Rick Justice faced his first significant challenge just three weeks into his new role as Public Works Operations Manager for the City of Los Banos. A local company’s private sewer lift station malfunctioned, causing sewage to overflow into their parking lot and into the storm drain. In his previous position as the program manager for...

  During AC24’s School of Solids, CWEA members will be given a unique opportunity to spend the day at an operating wastewater treatment and resource recovery facility. The day will focus on understanding how biosolids are managed, the technologies used to treat the biosolids, and how to operate and maintain those technologies and supporting equipment....

  The CWEA Annual Conference in 2024 will bring together wastewater industry experts to discuss the latest innovations and emerging technologies in wastewater maintenance. One of the key topics of discussion will be the various methods for treating and disposing of biosolids, also known as sewage sludge. The focus will be on exploring newer and...

Blog post by The Climate Registry With the effects of climate change being felt all over the world, and California in the midst of another severe drought, we thought we would share more about our initiative to address the important connection between our warming planet and the water we all need to survive: The Water-Energy...

Roseville recently celebrated the completion of a $110 million expansion project at the regional Pleasant Grove Wastewater Treatment Plant after more than three years of work. The expansion, officially opened in September, has increased treatment capacity from 9.5 million gallons per day to 12 million, making it better equipped to meet the region’s growing wastewater...

The Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District’s (EVMWD) Horsethief Canyon Water Reclamation Facility (HTCWRF) in Lake Elsinore, California supplies secondary treatment for wastewater flows from developments in the northern portion of its service area. At 0.5 million gallons per day (mgd) of average flow, the HTCWRF had effectively reached its current design capacity. Additionally, a portion...

How did a 12 MGD facility beat out huge treatment plants around the world for Project of the Year?  By digesting food waste diverted from landfills and creating a carbon-negative operation. It takes something pretty amazing to impress the water industry experts who nominate and vote in the Global Water Awards. This year’s wastewater project...

The Town of Windsor has received a technical assistance grant from the federal Department of Energy (DOE) to further evaluate the risks and benefits of a project that would convert the Town’s wastewater sludge (biosolids) into high-performance, consumer ready fertilizer and soil amendment, cut Windsor’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and help stabilize future impacts to...

NapaSan and NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, have signed an agreement for the construction and installation of a new Mainspring Linear Generator. The linear generator will run on biofuel produced at NapaSan’s wastewater treatment plant, providing renewable energy to power the plant while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Under the agreement, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy...

Unique to its Southern California neighbors, the City of Ventura is one of the largest regional cities to rely solely on local water supplies. Currently, the city receives water from three sources — Lake Casitas, Ventura River, and groundwater basins. However, like most of California, local water sources have been impacted by decades of drought...

As California has struggled with drought, Governor Gavin Newsom’s fundamental solution: find more water by diversifying the state’s public water supply. Because of the proximity of the Pacific Ocean, one of the most frequently mentioned sources is seawater desalination. A few communities are trying it, despite environmental concerns. But another potential source gets less public...

Join this session at AC23 in San Diego, April 18-21 Mike Falk, PE, and Jimmy Dang, PE, will present a paper at the Annual Conference on an innovative sidestream process demonstrated at the Oro Loma Sanitary District, where Dang is the general manager. The process removes ammonia using Microvi’s MNE technology, a new process that employs synthetic composites called...

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...

CalRecycle has awarded Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority (VVWRA) a nearly $4 million dollar grant for a new co-digestion and renewable natural gas project. The project will increase the amount of food waste treated at VVWRA while also increasing the amount of renewable natural gas (RNG) produced. The VVWRA project will include the installation of...

The San Luis Obispo Water Resource Recovery Facility (SLO WRRF), with research partners from the State University of New York and the SURE! program of California Polytechnic State University, recently accepted the California Association of Sanitary Agencies’ (CASA) award for Excellence in Innovation & Resiliency. The award was given to the SLO WRRF and partners for...

City of Redding Stillwater Wastewater Treatment Facility Population served:  29,000 Built 1992 / Major expansion 2014 Flow rates Average dry weather flow: 4 million gallons per day (MGD) Peak flow: 14.4 MGD TREATMENT PROCESS Conventional activated sludge Liquid treatment Screening; activated sludge treatment with secondary clarification, filtration, and chlorination/de-chlorination. Tertiary treatment by traveling bridge sand...

As municipalities across California pass organic waste diversion ordinances required by Senate Bill 1383, the Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority’s (VVWRA) facility in Victorville recently commissioned a first-of-its-kind resource recovery natural gas facility. Though the project was conceived before SB 1383 requirements were outlined, this cutting-edge approach demonstrates a progressive way to manage landfill-diverted organic...

The City of Santa Monica has taken a significant step toward a self-reliant water future as expansions to the Arcadia Water Treatment Plant (WTP) and restorations to the Olympic Well Field break ground. The key water infrastructure improvements are a component of the City’s goal of becoming water self-sufficient by 2023. Santa Monica’s water system...

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) recently announced it must reduce the State Water Project allocation to 5 percent of requested supplies for 2022. DWR previously set the allocation at 15 percent but a historically dry January and February, with no significant storms forecast for March, requires a reduction in the allocation to conserve available...

  Late this summer, the water features in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, as well as the irrigation systems at the nearby Lincoln Park golf course, will begin using recycled water from the Westside Enhanced Water Recycling Project located at the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant on The Great Highway.  The new $214 million plant will...

The mission of the US Environmental Protection Agency is to protect human health and the environment. An excellent example of an EPA program that achieves this goal is the Clean Water Act’s National Pretreatment Program. Established in the 1980s, Federal Pretreatment Requirements were established to prevent harmful industrial pollutants from being discharged into municipal wastewater...

