighborhoods;...

Cástulo Estrada grew up in the eastern end of the Coachella Valley – an area that had little if any water and wastewater infrastructure. Today, as a member of the Coachella Valley Water District board of directors, he’s proud of a special program bringing clean water infrastructure to disadvantaged communities in eastern Riverside County. Called the...

Coverage of asset management topics is supported by MentorAPM AN INTERVIEW WITH WATER EXPERT PAUL BROWN California’s wastewater systems were designed decades ago with flow rates predicted to be much higher than what we’re seeing today. Corrosion, odor, grit, nutrients and less water for reuse are all consequences of declining sewer flows. So now what? To...

It’s the new “abnormal” as Governor Jerry Brown calls it. Bigger and more intense fires have killed more people in California and destroyed more property than ever before. Even as the fires are put out, water professionals know there’s a new threat. Floods. Fires and floods happen so often throughout California’s history, some regions have...

The Senate voted on – and passed nearly unanimously by a vote of 99-1 – the biennial Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which include a number of major provisions that benefit drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure and policy. The conference report for the bill, known as America’s Water Infrastructure Act (S. 3021), was passed unanimously by...

The city founded to fight a sewer, finally gets its own sewer. Malibu was originally incorporated in 1991 in order to fight construction of an LACSD sewage treatment plant in the area. The residents succeeded in the 1990s and no sewage treatment plant was built and the city was incorporated. However, in 2009 the Regional...

From the State Water Board website… Water Recycling Funding Program Pilot Project Grant Requirements The Water Recycling Funding Program provides grants to assist public agencies with the construction of pilot projects for new potable reuse.  The applicant must demonstrate that the pilot project will develop new information that does not currently exist and increase the...

Two collection system leaders discuss the importance of certification and the role training and technology have in the massive reduction in Sanitary Sewer Overflows. Daryl Lauer is the Collections Superintendent for Carmel Area Wastewater District the Chair of CWEA’s Collection Systems Committee. Ken Merkle is the Senior Collection Systems Supervisor for the City of Stockton...

Support for CWEA’s coverage of wipes comes from Aqualitec. This case study was written by the sponsor.  It was the 1970’s. Fat neckties, leisure suits, and wide collars abounded, and pensioners flocked in droves to escape harsh Midwestern weather in favor of Arizona’s mild winter climate. Sun City grew like wildfire, and its infrastructure soon caught...

BY TOM ABATE AND ANDY MYERS A new wastewater treatment plant under construction in Redwood Shores will be the largest to test Stanford-developed technology that significantly reduces the cost of cleaning water. The key: bacteria that eschew oxygen while producing burnable methane. Billions of years ago, when Earth’s atmosphere reeked of unbreathable gases, microbes evolved...

AUTHORS Arvind Akela, Senior Engineer, Silicon Valley Clean Water Chuck Fenton, Operations Consultant, Silicon Valley Clean Water Allan Lacson, Customer Relationship Manager, PG&E OTHER CONTRIBUTORS Kevin Johnson, Senior Program Engineer, PG&E Dan Thomas, Technical Sales Support Specialist, PG&E Mike Tooley, CEO, MISCOWater Dwight Craig, MISCOWater Marcel Huijboom, INVENT For questions regarding PG&E’s Energy Efficiency Programs,...

Legislation co-sponsored by Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) that would improve resources for failing water systems now awaits the signature of Gov. Jerry Brown after gaining widespread support from both houses of California’s legislature. Assembly Bill 2050 – the Small System Water Authority Act of 2018, which is authored by Assemblywoman Anna Caballero (D-Salinas) –...

The United States Bureau of Reclamation recently announced its selection of sixteen research projects to receive funding under the Desalination and Water Purification Research Program (DWPR), two of which will be conducted in part by Orange County Water District’s (OCWD) research and development staff. Of the $3.5 million that the DWPR awarded, $350,000 will go...

Moulton Niguel Water District is celebrating its 50th year of operating one of the state’s most successful water recycling programs, which reuses more than 2 billion gallons of water every year. As one of the first agencies to use recycled water in Orange County in the early 1960s, Moulton Niguel Water District now provides recycled water...

According to Patrick Dube, Biosolids Program Manager for WEF, “Looking to learn more about greenhouse gas emissions from composting? You’re in luck as our GHG Subcommittee just released an awesome fact sheet on that topic! Check it out under the biosolids tab on our publications page!” Download the fact sheet here > “Breakdown of Organic...

 The California Water Commission (Commission) recently announced that Regional San will receive $280.5 million—the maximum requested funding amount—in Proposition 1 grant funding to help make the South County Ag Program a reality for the Sacramento region. The South County Ag Program will deliver highly treated recycled water for agricultural irrigation in the southern portion...

