A powerful new film exploring humanity’s profound relationship with water launches on Earth Day, 22 April 2024 in New York City. Produced by the team that brought the award-winning documentary, Brave Blue World to audiences globally, Our Blue World reveals how human agency, ingenuity and community spirit can help rebalance the planet’s water systems. Actor Liam...

Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD) has been using supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems to collect data for over two decades, just like many other water and wastewater facilities in California. The SCADA system closely monitors every stage of the water treatment process and provides real-time information for analysis. However, the data collection...

A digital twin controller running a hybrid model, fed with live and historical data, is being tested at several sites to determine its ability to remove and manage nutrients more efficiently and simplify operations for wastewater plant operators. The results will be reported in a paper by Jacobs Engineering at the CWEA Annual Conference in...

Smart water and sewer technologies, including real-time monitoring, analytics, and machine learning, are being used by many water and wastewater utilities to collect useful data, improve decision-making, and optimize infrastructure and resource utilization to ensure compliance with regulations. Even so, many agencies are still on the fence about whether these programs can offer safe and...

The integration of digital technologies into water management systems represents a step-change and an exciting opportunity for how we approach our planet’s most vital resource. As we collectively deal with aging infrastructure, increasing urbanization, climate change, and the need for social equity, technology continues to emerge as a key aid. The quantity of information now...

It is estimated that 90% of the data available today was created in the past two years. This incredible shift has been driven by advances in computing power, the availability of low-cost data collection devices, an increase in the use of information technology, and the acceleration of the rate of development of artificial intelligence. The...

Water and wastewater utilities provide critical lifeline services to their communities and their regions. Supporting these vitally important functions requires secure information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT), yet the sector’s IT and OT networks continue to face an onslaught of threats from cyber criminals, nation-states, and others. 15 FUNDAMENTALS There are various terms that...

The 2024 Annual Conference and Expo in Sacramento promises to be one of our largest and most exciting. Connect and celebrate at the West Coast’s largest wastewater conference and explore all of the new technologies and vendors in the 72,00 square feet expo hall. We’re in California’s farm-to-fork capital – the beautiful tree-lined city of...

Artificial intelligence technology is becoming increasingly prevalent across various industries, including water and wastewater management. The annual CWEA conference will feature sessions that demonstrate how AI, algorithms, and machine learning can benefit plant operators and enhance the wastewater treatment process by boosting efficiency. Attendees will have the opportunity to witness the potential of these technologies...

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...

On December 19th, the State Water Board made California history by granting approval for direct potable reuse regulations, also known as DPR. California’s water and wastewater associations are joining forces to celebrate this momentous achievement. United in the spirit of ‘One Water’ we are proudly working together to build California’s utilities of the future. Following...

Los Angeles water agencies dream big. That’s because local leaders are proactively leading the way here and across the country to provide equitable access to water, build resiliency, and address water supply amid climate change challenges, such as extreme weather, drought, and sea-level rise with water reuse innovation. Case in point: Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) regulations are progressing at the State...

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...

From CalRecycle’s YouTube page… In California, wastewater treatment plants are an emerging hub for recycling food scraps into clean energy. With the help of $2.5 million dollars in state funding, the Central Marin Sanitation Agency is upgrading its facility to keep food waste from becoming climate pollution in landfills through a process called Co-Digestion.

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...

As our industry comes together to tackle increasingly difficult water treatment challenges, data-informed decision making is critical. We are collecting data from professionals with UV experience through a survey. The results of this survey will build upon the literature utilized by operators, regulators, engineers, and manufacturers as they make decisions surrounding UV technology. If you...

This post was provided by WateReuse California… This week the California State Water Resources Control Board (Water Board) released an advanced copy of the highly anticipated Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) regulations. The 45-day comment period and Administrative Procedures Act will formally begin on July 21. The Water Board is planning to conduct a workshop on...

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...

Nitrogen, a nutrient present in wastewater, can have detrimental impacts when discharged into receiving water bodies. East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) has explored both sidestream and mainstream nutrient removal approaches through its recently completed Master Plan. The agency is also working on a parallel effort to characterize the ability to remove total inorganic nitrogen...

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...

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...

VALLEY WATER Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center City/population served: Santa Clara County’s 2 million residents Plant commissioned: March 2014   FLOW RATES Average daily flow: 8 MGD Upgrade up to 9 MGD   TREATMENT PROCESS Microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and ultraviolet disinfection. Recycled Water Usage Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center (SVAWPC) is designed to...