In 2010, the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (Regional San) faced a daunting task—upgrading its wastewater treatment process to tertiary to meet new National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements. That meant removing nearly all ammonia and nitrates from more than 100 millions of gallons of wastewater received every day. To meet the requirements,...

When an ad for San Diego tourism comes on, you’re guaranteed to see clips of people running on one of their world-famous beaches. Clips of people riding surfboards, paddling around in the Bay or a slow camera pan of sun-kissed water and a sandy beach. San Diego is a water wonderland, with “70 miles of...

The East Bay Municipal Utility District’s (EBMUD) Main Wastewater Treatment Plant in Oakland, California, can operate at net-zero energy due to its anaerobic digestion of blended sludge. However, treating blending sludge comes with its challenges. Blended sludge (BSL) at EBMUD consists of high-strength and organic waste received from trucks. This organic waste generally consists of...

By Roni Ghelke, CWEA Clean Water The year was 2014 and the general public was just beginning to take notice of the severity of California’s latest drought. After years of lackluster rainfall across the Golden State, reservoirs were half empty, leaving resource managers desperately seeking ways to save water. One water resource recovery facility in...

  Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan joined Silicon Valley Clean Water Commission Chair Alicia Aguirre, Oro Loma Board President Rita Duncan, and other local officials to announce Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans totaling $168 million for water system upgrades in Redwood City and Alameda County, California. “Investing...

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...

The Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District is excited to announce a significant milestone in its multi-year, $64 million Secondary Treatment Plant Upgrade and Recycled Water Expansion Project. Phase 1 of the project has been completed as of this week. A key element of Phase 1 is the expansion of the plant’s recycled water facility, to...

Objectives SB 1383, signed into law in September 2016, requires a 40% reduction in methane emissions in California by 2030 below the levels emitted in 2013. In order to achieve the methane emission reductions, the legislation further requires a 75% diversion of organics (including biosolids) from landfills by 2025, using 2014 levels as the baseline....

Many wastewater plants in California are being besieged with issues which have put stresses on a once traditional industry sector. The days of treating water with proven methods in a fairly stable and static environment are long gone and may never return again. The economic crises of the last decade caused a shuttering of businesses...

Read our second story, a Q&A with HDR experts on QACs. Last September, nitrification came to a sudden halt at the Water Resource Recovery Facility in San Luis Obispo. While plant staff has come up with a couple of potential solutions, and the plant is nitrifying again, the real cause and cure remain somewhat of...

From the State Water Board… The National Water Research Institute (NWRI) convened a panel of experts to provide recommendations on enhanced industrial source control for DPR. The Expert Panel has submitted their recommendations to the State Water Board in March 2020. Their report is available to download here: Download the report Enhanced Source Control Recommendations...

Announcement from the State Water Board… NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the State Water Board will accept public comment on the Addendum to A Proposed Framework for Regulating Direct Potable Reuse in California, 2nd Edition (Framework). The State Water Board will provide an opportunity for the public to present oral comments at a public workshop....

Construction of Escondido’s $65 million Membrane Filtration Reverse Osmosis Facility for Agriculture (MFRO Facility) commenced recently, marking a milestone in the City’s goal of providing agriculture growers a high-quality irrigation supply and easing the burden on its wastewater infrastructure. The MFRO Facility will treat a portion of the City’s existing Title 22 recycled water supply...

The Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (Regional San) has completed a project that provides one million gallons of recycled water per day to the Sacramento Power Authority Cogeneration Plant located in south Sacramento. The recycled water is being used at the cogeneration plant’s cooling tower and replaces the use of potable water—protecting this valuable resource. The potable water saved equates...

Converting Waste to Resource The Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant (HWRP), located in Playa Del Rey, CA, is one of the largest reclamation plants in the nation, treating an average of 260 million gallons per day (MGD) to full secondary standards. HWRP currently treats 82 percent of Los Angeles’ wastewater and discharges most of its effluent...

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...

This article is part of our water reuse coverage, supported by Hazen & Sawyer > Public water supplies in California come from groundwater and surface water in a wide range of locations and with characteristics that reflect the geographical diversity of the state. Factors such as population growth and extended droughts are stressing these supplies....

Southern California took a major step forward today on the path to developing a new sustainable water source from purified wastewater as Metropolitan Water District’s Board of Directors voted to begin environmental planning work on what would be one of the largest advanced water treatment plants in the world. The approval marks a significant milestone...

Orange County Sanitation District’s new temperature-phased anaerobic digestion system to secure reliable biosolids management for the next 50 years The Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) has engaged a team of Brown and Caldwell and Black & Veatch to deliver professional design services for a new temperature-phased anaerobic digestion (TPAD) facility at its Plant No. 2...

Anaergia, Inc. is pleased to announce the successful issuing of bonds, as part of the funding of its Rialto Bioenergy Facility (RBF). A total of $117 million of tax exempt bonds were issued by the California Pollution Control Financing Authority for the RBF. This is a substantial portion of the $160 million of total capital...

Albert Robles Center (ARC) for Water Recycling and Environmental Learning has been awarded LEED Platinum Certification, the highest rating offered to environmentally sustainable buildings. Only 5.7 percent of LEED projects in the United States have achieved this distinguished designation. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program rates the environmental sustainability of projects based on...

  Hear from the CWEA Engineering and Research award winners on their projects that won first place this year. Engineering Achievement of the Year: City of Paso Robles Wastewater Treatment Plant “Tertiary Treatment Facilities Project and Nutrient Harvesting System” In 2019, the City of Paso Robles completed two projects at its wastewater treatment plant. One...

Regional San’s landmark recycled water program—previously known as the South County Ag Program—has been rebranded. Now known as Harvest Water, the program will be one of the largest water recycling projects in California and will deliver up to 50,000-acre feet per year of tertiary-treated recycled water to an estimated 16,000 acres of farm and habitat...