Sponsored post Trihedral expands in response to 45% sales growth over two years The last two years have been an exciting time at Trihedral. New offices in Texas and Alabama, an expanded sales force, and a series of industry recognitions (see below) have helped to boost VTScada software sales 45%. In North America alone, over...

Cool new video from LA Sanitation featuring: City of Los Angeles 2025 local water goal – One Water Los Angeles Donald C Tillman Water Reclamation Plant Advanced Water Purification demonstration project Ozone treatment option that was chosen LA Groundwater Replenishment project Featuring interviews with LABS Past President Bryan Trussell and member Wendy Broley.

2018 Environmental Communications Awards Competition Winner The Sanitation Districts have a legacy of cost-effectively converting waste into resources such as recycled water, renewable energy, and recycled materials. Southern California’s complex jurisdictional boundaries have allowed this service to occur largely unnoticed for the past 95 years. However, the recent need to invest in aging infrastructure identified...

Leading biosolids and organics solutions provider, Lystek International Ltd. (Lystek), is pleased to announce that it has been awarded multi-year, multi-million dollar contracts by the both the City of Benicia (Benicia) and the City of Palo Alto (Palo Alto) for Biosolids Management. The two agreements will see Lystek accept biosolids generated in both cities, converting them into LysteGro®,...

Advancing the cause of sustainability, Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) and Macquarie Capital today announced completion of the nation’s largest energy storage system being used for on-site power – a 2.5 MW/15MWh installation now powering the District’s largest water recycling plant. The award-winning behind-the-meter battery system at IRWD’s Michelson Water Recycling Plant is the centerpiece...

Introduction  East Bay Dischargers Authority (EBDA) is a joint powers agency consisting of five local agencies including Oro Loma Sanitary District, Union Sanitary District, City of San Leandro, City of Hayward and the Castro Valley Sanitary District. EBDA conveys treated wastewater from its member agencies together with treated wastewater from Livermore-Amador Valley Water Management Agency (LAVWMA),...

The purpose of this standard is to define the critical requirements for the effective operation and management of a DPR water program. ISBN: 9781613004739 Publisher: AWWA Publication date: 2018 AWWA catalog no: STG_0086771 Media Type: PDF Number of pages: 14 DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.12999/AWWA.G485.18 Agency reviewers include: J.D. Brown, Contra Costa Water District, Concord, Calif. S. Deshmukh, West Basin Municipal Water District, Carson, Calif....

Coverage of the wipes issue is supported by Aqualitec. Press release from INDA… INDA and EDANA, the leading global trade associations representing consumer wipes manufacturers and supply chains, announce publication of an update to their strict guidelines for labeling of non-flushable wipes and for assessing the flushability of disposable nonwoven wipes. New Labeling Guidance for Non-Flushables...

CWEA member Albert Lau from Padre Dam Water District explains how pure, recycled water from their Advanced Water Purification ceter was used to brew a one-of-a-kind batch of Ballast Point beer. “The brewing process is very similar to the water treatment process.”

Press release from NASSCO… The University of Texas at Arlington Research Team Found Existing Literature on Chemical Emissions of Styrenated CIPP Non-conclusive A four-month study on the review of published literature pertaining to chemical emissions of styrene-based resin used in the cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) process found that existing studies do not adequately capture worker exposures...

Water and wastewater utilities have emergency plans for floods, leaks, spills, earthquakes, personnel rescue and terror threats.  But what about wild fires that damage or destroy not only your infrastructure but whole swaths of the community itself?  That was the situation in Santa Rosa following the devastating Tubbs fire last October.    Santa Rosa’s director of...

Recently the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board announced that the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) and five East Bay communities will be assessed $389,300 in penalties for violating the terms of a 2014 settlement designed to prevent untreated sewage from entering San Francisco Bay. “East...

Coverage of the wipes issue is supported by Aqualitec. Ten years have passed since the fierce battle began to wipe out sewer clogging wipes. How close are we to a solution? Sadly, not close. Mainstream wet wipes were introduced in the early 2000s for cleaning and as a “flushable” wipe. They’ve become a major challenge...

At this year’s Annual Conference in San Diego a room packed with wastewater professionals listened intently as a panel of experts provided updates on wipes, rags, pills and other debris getting flushed down the toilet. What’s being done to bring this nightmare to an end? The panel of experts agreed we saw some major breakthroughs...

Support for coverage of safety issues in provided by ehs  According to a Purdue Engineering Department study released last month there are potentially volatile organic compounds and other toxic gasses in the steam venting from the cured-in-place-pipe process. Are workers and the public safe? From Purdue’s news release:  New research is calling for immediate safeguards...

From Scientific American and Environmental Health News… “A DDT deposit in the ocean off Los Angeles County has rapidly shrunk, shocking experts and casting doubt on the need to mount a controversial $60-million Superfund cleanup, according to new data. What has happened to the DDT off Palos Verdes Peninsula is, for now, a scientific mystery....