Anaergia (TSX: ANRG) announced today that its subsidiary SoCal Biomethane will officially commission operations at the Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority (VVWRA) facility in Victorville, California. The facility is the first wastewater treatment plant in California to inject renewable natural gas made from both wastewater solids and food waste into a utility pipeline. The Anaergia subsidiary...

View all coronavirus stories > Testing wastewater for RNA strands of the coronavirus might tell local officials how widespread COVID-19 is in their community and whether infections are rising or falling. Known as “sewer surveillance” or “wastewater epidemiology” – wastewater professionals are once again working to protect public health. In November, the State Water Board...

The Truckee Sanitary District (TSD) is proud to announce that it has received the 2021 WEFTEC Operator Ingenuity Award from the Water Environment Federation. The award recognizes TSD for developing a novel product to reduce infiltration and inflow in the sewer collection system thus preventing spills, backups, regulatory fines, and worker injuries. The product was...

EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region announced approval of an innovative, quick turn-around DNA-based method to evaluate bacteria in San Diego County beach water. The San Diego County rapid test is the first demonstration of the use of this method for routine beach monitoring in the world. This method was developed for beach use by the Southern...

Ten new valves are allowing Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility staff to more effectively operate the site’s five aeration basins, a critical step in the wastewater treatment process. The aeration basins (208 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 15 feet deep) are part of secondary wastewater treatment. They provide oxygen for the millions of beneficial microscopic...

 This UC Berkeley webinar features CWEA-WEF member Dr. Kara Nelson Professor from their  Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Did you know that you have been helping to manage the COVID pandemic, just by going to the bathroom? Since April 2020, a large team of researchers at U.C. Berkeley has been working with local...

 View LA Sanitation and Environment’s project webpage to learn more.

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...

A recycled water and groundwater recovery project that will produce up to 750 million gallons of water a year for the city of Santa Monica will receive up to $19.6 million from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, following a vote today by the agency’s board of directors. With funding from Metropolitan’s Local Resources...

For over 100 years, the people of Allensworth have been looking for safe, reliable sources of drinking water. Now, after decades of investigating and implementing various technologies, the community is evaluating an innovation that makes quality drinking water from resources in the sky. Arsenic naturally occurs in the region’s groundwater and Allensworth is served by...

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...

It was once an industry that relied on a person to physically walk a wastewater treatment plant to take down measurements from several pieces of machinery. Now at the SFPUC’s Wastewater Division, a team of engineers is deploying technological advances at a wastewater treatment plant to improve the accuracy of checks and balances and to...

SwiftComply is pleased to announce the launch of SwiftComply Stormwater in partnership with NPDESPro, a web-based application that helps Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) to efficiently meet the requirements of the Clean Water Act. SwiftComply Stormwater helps authorities to develop and implement comprehensive Stormwater Management Plans, and manage the permitting of non-point source discharges. The platform...

The new documentary film Brave Blue World examines how new technologies and innovations can create a more sustainable water future. It’s important to convey a sense of hope and spirit of optimism for water. The film includes interviews with a variety of water experts, as well as high-profile advocates Matt Damon and Jaden Smith. By...

Sancon was contracted by Steve Bubalo Construction company to perform the 48” cured-in-place-pipeliner for Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts project. Scope of the project included CIPP lining of 595 LF of 48” CIPP, a portion of which, was through a siphon. Over the course of the job, multiple installations were performed to comply with LACSD and...

2021 FOG Workshop Thursday, March 11 12:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Co-located with the 2021 P3S Virtual Conference and Expo REGISTER HERE Speaker profile: Fanny Mui, Laboratory Analyst / Environmental Compliance Inspector Carmel Area Wastewater District ​”The biggest challenge has been not being able to go out to do inspections during the pandemic. A lot...

California is far from the only region in the world moving toward direct potable reuse (DPR). Windhoak, Namibia, with a population of more than 350,000, is the first and longest running DPR plant in the world. Windhoak has been using DPR for drinking water purposes for more than 50 years. The Goreangab Reclamation Plant currently...

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...

Welcome to the City of Ukiah, CA The City of Ukiah is a modest community of about 16,000 people set in the heart of Mendocino County. Conveniently located along the historical Highway 101, Ukiah’s location makes it an accessible cultural and financial hub not only to Mendocino County but to neighboring Lake County as well....