Wastewater monitoring for COVID-19 and other pathogens is an efficient and highly scalable way to monitor populations for the prevalence of infections. It provides a rapid and direct measure of the level of infection throughout a population at risk, without the logistical barriers of conventional testing. Most current protocols use laborious viral-precipitation methods that make...

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) has funded 12 new Research Priority Program projects with a total funding amount of $2,125,000. This research allocation will be significantly leveraged with partnership funding and in-kind support. Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for these projects will be released in August 2020. The Research Priority Program is WRF’s largest strategic research program, addressing...

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $196 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to the Inland Empire Utilities Agency in San Bernardino County, California. The loan will help finance expanded wastewater treatment capacity to support public health and the environment in this growing community. “Through WIFIA, EPA is playing...

Note: this is a first part of a series on the City of Pasadena’s Tri-City treatment plant and the CSWA.  Part I provides the background on how the plant was developed.  Part II will provide information on the CSWA conference tours, the plant-of-the-year award, and  technical presentations related to the Tri-City treatment plant. The history...

The East County Advanced Water Purification (AWP) Joint Powers Authority (JPA) Board of Directors unanimously approved water and wastewater service agreements this week, moving this significant drinking water project one-step closer to reality. These water and wastewater agreements are critical to the JPA’s eligibility for key Program financing opportunities. Water purchase agreements were approved between...

The Water Research Foundation convened the International Water Research Summit on Environmental Surveillance of COVID-19 Indicators in Sewersheds in response to the overwhelming need for information regarding the distribution and prevalence of COVID-19. The global water sector has mobilized to investigate the use of wastewater surveillance of the genetic signal of SARS CoV-2 as an...

Press release from NYU… SARS-CoV-2, the virus the causes COVID-19, is an enveloped virus in the coronavirus family that has been found to replicate in the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. While primary transmission of coronaviruses is through respiratory droplets, questions have been raised in the water and wastewater sector about persistence and disinfection of viruses...

Our series of deep dives into the coronavirus pandemic continues with a close-up look at wastewater surveillance as a public health tool. These webinars are FREE for water and wastewater professionals. This webinar will cover the following topics: CDC wastewater based epidemiology efforts, coordination, and research (aka wastewater surveillance) Overview of the EPA’s Office of...

Two presentations: Understanding Compliance Inspection using the 6Ps Model for PCI Audits by Miguel Rodas, City of LA, LA Sanitation & Environment The 6Ps model serves as a navigational tool for LASAN’s inspectors and stands for products, processes, pollutants, pretreatment system (PTS), parameters, and plan of the shop.LASAN’s Industrial Waste Management Division (IWMD) has developed...

With hundreds of scientific papers about the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) released every month, several Italian researchers decided to take a step back and examine 3,600 studies on the fate of the coronavirus in water and wastewater. The review of studies was published in the International Water Association’s Water Research journal. While there are a few studies...

According to a new study posted by the CDC… Isolation of infectious SARS-CoV-2 in feces indicates the possibility of fecal–oral transmission or fecal–respiratory transmission through aerosolized feces. During the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome pandemic, 329 residents of a private housing estate in Hong Kong were infected; 42 died (10). Investigation of the building’s structure...

Coverage of biosolids and co-digestion supported by Anaergia Construction Underway at California’s Sterling Natural Resource Center, Incorporating Fibracast’s Advanced Membranes and Anaergia’s Anaerobic Digestion System Anaergia Inc. and its sister company Fibracast Ltd. are pleased to announce that they have been added to the team selected for the construction of the Sterling Natural Resource Center (SNRC)...

Shawn McCarty and his sixth-grade students from Hoover Elementary in Stockton, Calif., gathered on a video conference Friday afternoon thinking they would be helping Principal Dr. Charleen Mah pilot a new distance-learning model. Instead, McCarty and his students learned that their project on recycling and water collection won first place in the 2020 Cal Water...

  West County Wastewater and EBMUD (East Bay Municipal Utility District) announced a recycled water partnership that will preserve valuable drinking water for the region and support West County Wastewater’s ongoing mission of environmental stewardship and protecting public health. Under an existing agreement, West County Wastewater sends the majority of its treated secondary wastewater to...

Wastewater epidemiology has been used for decades to track the presence of infectious diseases such as polio in communities. It has also been used to aid in the response to the opioid epidemic. Currently, it has gained a role in guiding state and local public health responses to COVID-19 outbreaks. This webcast introduces wastewater epidemiology...

From the Australian Water-Wastewater Association… What is Coronavirus (CoV)? Coronaviruses are a large and diverse family of envelopedi RNAii viruses. These lipid-enveloped CoV viruses are generally considered more fragile than other viruses (both environmentally, and to disinfection), however are known to cause illness of variable severity in humans, including the common cold, severe acute respiratory...

Coverage of biosolids and co-digestion supported by Anaergia We talked with Greg Kester, CASA’s Director of Renewable Resource Programs, about State mandates to recover high-strength organics and biosolids and divert them from landfills. Despite the challenges and long list of regulators, Greg is hopeful we’re entering a brave new world where wastewater treatment plants are...

By Brett Faulkner(1), Thomas Welche(2)  1 Trussell Technologies, Inc., 380 Stevens Ave, Suite 212, Solana Beach, CA 92075; e–mail: [email protected]  2City of Santa Barbara, 520 East Yanonali, Santa Barbara, CA, 93103; e–mail: [email protected]  Introduction:  The City of Santa Barbara (City) owns and operates the El Estero Water Resource Center (EEWRC). EEWRC treats approximately 6 million gallons per day (MGD) of domestic wastewater with secondary effluent either receiving tertiary treatment to...

