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Water

When Bigger is Better

October 1, 2004By Rex Hansen, PE

A large-scale rental car facility at BWI airport uses an innovative treatment system to surpass stormwater regulations

Daily, an average of 52,089 people travel on flights in and out of Maryland's Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) Airport. To support this amount of passenger traffic, the 3,596-acre airport site must provide parking for departing passengers and access to an ample supply of rental cars for arriving passengers.

Going with the Flow

September 1, 2004By James E. Gallagher

Learning more about the effects of flow conditioning on water measurement can enhance water and wastewater treatment performance and cut costs

The full cost of ownership related to operating a water or wastewater treatment facility consists of the initial capital, commissioning, training, spare parts, maintenance, and calibration costs for the lifetime of the equipment.

Lighting the Way to Better Disinfection

September 1, 2004By Eugen Nisipeanu, Muhammad Sami, PhD

By improving flow measurement, computer simulation optimizes the design of ultraviolet reactors used to destroy disease pathogens in water and wastewater

Computer simulation can substantially improve the design of ultraviolet (UV) light technology used to disinfect water and wastewater. In UV disinfection design, bacteria and viruses must flow in close proximity to a UV lamp for a sufficient period of time to dimerize their DNA.

Microbial Massacre

July 1, 2004By Bipin R. Ranade, Robert D. Sproull, PhD, PE

By manipulating the oxygen levels in the industrial wastewater treatment process, a new breakthrough technology prompts bacteria to consume each other and thereby greatly reduces the amounts of biosolids generated

The majority of industrial manufacturers discharge their wastewater to publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) after some form of pretreatment. However, approximately one-third of industrial facilities operate their own wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs).

Checkmate

June 1, 2004By Shannon D. Spence, Wendelyn S. Stoveland

A master strategy for securing your water treatment facility

At the American Water Works Association (AWWA) Security Congress, which was held in Charlotte, N.C., from April 25 to April 27, 2004, it was evident that public water and wastewater utilities were no longer novices in the security arena. The events of September 11, 2001, and the subsequent mandates for the water industry contained in the Bioterrorism Act, have greatly affected the way we do business. Consequently, utilities are starting to approach security the way they approach safety -- as an integral part of day-to-day facility management and operations.

Remediation Marathon Style

June 1, 2004By Scott D. Wallace

Constructed wetlands are an economical way of cleaning up petroleum-contaminated sites that require treatment over long periods of time

In-situ biological treatment (bioremediation) systems have now gained widespread acceptance for dealing with sites impacted by petroleum hydrocarbons. However, at many remediation sites, the need to pump groundwater to maintain gradient control still generates a stream of contaminated water requiring treatment, even if in-situ technologies are being employed.

Demystifying Membranes - Part II

May 1, 2004By Peter S. Cartwright, P.E.

This overview helps separate the facts from the fallacies related to membrane technologies used in wastewater treatment

This is the second article in a two-part series on membrane elements and treatment systems. "Demystifying Membranes - Part I" was published in Environmental Protection's July-August 2003 issue and is accessible online at no charge under "Archives" at www.eponline.com. The first article compares the advantages and disadvantages of four types of membrane separation technologies. Part II clears up some common misunderstandings about the properties of membrane technologies.

Persistence Pays Off

May 1, 2004By David Laughlin

Persistent bio-oxidation is an innovative remediation strategy for achieving successful site closure for low-level contaminated sites

Most companies that deal with environmental liabilities usually manage a broad array of projects and sites with varying degrees of contamination. While the remediation and cleanup options for many properties can be readily identified, environmental decisions for some sites can be somewhat difficult.

Dust Off Your Plan

April 1, 2004By Pat Huff

Having an environmental management information system in place can help you to smoothly implement your company's stormwater pollution prevention plan

Has your stormwater pollution prevention plan been shelved along with the best intentions of your best management practices? If so, you are not alone. Leaner environmental, health and safety (EHS) staffs may appear more productive to management, but oftentimes these lean staffs inadvertently ignore aspects of their jobs, completing the activities with reporting deadlines and letting less-defined requirements gather dust in notebooks on the shelf.

Shape Up Your Compliance

April 1, 2004By John R. Haestad

Hydraulic modeling software can assist you in meeting the requirements set out in stormwater and wastewater regulations

With the promulgation of new laws and regulations pertaining to water quality, extensive stormwater and sanitary sewer management plans are no longer a luxury for rapidly growing and affluent communities. Neglecting corrective action to bring systems into compliance can have far-reaching consequences, including polluted drinking water sources, heavy state and federal fines and jail time. In this regard, cities and municipalities are being mandated to assume roles as water resources managers and enforcers of water quality protection.

Arsenic Removal Arsenal

February 1, 2004By Darin St. Germain

An overview of treatment options for successfully cleaning up contaminated drinking water supplies in compliance with the new stricter arsenic standard

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has historically regulated arsenic at 50 parts per billion (ppb), but the agency will lower the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for arsenic to 10 ppb by 2006. Some states are even setting their own limits well below this level.

Diving into the Murky Depths

January 1, 2004By Sarah Klahn

Top Issues in water quality in 2004

In 2004, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Supreme Court will again be the primary forces behind water quality trends. For once, predicting the likely course of the Supreme Court may be easier than predicting EPA's course, given that the agency's new administrator had little experience with EPA-related environmental issues as governor of Utah.