Water professionals are sought-after participants in the United Nations’ UNLEASH Hacks program, which convenes talented young researchers, practitioners, and influencers from around the world to develop new solutions to further the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) during intensive, 2-day seminars. Water professionals play a direct role in achieving several of the SDGs, including SDG 6: Clean Water and...

A model for an economical filter system that can remove antibiotics from wastewater has been designed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and University of California-Riverside (UCR) collaborators. Microbiologist Mark Ibekwe with the ARS Agricultural Water Efficiency and Salinity Research Unit in Riverside, California, and UCR soil chemist Daniel Ashworth constructed the prototype system using four...

The Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) has embarked on a primary clarifier (PC) improvement project at its Plant No. 2 facility in Huntington Beach, CA. Selecting a foul air containment approach and an effective odor control system for the PCs are critical components of the project as the Plant is close to residential areas and...

Every year brings its own cyber incidents and threats, and with each of these there are lessons for what should be done in terms of cybersecurity. 2020 still has over a couple months to go, but already it’s provided its fair share of crises that we can learn from. And now that it’s Cybersecurity Awareness...

NEW ~ Watch Brave Blue World on Netflix, then join our March 30th, 11:00 a.m. panel discussion hosted by Pacific Institute and CWEA. Learn more and register > A recording of our October 14th Brave Blue World panel discussion. A new documentary film titled Brave Blue World examines how new technologies and innovations can create...

In Los Angeles County, few resources are as precious to and connected with residents as water. In addition to being necessary to civil success in a desert, the contents of the county’s water tell the story of every life that touches it. The Los Angeles County Sanitation District (LACSD) works to protect and monitor Los...

The Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) has received national recognition as a Utility of the Future Today for Energy Generation and Recovery. OCSD is one of 65 water utilities being recognized for transformational work in community engagement, watershed stewardship, and recovery of resources such as water, energy, and nutrients. OCSD is being recognized for a...

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...

 Webinar Speaker Bios Moderator: Greg Kester, Director of Renewable Resource Programs, California Association of Sanitation Agencies Greg serves as both the technical and programmatic contact for CASA members and conduit for emerging issues on state and federal level on all biosolids, renewable energy, recycled water, and related issues. Prior to joining CASA, Greg served...

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...

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...

 A sponsored post by Badger Meter. View all smart water stories >

 A sponsored post by Badger Meter. View all smart water stories >

A sponsored post by Badger Meter. View all smart water stories > The need for increased efficiency and real-time data, without increasing infrastructure, leads to a move towards a new AMA solution The city of Sunnyvale, California had been looking at improving efficiency from its current AMR and manual read systems for over ten years. When...

A sponsored post by Badger Meter. View all smart water stories > A City in Need of Greater Efficiency Located in the San Joaquin Valley of Northern California, an area hit hard by recent droughts, the City of Merced’s Water System Division appreciates the value of water and successful water management. Strict water mandates, put...

DKF Solutions Group has announced the upcoming release of a new reference guide for wastewater collection workers titled “Notes from the Field: Practical Tips and Best Practices for Collection System Operators.” The book was written in collaboration with leading industry experts Andy Morrison, Lenny Rather, and Sam Rose. Wastewater Collection System Operators often become frustrated...

As more municipalities turn to wastewater monitoring for early detection of COVID-19, these three companies are uniquely positioned to provide an end-to-end solution to improve the process. In-Situ is a leading manufacturer of environmental water monitoring equipment and serves the wastewater monitoring market through its ChemScan line of analyzers and related products. GT Molecular, has developed a...

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...

View all wipes stories > California’s sewers were built to handle pee, poo and toilet paper, but increasingly they’re being called upon to carry an ever-growing array of plastics and trash people flush down the toilet. Wastewater systems across California, and around the world, are becoming solid waste debris conveyance systems. Condoms, feminine hygiene products,...

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...

By Sam Rose, Superintendent, South Placer Municipal Utility District About South Placer Municipal Utility District  South Placer Municipal Utility District (District) is a sewer collection system agency that was founded in 1956 and serves the City of Rocklin, Town of Loomis, the communities of Penryn, Newcastle and a portion of Granite Bay, California.  Its service area is 31 square miles with a population...

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...

  COVID-19 in CA free Webinar – Collection Systems and Coronavirus Pandemic was held on Wednesday, April 15th. The webinar is supported by HDR. Phil Scott and Sergio Ramirez are utility leaders with the West Bay Sanitary District in the Bay Area. They discuss the procedures and PPE protections their agency is using. They discuss...