By Miguel Rodas, Environmental Compliance Inspector, City of Los Angeles Sanitation & Environment         The article “Understanding Compliance Inspection Using the 6Ps Model” in the July 2018 issue of “Clean Water” magazine published by California Water Environment Association (CWEA) we stated that the 6Ps model serves as a navigational tool not only...

Coverage of biosolids and co-digestion supported by Anaergia Already a leader in co-digestion of organic food wastes and FOG, the Central Marin Sanitation Agency (CMSA) is launching a new study to determine optimum feed rates of organic wastes to its anaerobic digesters. “The generally understood ratio of FOG to wastewater solids is around 30 to...

CWEA’s fourth free COVID-19 in CA webinar From April 30, 2020 The experts tell us the coronavirus is here to stay. How do water reuse and wastewater professionals fine tune their treatment processes to better deactivate/remove virus to protect themselves and their community? Is there even infectious virus in wastewater? Three experts in wastewater disinfection...

View CWEA’s round-up of Coronavirus (COVID-19) worker safety information here > From the paper’s April 1, 2020 abstract. Note the researchers looked at nine patients in total. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory tract infection that emerged in late 20191,2. Initial outbreaks in China involved 13.8% cases with severe, and 6.1% with critical...

MentorAPM is our Asset Management topic sponsor. View additional stories > View the recorded webinar > Kicking Asset Management™ Webinar Series Based on our popular e-book, Asset Management Playbook for Utilities, the MentorAPM Kicking Asset Management™ webinar series teaches the fundamentals of building a successful asset management program. The first webinar delivered an Overview of...

View CWEA’s round-up of Coronavirus (COVID-19) worker safety information here > From George Hawkins, President of Moonshot Missions and the former General Manager of DC Water… Water and wastewater services are essential to deliver clean drinking water and ensure safe waterways during the response to the Coronavirus. Water utilities are committed to providing these services,...

Example of an Emergency Plan from the City of Modesto a medium-size Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) showing their specific example written in response to COVID-19 and useful for what they are doing with safety and operations. BACKGROUND: Since the outbreak of the worldwide novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Stanislaus County Public Health Agency and the...

From the San Jose Mercury News… The employee is a janitor working as part of a contract company. The massive plant, located in Alviso, has 17 employees in self-quarantine as a result and is running at about 70% staffing. “The staff is continuing with business as usual, although at a lower head count,” said Kerrie...

Today, at an event at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters in Washington, D.C., EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, and U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhard joined federal, state, tribal, local and water sector partners to announce the National Water Reuse Action Plan: Collaborative Implementation (Version 1). The actions that EPA and its...

Systems approaching viability in field tests of Duke-led Gates Foundation “Reinvent the Toilet” project By Ken Kingery DUKE Pratt School of Engineering As legend has it, when French workers felt their livelihoods threatened by automation in the early 1900s, they flung their wooden shoes called sabots into the machines to stop them. Hence the word...

Coverage of asset management stories are support by MentorAPM The Key to Transforming Utility Performance Water and wastewater utilities across the country are under enormous pressure today. In 2017, the Infrastructure Report Card assigned our nation’s wastewater systems a grade of D+, reflecting decades of insufficient investment to keep up with growth and expansion. It...

A letter from Radhika Fox, Chief Executive Officer, US Water Alliance Dear Colleagues, At the US Water Alliance, we believe anyone can be a One Water leader — and in fact, everyone must be a One Water leader in order to secure our nation’s water future. That is why we are excited to release a new report, One Water Change...

AC20 HOT TOPIC PREVIEW THURSDAY TRACK: CONVENTIONAL NUTRIENT REMOVAL The Tahoe-Truckee Sanitation Agency’s water reclamation plant in the Martis Valley east of Truckee is using treatment process simulation software to better understand the liquid and solid phases of its process train and prepare more adequately for the future. “Older, more conventional methods of calculating influent...

From Water Reuse California… WateReuse California and the National Water Research Institute released a guidance document for developing a standard operating procedure for bioanalytical testing for potable reuse. View Guidance Document NWRI facilitates the Bioanalytical Implementation Advisory Group (BIAG), which is working with staff from the California State Water Resources Control Board to develop standard operating procedures for...

From WateReuse… Reclamation Awards $1.6 Million for Water Reuse Research The Bureau of Reclamation announced that it has awarded $1.6 million to four WateReuse Association members to fund Title XVI water reclamation and reuse research studies. When non-federal cost-share contributions are included, these studies will accomplish more than $7.6 million in water reuse research. The...

Coverage of biosolids and co-digestion supported by Anaergia Using digester biogas for co-generation is a growing feature of many California water resource recovery facilities. Fats, oil & grease (FOG) added to digesters super-charge the digestion process, boost biogas and increases the production of clean, green energy. That’s the theory. We talked with four California facilities...

Coverage of biosolids and co-digestion supported by Anaergia From the Petaluma360.com news website… It is said you can learn a lot about a person by looking at their garbage. Turns out, you can learn just as much about the character of Petaluma by looking at its sewage — or, thankfully, at the facility that processes...

From USC news service A team led by USC Viterbi’s Adam Smith has found that purified water returned to Southern California aquifers often becomes contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, a realization that could have major implications on the global water supply. By Avni Shah Wastewater recycling offers a variety of environmental benefits but also a big...

Article by UC Riverside… Get over it? When it comes to recycled water, consumers won’t UC Riverside study shows that, while people can come to appreciate recycled water’s benefits, they still don’t want to use it By J.D. WARREN, Director, News & Information, UC Riverside  If people are educated on recycled water, they may come...

