WEF WaterBlog

The WEF WaterBlog Has Moved!

2010-02-25T12:25:00.001-08:00

As of February 2010, the WEF WaterBlog has moved to a new spot! Bookmark http://www.wef.org/blogs/ into your favorites - this is where you'll find the latest WaterBlog, along with all of the archived blogs.

Urban Rivers: Don’t Miss the Boat to a Sustainable Future for Our Cities!

2010-02-01T05:25:00.000-08:00

By Paul Freedman, 2009-2010 President of WEF

There was a time when large urban cities, like Boston, saw their waterfront locations as assets in transporting wastes away from the city and supporting navigation, commerce, and manufacturing. These urban cities still see the waterfront asset today, but in a different light. Today’s cities want to integrate their waters into urban life as part of building greener, cleaner places for living, recreation, and supporting business and commerce. I mentioned Boston because it’s the site of WEF’s Cities of the Future and Urban River Restoration 2010 conferences. There practitioners and visionaries will take a comprehensive look at revitalizing urban rivers and waterfronts and explore the exciting possibilities for sustainable urban environments, our cities of the future.

For successful and sustainable cities and urban river restoration, integrated planning is essential. Multiple stakeholders with different agendas, problems, and budgets must get together and develop one vision to leverage rivers as a source of water supply, social and commercial enhancement, even spiritual renewal. This event will bring major players together, including city planners and administrators, transportation and landscape engineers and architects, public works directors and other officials, to focus on urban river restoration, and they’ll be sharing ideas in the context of sustainability and a population shift back into cities. Collaborative input from different types of professionals is needed to create sustainable urban infrastructure and the interdependent engineered and natural systems that will characterize our future cities. That is why WEF for the first time has simultaneously co-located two specialty conferences, Cities of the Future and Urban River Restoration.

Revitalizing cities and especially major urban industrial areas that are abandoned or scarred can be realized with the right kind of vision and integrated planning. The outcome can be vibrant sustainable cities with triple bottom line benefits including a cleaner environment, enhanced lifestyles, and stronger economies. With the right stakeholders and an eye toward sustainability, water quality leaders can start planning today or certainly in Boston next month. Be sure to plan to attend this exciting event!

So You Want to Run a First-Class Utility?

2010-01-15T14:25:00.000-08:00

Once again, a new year has started and folks everywhere are reviewing goals for personal growth and setting new ones. On the professional side, water quality leaders have the Water Environment Federation’s vast and varied resources to help them grow and become even better at protecting the world’s water. Utility managers (and I was one for some 23 years) have a special resource to support their goal-setting and desire for top operational efficiency--the Effective Utility Management Primer for Water and Wastewater Utilities.

I wanted to blog about the EUM because those who care about great utility management need to know about this invaluable tool…it worked at my utility and it can work for yours. To develop it, managers from 16 diverse facilities, large and small, public and private, water and wastewater, came together through EPA to identify the breadth of what is involved in effective utility management and strategic planning. Appointed by collaborators EPA, AMWA, APWA, AWWA, NACWA, NAWC, and WEF(as a WEF appointees I represented Columbus Water Works), we hammered out what is needed for success and how to measure progress. The result is a terrific and practical tool for strategic planning and management—well worth using by managers on their own or with consultant assistance.

You know so many times we think of the technical aspects of running a utility, but there are many other elements to consider. For example, a first-class operation really pays attention to customer service, whether you’re talking water or wastewater. That’s just one of 10 attributes outlined in the EUM, which also describes the five keys to management success.

If you are passionate about clean water and great management, I highly recommend you check out this important tool, which is the basis for The Utility Management Conference in San Francisco next month. Meanwhile, we’d love to hear from folks who are using the EUM or have questions about its use. Please share comments here.