Written and photography by: Senior Airman Colville McFee, 9th Reconnaissance Wing Beale Air Force Base, Calif. – The 9th Civil Engineering Squadron (9CES) provides many skills and mission essential aspects such as, airfield maintenance, fire emergency services, explosive ordnance disposal and utility system construction to name few around the 9th Reconnaissance Wing. With the COVID-19 pandemic...

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,...

News from California manufacturer SmartCover. SmartCover Offering a COVID-19 Relief Package Remote Sewer Monitoring at NO COST In response to the strain on collection systems, staff and resources,  SmartCover is providing a COVID-19 Relief Package to make remote sewer asset monitoring available at no charge. During this time of uncertainty, our role as public health...

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...

Announcement from the State Water Resources Control Board While the State Water Board and other public agencies encourage Californians to follow the Centers for Disease Control recommendations to clean surfaces with disinfecting wipes to reduce the spread of COVID-19, it is important to discard those items in the trash, not the toilet. Flushing wipes, paper towels and...

View CWEA’s round-up of Coronavirus (COVID-19) worker safety information here > On 3/17/20 OSHA released new guidance for COVID-19 and workplace safety. Download the OSHA guidance > There is not specific water/wastewater worker safety in this guidebook, but there is detailed info on workplace safety. They’ve broken guidance into workplace categories based on exposure risk:...

Article from Pete DeMarco, Executive Vice President of Advocacy and Research at IAPMO. Pete looks at the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) from one person to another on different floors of a Hong Kong high-rise. Sadly, with the current coronavirus outbreak in Hong Kong, history seems to have repeated itself. According to the Associated Press, a 2016...

View CWEA’s round-up of Coronavirus (COVID-19) worker safety information here > From the World Health Organization This Technical Brief supplements existing IPC documents by referring to and summarizing WHO guidance on water, sanitation and health care waste which is relevant for viruses (including coronaviruses). This Technical Brief is written in particular for water and sanitation...

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...

From ABC7 San Francisco. Featuring CWEA member Eileen White, Director of Wastewater for EBMUD. 

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...

AC20 HOT TOPIC PREVIEW THURSDAY TRACK: Winning the Fight Against “Flushable” Wipes! November 21, 2019 The Honorable Alan Lowenthal United States House of Representatives The Honorable Tom Udall United States Senate Dear Senator Udall and Representative Lowenthal: On behalf of the undersigned coalition of public agencies providing wastewater, water recycling and biosolids management services in...

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...

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...

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...

SmartCover® is a leading technology provider specializing in wastewater solutions. The primary goal of every sewer system operator is to keep sewage out of the environment. SmartCover serves this mission through a suite of technology that gathers and monitors sewer pipeline data, performs analytics, and provides real-time reports to enable wastewater operators with reliable, actionable decisions...

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.    

This article is reprinted with permission by Tunnel Business Magazine. Most large urban areas depend on interceptor sewers to convey sewage from subdivisions and suburbs to the treatment facilities. Whether the interceptor drains city neighborhoods or a neighboring town’s collection system, the pipe is large and usually deep. In an area like Los Angeles, interceptor...

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...

Smart Cover Systems case study, republished here with permission… Profile: The City of Rohnert Park’s sewer system has two primary functions which are to first collect the City’s wastewater and then to transport it to the Subregional Water Reclamation System of Santa Rosa for treatment. The City’s sanitary sewer system includes 83 miles of gravity...

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.”...

By Nicole Lygo Envirosight Artificial intelligence is spreading across every area of our lives, from ride-sharing apps to spam filters to smart personal assistants. In the last few years, artificial intelligence (AI) has also seeped into the wastewater industry in the form of automated defect coding. AI promises major benefits over traditional operator inspection, mostly...

The Collection Systems Committee held another successful mid-year meeting this past July in Morro Bay. You can download the presentations here:  

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...

Originally published on LinkedIn, reprinted here with permission… Ahhh. That feeling that comes over you when you come home after a hard days work, plopping yourself onto that every so comfy couch that envelops all of your achy tired bones. Your twin toddlers come running out of the rear of the house, screaming with joy...

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...

The Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside (SAM) announced that sewer spills on the Coastside were at an historic low, zero in 2018, thanks to the dedication, hard work, and proactive measures taken by management and staff. “As part of its 2017 Strategic Plan, SAM committed to making operational and maintenance changes to achieve zero sewer spills within...