This content is available only for CWEA members. Click here to login. In the summer 2018 issue of the Clean Water1 CWEA magazine, we introduced the 6Ps model system (Products, Processes, Pollutants, Pretreatment system, Parameters, and Plan of the shop) for facility inspections. Each “P” is an integral piece affecting the other Ps. In other...

The Orange County Water District (OCWD) and Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) celebrated the Final Expansion of the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by elected officials, project stakeholders and industry professionals. The Final Expansion of the GWRS is the third and final phase of the project. The GWRS first began operating...

News release from Lystek-Fairfield… As further validation of the market leading biosolids and organics management services being provided to municipal agencies in the San Francisco Bay area, Lystek International Ltd. (Lystek) is excited to announce that it has reached a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District (VFWD) to manage a portion of...

Story by HDR, click here for original post…. “Honesty, Integrity and Respect” for Environment, Community The new Orange County Sanitation District Headquarters Complex at Plant 1 is designed to illustrate OCSD’s core values of “honesty, integrity and respect for interactions between employees, the greater public and community.” Working closely with OCSD, our HDR team developed a...

The Safe, Clean Water Program (SCW Program) is excited to announce the Fiscal Year 2020-21 and 2021-22 Regional call for projects. Fifty percent of the annual Special Parcel Tax revenue will be allocated to regional watershed-based Projects, Project concepts and Scientific Studies as described below. Definitions for all capitalized terms can be found here. Eligible Projects...

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is the third-largest municipal utility in California, serving 2.7 million people. Director of Water Resources, Paula Kehoe, explains why the commission is encouraging decentralised approaches to help solve the city’s water challenges. Follow our journey at www.braveblue.world, Instagram @brave_blue_world, twitter: @bravebluewrld, LinkedIn: Brave Blue World Foundation

Video interview by Water World magazine. Black & Veatch’s Lynne Moss discusses the relationship between PFAS substances and biosolids.    

Anaergia Inc. and its sister company Fibracast Ltd. are pleased to announce that they have been added to the team selected for the construction of the Sterling Natural Resource Center (SNRC) in the East Valley Water District. SNRC, being built in Highland, California, will be a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility. It will recover clean water,...

On July 18, 2019, Ms. Azya Jackson of City of Los Angeles – LA Sanitation & Environment presented the One Water LA 2040 Plan to a LABS dinner meeting group of 45-people in Downtown LA. The One Water LA 2040 Plan (Plan) takes a holistic and collaborative approach to consider all of the City’s water...

Reprinted with permission from Woodard & Curran If a water reclamation facility goes off-line, it is a major problem. Yet there are certain major maintenance operations that can’t be done while the process is running normally. So, what gives when this particular irresistible force meets this immovable object? You have to get creative. The City...

At the 34th Annual WateReuse Symposium in San Diego, California, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of a draft National Water Reuse Action Plan that identifies priority actions and the leadership and collaboration that is needed between governmental and nongovernmental organizations to implement these actions. Water reuse represents a major opportunity to support our nation’s...

Upcoming training opportunity – CWEA’s free skills building webinar 10/17 at 11am – The Phishing Epedemic w/ David Malm, Deputy Manager of IT for IEUA Make Yourself Accountable for Your Utility’s Cybersecurity The theme for this year’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) is “Own IT. Secure IT. Protect IT,” which was selected, in part, to...

In the mid-1920’s, with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California just forming and the Colorado River water supply not yet secured, the LADWP recognized that its water supplies would be outstripped by the rapid growth and development of Los Angeles. In late 1929, because of the forecast water demands, LADWP officials decided to pursue...

The Orange County Water District (OCWD; the District) Board of Directors voted to award the contract to construct the 30 million gallon per day (MGD) Final Expansion of the world-renowned Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) to Shimmick Construction Company, Inc. The overall project cost is $310 million with the construction portion being approximately $200 million. The...

WaterISAC relies on you to share information on incidents you’ve experienced to help identify threats and trends. This contributes to a more secure water sector. WaterISAC urges utilities and others sector stakeholders to report incidents and suspicious activity to our analysts. Reporting incidents and suspicious activity helps strengthen sector resilience, because it allows WaterISAC to...

Each year the WEFTEC Program Committee selects the highest-rated abstract in the Municipal Track to receive the Martha Hahn Memorial Recognition. This award recognizes those who advance knowledge, the dissemination of information, and continual experimentation and growth. For 2018, this award went to the presentation, “Full Scale and Demonstration-Scale Primary Filtration Projects Show Great Promise.”...

The forward-thinking initiatives of 43 water utilities are being recognized as they reimagine partnering and engagement, watershed stewardship, and recovery of resources such as water, energy, and nutrients. Two new CA agencies have been added to the list. The Utility of the Future Today recognition celebrates the achievements of water utilities that transform from the...

The City of Los Angeles has completed the One Water LA 2040 Plan. A roadmap connecting plans, ideas, and people to arrive at better and more fiscally-responsible water planning solutions.    Meaning of One Water   The One Water LA Plan takes a holistic and collaborative approach to consider all water resources from surface water, ground water, potable water, wastewater, recycled...

BACKGROUND WEF Fact Sheet on Land Application and Composting of Biosolids (2010) CASA Biosolids Fact Sheet (2015) CASA Biosolids Fact Sheet – Spanish (2015) US Biosolids Program and 40 CFR Part 503  (2019) Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents (2017) Thermal Oxidation Fact Sheet (2014) Drying of Wastewater Solids (2014) Enabling the Future:  Advancing...

Silicon Valley Clean Water Regional Environmental Sewer Conveyance Upgrade Program By Janet McGovern When employees go to work three years from now in a new pre-treatment facility that is being built at the wastewater treatment plant in Redwood Shores, it will actually be a case of déjà vu all over again, thanks to an innovative...