Putting the 'Special' in 2010 Specialty Conferences

2010-01-04T06:20:00.000-08:00

By Jeanette Brown, 2009-2010 President-Elect of WEF

Welcome to 2010 at the Water Environment Federation, where this year’s Specialty Conference series looks to be better than ever before. As a participant in the 2009 Nutrient Conference, I gained so much both professionally and personally because of the technical content and the ability to network with experts in the field. I have participated in and attended other specialty conferences this past year where the experience was just as rewarding. These conferences are exclusive and wonderful ways to learn about select areas from leaders in the field. As you can see from the list below in 2010, we plan an even greater variety of conferences which offer something for all professionals employed in the water sector.

The Utility Management Conference™ 2010
San Francisco, California
February 21-24
Cities of the Future 2010
Boston, Massachusetts
March 7-10
Urban River Restoration 2010
Boston, Massachusetts
March 7-10
2010 AWWA/WEF Information Management & Technology Conference
Portland, Oregon
March 21-24
WEF/A&WMA Odors and Air Pollutants 2010
Charlotte, North Carolina
March 21-24
Residuals and Biosolids 2010
Savannah, Georgia
May 23-26
Membrane Applications 2010
Anaheim, California
June 6-9
Collection Systems 2010
Phoenix, Arizona
June 13–16
Biofilm Reactor Technology Conference 2010
Portland, Oregon
August 15-16

If any of these topics applies to your job or appeals to your interest, please consider joining the thousands of water quality professionals who participate in these unique events every year. For technical excellence, superior meeting arrangements, and unmatched networking opportunities, you’ll find WEF truly puts the ‘special’ in specialty conferences. See you in Savannah for Residuals and Biosolids!

Speaking of Holiday Magic...

2009-12-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

By Paul Freedman, 2009-2010 President of the Water Environment Federation

It’s the season when families and friends gather to share gifts and holiday cheer, and festive music, decorations, and lights are everywhere. Some say it’s the most magical time of the year, and I’d agree, although I’d also point out that water is pretty magical too, and that’s all year round.

Water is the only element that naturally changes before our eyes from liquid, to gaseous, to solid forms. Every time you see a waterfall, a cloud, or this time of year, a snowflake, you are looking at the magic of water transformed. But even beyond these special physical qualities, water is absolutely magical in essence, fundamental to life itself, and a treasure that must be protected and shared.

Sadly, 2.6 billion people around the world lack adequate water supply and sanitation. Although industrialized countries, the U.S. included, experience some quality of life and economic impacts related to increasing water scarcity, developing countries are much more critically impacted by inadequate water supply and untreated wastewater. They are facing an immediate health crisis that threatens millions of lives and kills over a million children ever year. It’s like comparing the ability to water your lawn with having enough water to drink— there is no comparison. Millions are dying, and Water Environment Federation members have the technical knowledge and ability to help.

Beyond extending our expertise as we work to protect and preserve water resources, there’s more we can do. Water for People, a WEF charity of choice, helps people in developing countries ‘by supporting the development of locally sustainable drinking water resources, sanitation facilities and health and hygiene education programs’. As a water quality professional, I can relate to this mission, and you probably can, too. In the spirit of the season, please consider making a generous donation to help meet this urgent and global need and make clean water available to everyone. Meanwhile, thank you for all you do to protect public health and the environment, and very best wishes for a joyous and magical holiday season.

Stormwater Management: The Future is Now

2009-11-30T00:00:00.000-08:00

By Tyler Richards, Deputy Director of Operations, Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources

Not long ago, when utility managers heard ‘stormwater management,’ they probably thought about drainage and flooding , I know I did. But managing stormwater today involves so much more, especially given its impacts on water quality and local streams. Trends related to climate change, urban sprawl, and fertilizer/pesticide use all affect stormwater management, which will play an increasing complex role in preserving and enhancing the water environment, WEF is focusing resources to meet this growing challenge.

Wastewater managers are now expanding their jurisdictions to manage stormwater. Total maximum daily loads are better defining storm water impacts in watersheds. And stormwater concerns may even impact utility permit compliance. There are huge opportunities to help water and wastewater utility managers more effectively address storm water issues, including emerging EPA initiatives on revising storm water regulations.