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...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmQ_ixoctvc

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...

In this edition of WEF’s Words on Water Podcast, three leaders from the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District share their experiences from the November 2018 Woolsey Fire. It decimated communities in Malibu and Ventura County, destroying 1,643 structures, killing three people and forcing 250,000 people to evacuate. Staff at Las Virgenes did not evacuate and...

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 asset management topics is supported by MentorAPM  November 14th, 2018 Uncovering Sewer Laterals: How to Optimize Your Lateral Strategy Managing sewer laterals is challenging. Learn about the “Lateral Strategy Toolbox”, hear agency stories about success and challenges, and find ways to maximize the benefits of improving laterals – while balancing the impacts to...

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...

This is a sponsored post from Haaker Every wastewater system is unique: Age, geography, pipe materials, rehab methods, and climate all shape infrastructure over time. But even in the diverse landscape of American utilities, some systems stand out. Big Bear, Calif., is one of these outliers. The sewer department for this unincorporated community in San Bernardino...

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 WateReuse Association presented the Annual Awards for Excellence on Monday, September 10 during the 33rd Annual WateReuse Symposium in Austin, Texas. The program recognizes individuals and projects that have made significant contributions in support of greater adoption of water reuse. Recipients are successfully advancing the development of alternative water supplies or developing a novel...

The much-anticipated Regional Environmental Sewer Conveyance Upgrade (RESCU) program begins construction soon at Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW). Beginning in July, SVCW will break ground for the Front of the Plant (FoP) facilities and the gravity pipeline tunnel, culminating four years of planning and design to rehabilitate the agency’s aging infrastructure and facilities. The first...

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...

The Water Environment Federation (WEF) is an avid supporter of innovation in the water sector. In fact, one of WEF’s critical objectives is to “establish the conditions that promote accelerated development and implementation of innovative technologies and approaches.” As part of this initiative, WEF and The Water Research Foundation (WRF) jointly created the Leaders Innovation...

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...

This is a special report and perspective from outside the water/wastewater community. We invited Meg to share her insights from the 2018 Society for Economic Anthropology Conference which had a special focus this year on water. By Meg du Bray, Ph.D. EPSCoR MILES Post-doctoral researcher Idaho State University Water is life. These words have been...

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...

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...

This story was originally posted on the Woodard & Curran blog.  CWEA’s coverage of wipes issues is supported by Aqualitec.  Those of us who have witnessed the destruction non-woven wipes are having on our pipes and pumps understand the impact a simple word like ‘flushable’ can have. Since the mid-2000’s, the wastewater industry has been battling...

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...

An Interview with Garry Brown,  DPR Advisory Group Chair The State’s recent steps toward direct potable reuse (DPR) might seem like an out of the blue solution to many people. Not to Garry Brown, the Executive Director of OC Coastkeeper. A long-time veteran of Southern California’s battles over water and water quality, Garry has watched...

INTRODUCTION: A subcommittee of the Orange County Waste Discharge Requirements (WDR) Collection Systems Steering Committee (Committee) was formed to look at the current Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) program being implemented in central and northern (Northern) Orange County. The current FOG program is over ten years old and has continued to be improved over that...

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...

Below is the joint comment letter CWEA and CA NV AWWA have submitted focused on the operator certification piece of the DPR Report to the Legislature on the Feasibility of Developing Uniform Water Recycling Criteria for Direct Potable Reuse. Dear State Water Resources Control Board: Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the State Water...

  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,...

Significant Risk of Flooding in Northern California Flood Preparedness and Response Tools for Water Utilities Widespread flooding can cause major power outages and damage to drinking water and wastewater utilities. EPA has developed tools to help you mitigate the threat of flooding and take action during an emergency. You can use the resources below to increase your overall...

At the June 29, 2017 LABS dinner meeting, Russ Vakharia of the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (LACSD) gave a presentation on the construction of a 7.5-foot inside diameter (ID) replacement sewer in metropolitan Los Angeles County. The talk highlighted the many challenges encountered during the construction, including tunneling under public and private property, tunneling...

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...

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...

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...

From WEF highlights…  Last year, the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) formally began using the term, water resource recovery facility (WRRF), in place of wastewater treatment plant and other conventional names. A task force appointed by the WEF Committee Leadership Council was tasked with developing a list of new terms, discussing them, and selecting one to use. Water...