Tesco Controls, a leading North American control system solutions provider for the water/wastewater industry, today announced that it has acquired Trimax Systems for an undisclosed sum. TRIMAX is a Southern California-based systems integrator serving the water/wastewater market; and is also a leader in the utility, solar and renewable environmental energy industries. Opportunities for Expansion The...

The City of Palo Alto celebrated the opening of its $30 million sewage sludge processing  facility funded by State Water Board loans and designed to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, eliminate a hazardous waste stream and reduce energy costs. The Sludge Dewatering and Loadout Facility project, which is part of the City’s Regional Water Quality...

From LIFT’s featured facilities page… What technologies are you interested in investigating? Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW) has been investigating all aspects of wastewater resource recovery for a while now. Currently SVCW is investigating SAF-MBR for low cost wastewater treatment and water recycling, collaborations with innovators to produce low energy solids drying and beneficial biosolids...

Governor orders new portfolio approach on water to protect the future health of communities and the environment As climate change continues to threaten the state’s water infrastructure and reliability, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order directing his administration to think differently and act boldly by developing a comprehensive strategy to build a climate-resilient water system....

The Orange County Water District (OCWD; the District) and the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) received a Silver Mercury Award for their Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) Bottled Water Campaign.  The International Mercury Awards competition honors the best in public relations, public affairs and corporate communications. The GWRS Bottled Water Campaign spanned a year and included a...

By John Rowe, CSUS Office of Water Programs Americans have used water as though their supply would never run out.  Drought conditions have forcibly brought about a need to conserve and properly budget water resources. As supply and demand tightens, governments are starting to view wastewater as a valuable resource. North America generates an estimated...

By Elise Chen1, Aleks Pisarenko1, Juan Guerreiro2 1 Trussell Technologies, Inc., Solana Beach, CA 92075 Email: [email protected], [email protected] 2 City of San Diego, Public Utilities Department, San Diego, CA 92123 Email: [email protected] California is seeing a major expansion of water reuse applications throughout the state from non-potable recycled water to potable reuse. Non-potable recycled water...

Two water associations join forces for the first time to create certification for those taking the “waste” out of wastewater By Lynn Lipinski A new voluntary certification program created by two of California’s longest-standing water sector organizations aims to ensure that water and wastewater treatment operators are prepared and knowledgeable about advanced water treatment technologies...

On April 3rd the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission received its first payment for sale of its biosolids-based fertilizer. Lystek, a North American leader in biosolids and organics management, has partnered with the SFPUC to convert biosolids, the nutrient-rich soil-like product from wastewater treatment, into a marketable, renewable fertilizer, which is now being sold to...

Recently a group of students at Antioch’s Deer Valley High School had the opportunity to build a video from start to finish that would allow them to see what it would be like to work as video producers in the real world. What they found wasn’t as easy as making up a skit and aiming...

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...

Public outreach programs can reap multiple benefits for utilities and other public agencies, including community support for projects and utility rate increases; third-party credibility with community and policymakers; increased awareness among community members about project issues; lasting relationships with community leaders; and, in many cases, better decisions. An effective public outreach program takes effort and...

  View this post on Instagram   Some of SoCal water’s best & brightest gathered today at the City of San Diego’s Utilities Training Center for an EPA Effective Utility Management workshop. We’re building the utilities of the future today! Kicked off by Don Jones, Center for Water Studies @cuyamacacollege & Ed McCormick, Past President...

Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman announced that Reclamation is awarding $35.3 million for six authorized Title XVI water reclamation and reuse projects in California. The funding will be used to improve flexibility during water shortages and diversify the water supply. “Title XVI projects provide opportunities for communities to recycle wastewater and treat water that...

Coverage of asset management topics is supported by MentorAPM In 2018 CASA kicked off a series of asset management workshops. To start 2019, we’re taking the asset management discussion online with a series of webinars focused on success stories. Why is asset management planning growing in importance within our sector? Learn how agencies are implementing...

Press release from Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts… Today, the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County (Sanitation Districts) awarded a $630 million construction contract for the Clearwater Project to Dragados USA, Inc. The project will protect local waterways by addressing aging infrastructure and involves building a new 7‐mile long, 18‐foot diameter tunnel to convey treated...

IT consultancy and managed services provider (MSP) SDI Presence LLC (SDI) announces that the Union Sanitary District has selected SDI to develop an IT Master Plan for the California-based water utility. The SDI project will deliver a comprehensive technology roadmap, and tools to ensure that the Plan remains in alignment with the District’s changing priorities...

ABOUT WATER REPLENISHMENT DISTRICT Formed in 1959 to protect groundwater resources, the WRD mission is: “To provide, protect, and preserve high quality groundwater through innovated, cost-effective and environmentally sensitive basin management practices for the benefit of residents and businesses of the Central and West Coast basins.” In 2003, the WRD’s Board of Directors developed a...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded more than $187.3 million to California for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure improvements. “These funds will be used for 183 local projects that will boost the economy while improving water systems,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker. “EPA is committed to investing in local infrastructure that...

Coverage of biosolids and co-digestion supported by Anaergia Anaergia, Inc. is pleased to announce the start of construction at the Rialto Bioenergy Facility (RBF) The RBF will help address two pressing waste management issues in Southern California: food waste diversion from landfills and biosolids management. The RBF will convert 700 tons per day of food...

From Brown & Caldwell… Brown and Caldwell, a leading environmental engineering and construction firm, today announced its selection by the City of Palo Alto to provide design services for secondary treatment upgrades at the city’s Regional Water Quality Control Plant (RWQCP). Operational since 1934 and serving the communities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View,...

Coverage of biosolids and co-digestion supported by Anaergia Work is underway on a multi-million dollar expansion project to increase the treatment capacity at the Pleasant Grove Wastewater Treatment Plant (PGWWTP.) An element of the expansion is to create an economically and environmentally sustainable biosolids-to-energy project that will allow Environmental Utilities to ultimately produce Renewable Compressed...