Past President Rebecca West and President Paul Freedman asked me to chair a new Stormwater Task Force to focus WEF resources and activities related to stormwater. I’m enthusiastic about our challenge to look at stormwater from all aspects and come up with a comprehensive plan for stormwater programming at WEF. Numerous related efforts like technical sessions, papers, workshops, and the Federation’s upcoming comments to EPA continue to attract interest and support here at WEF. We are reviewing and prioritizing all of them with an eye toward increased effectiveness while solidifying and expanding the stormwater knowledge base for water quality professionals.

EPA is considering regulatory changes that would significantly expand the reach of the stormwater permit program, and no doubt this will impact municipal managers. Those changes may also help to level the playing field to provide more equitable regulation of point and nonpoint sources of impairment. Our members need to be involved in the regulatory process, and WEF member expertise in asset and utility management will also be essential in developing and delivering programs that stormwater managers will need. We’d appreciate your feedback, so please take a moment to post a comment on stormwater needs from your perspective.

Biosolids Recycling Works for Us

2009-11-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

By Chris Peot, P.E.
Biosolids Manager
District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority

The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC WASA) Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in Washington, DC, recycles 1,200 tons per day of biosolids to agriculture, restoration projects, and composting production in Virginia and Maryland. Rather than sending biosolids to a landfill, recycling the nutrient-rich material to land in need of nutrients aids the environment. We, along with our colleagues in this profession, work hard every day to examine issues, conduct research, and improve techniques to ensure we are producing the highest-quality, safest product within our power.

The use of biosolids in urban settings can be misunderstood by some. Recently, there have been some negative comments about the First Family garden on the lawn of the White House, which has received some biosolids compost within the past 20 years. For the record, the tests showed approximately 90 parts per million (ppm) lead in the garden soil. Lead occurs naturally in soils up to 50 ppm. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set actions levels for urban soils set at 1200 ppm for regular use and 400 ppm for children’s play areas. Lead levels of 90 ppm in the garden pose no known health risk, and are considered extremely low for an urban setting, where levels from atmospheric deposition can exceed 10,000 ppm. DC WASA biosolids contains lead levels that are considered naturally occurring and well below EPA limits for reuse, at approximately 30 ppm lead. Biosolids compost can, as researched by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and others (“Heavy Metals in the Environment” by Brown and others, Journal Environmental Quality, 2003, and “Biosolids Compost Amendment for Reducing Soil Lead Hazards” by Farfel and others, Science of the Total Environment, 2005) help reduce the availability of lead in urban soils, making them safer for our children.

This concept was misrepresented in an AP story last year, prompting AP to write a more balanced follow-up article, stating that the original story was “inaccurate and misleading."

Also see a more in-depth look at the inaccuracies.

Land application of biosolids helps protect the Chesapeake Bay by managing the nutrients generated in an urban setting in an environmentally sustainable manner. It is Mother Nature at work (slightly modified by mankind)—-an essential and important part of the nutrient cycle. DC WASA’s land application program employs the latest technology and research, but we continue to seek out cutting-edge solutions through research and education. For example, we are considering investing in technology to improve the product, produce energy, and reduce biosolids output. This technology would increase our options for reuse of the residual and also produce 10 megawatts of renewable energy.

DC WASA will continue to support returning nutrients and carbon to the soil from which it came, unless scientific evidence indicates we ought to move in a different direction.

The Color Purple: Protecting Against Cross-Connections from Wastewater

2009-11-02T10:31:00.000-08:00

By Don Vandertulip, P.E.
Principal, CDM

Many individuals who follow industry developments are aware of revisions to the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) (see my 12.08 blog for background) that now require use of purple pipe on private property plumbing to convey any non-potable water. The International Plumbing Code (IPC) distributed by the International Code Council (ICC) has similar requirements. WEF’s primary objection to use of purple pipe for onsite non-potable water is the risk to the public through exposure to untreated water. A secondary concern is loss of public confidence in the highly treated reclaimed water distributed in purple pipe by municipal utilities. (Read about recommendations and a letter to IAPMO.)

Simply put, cross connections between a potable water system and any non-potable water supply places the public at risk. The potential for cross-connections with multiple onsite coded non-potable pipe systems proposed by IAPMO could result in a more serious cross connection with the potable water system. I caution all professionals not to think of the onsite alternate piped water as non-potable water but to treat it as wastewater, which includes graywater as it’s generally defined -- all wastewater generated onsite except toilet waste. In many jurisdictions, graywater excludes kitchen sink and dishwasher washwater due to the high organic content of food waste. The key word is "wastewater". In most cases, graywater is not treated though there may have been a lint filter originally provided.

In addition to the potential cross connection of one or more onsite wastewater sources with the potable water system, there is potential for contamination of the highly treated municipal reclaimed water system. Contamination of a municipal reclaimed water system by one of the onsite wastewater systems could result in exposure of individuals with incidental contact to reclaimed water of impaired quality. This exposure could result in illness, even if the reclaimed water were not ingested. Degradation of the reclaimed water quality could also negatively impact other municipal reclaimed water users and violate the user agreement between the utility and customer. I suggest that the untreated wastewater proposed for recirculation and use onsite without treatment does not yet rise to the caliber of "non-potable" until it has received enough treatment to transition from its wastewater designation. In short, distributing wastewater onsite in a purple plumbing pipe will eventually cause significant damage to our collective reclaimed water programs and jeopardize public health.

Time to Reinvent the Clean Water Act?

2009-10-19T06:19:00.000-07:00

By Paul Freedman, 2009-2010 President of WEF

Almost 4 decades ago I decided to become a water quality professional, inspired by my personal experiences growing up in Cleveland. There the Cuyahoga River often caught fire and Lake Erie was truly eerie, not blue as you would expect of a Great Lake but rather turbid brown, with green swirls and dead floating fish. In 1972 the Clean Water Act was passed to address the main cause--pollution from poorly treated wastewater. Since then we as a profession have worked hard to successfully eliminate this pollution and improve national water quality. In 2009, however, the problems are much different.

Today’s dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico, Chesapeake Bay, and even Lake Erie are not due to poorly treated wastewater, but rather to failed agricultural practices. In fact, over 90% of our impaired waters are caused in whole or in part due to nonpoint sources, yet we do not have regulatory programs that adequately address these problems. We have aging infrastructure that needs repair and replacement and major issues with wet weather, nutrients and sediments, even flow alterations, but we do not have suitable funding or legislation that reflect the realities of today’s watersheds. There are many innovative new ideas for green approaches to water quality improvement, but no means to consider these in current regulatory structure. Basically today we have a regulatory tool kit that is designed to address problems that no longer exist and doesn’t give us the tools to address our new problems and potential solutions. And we don’t have integrated water programs that allow us to focus on high-priority needs and practical effective solutions. These problems will become even more challenging with population growth and climate change.

The Federation recognizes this dilemma and began efforts to evaluate the CWA around its 35th anniversary in 2007, when we hosted a series of conversations including a briefing on Capitol Hill, and sessions at WEFTEC and MA meetings. This fall we continue in these efforts and will be conducting a workshop (in cooperation with the Nicholas Institute of Duke University and the Johnson Foundation) to examine the problems in achieving our national goals of swimmable and fishable waters. A diverse group of experts will share their perspectives on CWA implementation and consider how its regulatory and enforcement history either facilitates or thwarts specific and emerging water quality challenges. We will also frame issues ripe for consideration during CWA reauthorization and define the best approach for moving ahead. Our hope is that the outcome will be a road map for a new path for helping the US achieve our national goals for water quality.

What are your views on this? Is the CWA broken? Can we meet our nationals goals on our current path? What do you see as the biggest problems and what solutions do you recommend? Please let us know - reply to this blog.

WEFTEC.09: Can’t Hide the Excitement!

2009-10-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

By Paul Bowen, Ph.D.