EPA, working with utility leaders from around the country, has just posted the following two documents designed to help utilities implement programs based on the EUM Attributes of Effectively Management Utilities, endorsed by EPA and nine other water sector organizations. EUM Case Examples—documents the experiences and benefits seen by a group of utilities that are...

The Pure Water San Diego Program took a major step forward on Thursday, Nov. 15 when the City Council voted to proceed with construction of the Phase 1 – North City Projects. This decision authorizes Mayor Faulconer to execute construction contracts to the lowest responsible and reliable bidders for the Phase 1 – North City...

Anaergia Inc. held a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the official opening of its Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system at the Hale Avenue Resource Recovery Facility (HARRF), in the City of Escondido, California. This CHP system utilizes digester gas from the wastewater treatment process to generate renewable electricity and heat for the facility’s operations....

Coverage of asset management topics is supported by MentorAPM CUWA Survey Reveals Seriousness of Issues If your water or wastewater utility hasn’t already experienced impacts from declining flows, you may want to prepare for them in the future.  That recommendation comes from the California Urban Water Agencies (CUWA) following a survey of water management agencies it conducted around the state. Of 270...

In honor of Cybersecurity month, CWEA pulled together a list of resources that focus on cybersecurity for control systems that are frequently used in water/wastewater. Thank you Daniel Groves of West Yost for the Cybersecurity tips! ICS-CERT – https://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/ SANS Institute – sans.gov AWWA – https://awwa.org/cybersecurity WaterISAC  – https://www.waterisac.org/ Google News Alerts – https://www.google.com/alerts (enter...

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...

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....

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.”

Coverage of biosolids and co-digestion supported by Anaergia Located in Carlsbad the Encina Wastewater Authority (EWA) operates an advanced wastewater treatment facility with an average flow of 20 million gallons per day. Founded in 1961, Encina is a joint powers authority owned by six public agencies who provide wastewater services for approximately 400,000 people. Long an...

City of Los Angeles, LA Sanitation (LASAN) case study. The EPA’s CRET system can assist drinking water and wastewater utilities in identifying potential vulnerabilities, as well as strategies for implementing adaptation measures that can reduce infrastructure risk and enhance overall utility resilience.

Energy and sustainability expert Schneider Electric announced it has been selected to pursue a $2.7 million grant from the California State Water Resources Control Board to help fund an infrastructure improvement project at the City of Anderson’s Water Pollution Control Plant. When approved, the proposed project will improve energy efficiency in the plant’s aeration process...

During the General Manager’s luncheon at AC18 in Sacramento, PG&E reviewed their large energy audit services. Several of the GM’s in the room shared their experience with PG&E’s energy audit. Many said they saw energy savings and large rebate checks after completing the energy efficiency audit and upgrade programs. From PG&E… Your organization is eligible for...

Coverage of biosolids and co-digestion supported by Anaergia East Bay Municipal Utility District Waste Received: fats, oil and grease (FOG), poultry blood, food waste (e.g., dairy, winery, brewery), cheese waste and more Stats: plant receives a total of 100 trucks per day, or 500,000 gallons per day – about 40% of this, or 200,000 gallons...

LA Sanitation was recognized as a Leading Utilities of the World in recognition of its leadership and innovation in many programs, including the One Water LA Plan, water recycling, resource recovery, watershed protection, green infrastructure, sewer spill reduction, pollution control and stakeholder engagement. LA Sanitation’s One Water LA Plan separately received the National Environmental Grand Prize for Planning from the...

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have discovered a method to dramatically improve the way pollutants are removed from wastewater using Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs). AOPs are a group of chemical treatment processes that use oxidation to remove organic materials from water. The reactions are performed by hydroxyl radicals (·OH) created by the decomposition...

Energy and sustainability expert Schneider Electric today announced it has secured a $1.6 million grant to help fund a facility improvement project at the El Centro Wastewater Treatment Plant in Imperial County, California. Representatives from Schneider Electric presented a check to El Centro city officials during a recent City Council meeting to mark this important...

UC Riverside researchers conduct first blind taste test of recycled wastewater by J.D. Warren Here’s a blind test taste like Pepsi never imagined. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, recently published a study of recycled wastewater that did not focus on its safety-which has long been established-but rather its taste. After years of drought, the...

IDE Technologies, a world leader in water treatment solutions, today announced that its technology will be used in two new wastewater reuse demo facilities in California: The Central Coast Blue Advanced Water Purification Demo Facility, in partnership with the City of Pismo Beach, and the Regional Recycled Water Advanced Purification Center Demo Facility, in partnership with the Metropolitan Water...

In 2015 WEF released The Nutrient Roadmap with an aspirational goal: The next generation of wastewater treatment has zero net impact with regard to energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient discharge by 2040. Achieving this goal requires a dedication to overcoming technical barriers, financial constraints, and regulatory disincentives limiting nutrient removal, greenhouse gas emission...

Groundwater Replenishment System Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Record and Community Event Attended by Hundreds The Orange County Water District (OCWD) and Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) succeeded in the attempt to set a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the Most wastewater recycled to drinking water in 24 hours. The GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title was achieved by the...

Story republished with State Water Board permission. WPCF is a class V Tertiary plant that has recently been updated to an Advanced Treatment facility. The upgrade was completed in December 2016. There were several upgrades including: An upgrade of the secondary treatment process to the Modified Ludzak-Ettinger fine bubble diffuser aeration with an anoxic zone...

CWEA Roundtable: How can we afford water system upgrades? A water Q&A with three of California’s top clean water leaders discussing “One Water”. How we can work together to break down silos in the water sector and welcome regulators and stakeholders together to solve these difficult challenges with us? Roundtable sponsored by CDM Smith. The...