As I conclude my last year as chair of the WEFTEC Program Committee, I am—-as always—-truly excited by the meeting’s technical program. Here at WEFTEC.09, our comprehensive program highlights new and innovative research as well as featuring fresh approaches to proven programs and operations. And this year’s high-quality workshops are in a class by themselves--it’s really exciting to see how everything has come together!

WEFTEC is where you can meet and learn from some of the best and brightest minds in our field. They attend WEFTEC by the thousands and include my colleagues on the hard working and extraordinary Program Committee. We’ve stayed on top of trends and current events to offer exciting, up-to-date new sessions and workshops like the one on carbon footprinting. It is so stimulating and energizing to see state-of-the-art information come through in the program. If you can’t be in Orlando, you can visit the WEF website to see the WEFTEC Daily, posted today through Wednesday, to get a sense of the excitement here.

One technical session I’m extremely excited about is Water Footprinting, Stewardship, and Advocacy, exploring the roles of the public and private sector in water sustainability. This topic truly is cutting-edge and on the forefront of the water sector. The panel assembled for this session has industry leaders in developing this topic, and I know their presentations will generate excitement and interest.

As an old timer on this Committee (been on it for 26 years) I find every year is a fresh experience, and the personal and professional rewards keep coming. And I see that I’ve used some form of "excite" six times in this blog. That sort of repetition is a big nonstarter from a writer’s point of view. But from my own POV, I just still get excited about WEFTEC—-and it’s off to the Opening General Session!

Thanks for the Opportunities and the Memories

2009-09-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

By Rebecca West, 2008-2009 WEF President

Well I’m getting close to the end of my term, and I've got to say that it’s been an awesome ride! Like probably every other WEF President, I’m hoping to leave the Federation just a little bit further down the road in terms of providing the world’s best technical knowledge and training in water. To that end, I’m happy to report that Stormwater and Nutrients are two areas the Federation has targeted for resource development. And hot topics like these will be considered as a part of WEF’s latest efforts to “globalize” programming and products for a broader appeal to our members seeking a global perspective on water issues.

As I look back over the last year, it’s also been good to see other priorities take shape, like initiatives to strengthen the relationship between WEF and our outstanding MAs and a fresh look at communications.
That includes a redesigned WEF website for much better access and delivery of products and services – btw, check out our new website - what do you think? – and our focused discussions on water infrastructure in the media through the launch of the Liquid Assets program.

Cruising into next year as immediate past president, I’ll look forward to continued work with AWWA and EPA on our efforts to develop a clearinghouse for water sector education and related communications for water sector workforce issues. In addition, I look forward to supporting WEF’s continued efforts that further our mission of water as a global citizen – specifically in bringing access to clean and safe drinking water and sanitation to others in developing communities through our relationships with Water for People, the Peace Corps, and others. The strengthening of support for these efforts during this past year has been personally exciting to see take shape and further defines the critical connection between water and global health.

Perhaps most important, I’d like to leave with a big thank you to all of the wonderful volunteers, members and hard-working WEF staff who have made this year such a memorable and rewarding experience. It has been a privilege and honor to work with you all – now let’s have some fun at WEFTEC in a few weeks!

SYPC Gets Ready for Wet Work in Orlando

2009-09-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

By Haley Falconer, Chair of SYPC Service Project Subcommittee

I’m excited to report that WEF’s Students and Young Professionals Committee (SYPC) will definitely enhance the environment in Orlando this year at WEFTEC! On Saturday October 10th, around 80 volunteers from WEF, consulting firms, universities, and industry are joining forces to complete the second annual community service project, “Wading for Wetlands,” at the Northwest Water Reclamation Facility outside of Orlando. This year we are focusing on harvesting plants from an established part of the wetland and replanting them in undeveloped wetland areas.