The Orange County Water District (OCWD; the District) received the 2017 Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA) for environmental education, California’s highest and most prestigious environmental honor. OCWD’s entry was deemed “exceptional for its innovative spirit and value to California’s environment and economy.” Governor Brown recognized OCWD and other GEELA recipients at an award ceremony in...

Coverage of biosolids and co-digestion supported by Anaergia These estimates were developed by contacting some of the largest agencies in the state, plus one medium sized plant, which collectively represent 35% of wastewater flow in the state. Using data on volume of digester capacity and current Mean Cell Residence Time (MCRT) in anaerobic digestion, flow...

Flush with Possibilities With a new water purification plant, Santa Clara Valley Water District is driving water reuse to advance reliable, sustainable water supplies.  On a sunny afternoon last spring, four Silicon Valley leaders took large swigs of recycled water to show that it’s clean enough…well…to drink. And how does that filtered, decontaminated, and disinfected...

Can 1+1=3, or maybe even more?  That is the question Stanford and Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW) hope to answer with two pilot plants using an innovative anaerobic secondary treatment process. The ‘SAF-MBR’ project, which stands for Staged Anaerobic Fluidized-bed Membrane Bioreactor, has two main components – the membrane system and the fluidized-bed. Both are...

The California Water Environment Association and the California Association of Sanitation Agencies were proud to present the  Seminar on November 14 and 15 in two locations. The focus of the seminars were on successful biosolids management practices and innovative treatment technology for biosolids, renewable energy production and utilization, and climate change mitigation. Download and view...

Parsons—in a design-build joint venture—will design and construct the Silicon Valley Clean Water’s (SVCW’s) Front of Plant project in Redwood City, CA. This project is part of SVCW’s Regional Environmental Sewer Conveyance Upgrade Program, which incorporates conveyance system improvements to transport wastewater from member agencies to the SVCW wastewater treatment plant. The Front of Plant...

The West County Wastewater District (WCWD) received the 14 Platinum Peak Performance Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA). This platinum award is the highest given by NACWA and recognizes public wastewater treatment facilities for their outstanding performance and ongoing compliance with EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) requirements. Established in...

Story from the Sacramento Bee Roseville City Council members voted unanimously to expand the city’s sewer plant and build facilities that recover energy from waste, including natural gas to power city garbage trucks. “It provides us an opportunity to be innovative with this construction,” said Councilman Scott Alvord, who lives near the treatment plant. “The...

Increasingly faced with finding creative ways to afford major capital programs, many utilities are exploring alternative funding options that will help expedite their projects and reduce the burden to ratepayers. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) has accomplished an impressive step in this direction by being selected for a new Environmental Protection Agency WIFIA...

  The path to on-site non-potable water reuse has been beset by roadblocks, but a new initiative is removing them to clear the way for more efficient water management. Whether challenged by multiyear drought, extreme flooding, impacts due to a changing climate, or increased demand on water supplies due to population growth, water utilities across...

Anders Wistrom of Centriair will be presenting a session on Odor Control at the Biosolids and Renewable Energy Technology Seminar next month. He answered some questions for us on the subject and says most of the odor work is “proprietary” and not readily available and, when available, often not very useful for the design or...

Coverage of biosolids and co-digestion supported by Anaergia Wastewater reclamation authority unveils retrofitted anaerobic digester by Jennifer Fulcher, WEF Highlights In 2008, the Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority (VVWRA; Victorville, Calif.) set two goals: offset operation and maintenance expenses and increase revenue. After reviewing its entire facility, VVWRA came up with an idea of repurposing its...

City of Rialto, Veolia, and BDP EnviroTech Partner Under California Energy Commission Grant to Evaluate Promising Wastewater Treatment Plant Technology As California continues to pioneer energy-saving initiatives to reduce greenhouse gases, state and local officials gathered in Rialto to witness the launch of one of the country’s most promising technologies under a demonstration project at the City of...

  During WEFTEC 2017 in Chicago, US Water Alliance along with National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) announced the release of a new report on addressing nutrients & protecting our waterways. Addressing Nutrient Pollution in Our Nation’s Waters: The Role of a Statewide Utility Nutrient pollution is a complex...

From US Water Alliance We are pleased to announce the release of the Water Equity Clearinghouse, an online database that showcases innovative and promising practices in equitable water management. We encourage you to visit the clearinghouse–users can search for organizations by focus area, strategies, populations served, location, and more. The clearinghouse showcases the work of utilities,...

From University of California, Riverside UC Riverside research shows residential conservation during drought can hinder wastewater reuse. Conventional wisdom dictates water conservation can only benefit communities affected by drought. But researchers at the University of California, Riverside have deduced that indoor residential conservation can have unintended consequences in places where systems of wastewater reuse have...

According to a Bay Area NBC report the  Bioforcetech demonstration facility at Silicon Valley Clean Water is producing biochar that is cheaper, safer and easier to manage. Biosolids are dried and made safe by using the heat given off from the bacteria growing in the biosolids. “Upcycling,” say Dario Presezzi, the chief executive officer at Bioforcetech. “We’re...

WE&RF released a new research report on pretreatment standards for agencies interested in adding or expanding their water reuse facilities. The report features three California agencies: City of Los Angeles; City of San Diego and the Orange County Sanitation District. The project was funded by SoCal based Metropolitan Water District. The research project consisted of...

Do you know an industrial user that should be recognized for their efforts and performance in process wastewater pretreatment technology, material recycling, waste minimization, pollution prevention practices or stormwater runoff control programs? Here is your chance to provide them the recognition they deserve. Currently, the CWEA Pretreatment, Pollution Prevention, and Stormwater Committee is in the...