Our main goals are to educate participants about the wetland treatment system and how wetlands are used to further remove nutrients from the reclaimed water prior to recharging sensitive aquifer systems. We’ll also encourage volunteers to share this knowledge in their communities. The SYPC service project will help Orange County increase the planted area in the wetlands, which in turn will enhance nutrient reduction by the wetlands, thus improving the overall system performance.

The SYPC, along with staff at the NWRF and WEF, is planning and coordinating the project, recruiting volunteers and sponsors, and most importantly, providing manual labor. A morning ceremony will be attended by WEF Past President Jim Clark and afternoon recognition will be given by WEF Immediate Past President Adam Zabinski.

The SYPC would like to encourage MAs to consider planning a service project for their annual meetings. This is a great way to recruit new members and young professionals, as well as give people a different outlet for furthering their involvement in the organization. It would be fantastic to have any interested MA leaders attend the service project in Orlando to see what the SYPC is up to.

The planning process will soon begin for the WEFTEC.10 third annual outreach project in New Orleans, Louisiana. If you would like more information on this project, please contact me at haleyfalconer@gmail.com. Meanwhile, we hope to see you in some Orlando wetlands next month!

Celebrating a Unified Voice for Water Reuse

2009-08-31T06:28:00.000-07:00

By Don Vandertulip, WEF Chair, Water Reuse Committee

As WEFTEC.09 and the WateReuse conferences approach, reclaimed water and water utility professionals can celebrate the unique relationship enjoyed between the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the WateReuse Association (WRA). Why celebrate? Because this special relationship directly and positively impacts the planet’s sustainable water resources. Both organizations direct attention to reclamation and other beneficial uses of the high quality water now produced from what years ago was called a sewer plant. Among other activities, they are working together in research projects and developing an alternative to plumbing code requirements for purple pipe that carries untreated wastewater.

Results also include expanded opportunities to learn and grow professionally. In fact, WEF and WRA are both supporting sessions to begin discussion of potential updates to the EPA Guidelines for Water Reuse at their respective national conferences. WEF is also a co-sponsor for the WRA Symposium to be held in Seattle September 13-16, 2009 and encourages its members and water professionals to attend the conference and become immersed in water reuse topics. If you can’t attend this west coast conference, remember that WEFTEC will be October 10-14 in Orlando.

WEF Water Reuse Committee members already know and appreciate that many WEF members are also members of WRA. We believe this co-participation reinforces our knowledge base and supports a unified voice for expanded reuse of water. And that unified voice bodes well for clean water.

From World Water Week: Thoughts on the SJWP

2009-08-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

By Bjorn von Euler, Director of Philanthropy, ITT Corporation

A number of innovations were highlighted at the Stockholm World Water Week event, some of them the result of corporate prizes. But I’ll talk about the prize closest to my heart - the Stockholm Junior Water Prize (full disclosure: the global sponsor is ITT).

Eighteen-year-old Ceren Burçak Dag, of Nisantasi, Turkey, won the prize for one of the coolest projects I’ve seen (of course, I say that every year): Dag’s research may show us a way to harness rainwater to produce electricity. Seeing Dag on stage, along with the 50 other young nominees from 29 countries, was both moving and inspiring.

Some of the other projects were as follows: Eileen Jang, of North Carolina and the U.S. winner, figured out how mercury builds in our water, which promises to help us better understand how it enters the human body. Mzwakhe Sifundo Xulu and Njabubulo Sihle Mbata, of South Africa, developed an inexpensive Auto Mechanical Tap that captures water from community faucets that would normally be wasted due to spillage. This promises to be a valuable tool for rural, arid communities, including their native South Africa.

One of the memories I will take away from this year’s Junior Prize is standing in front of one young nominee’s project and telling him it was very good. “Do you mean brilliant?” he said. I could only smile in response, so let me answer him now - yes, I meant brilliant.

Moments like these with aspiring young researchers remind me of why it’s so important to encourage innovation and creativity in water science. Brilliance is what we need to address today’s water quality challenges, and we saw it in Stockholm last week.

Thoughts on Katrina and Heroes

2009-08-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

By Adam Zabinski, 2008-2009 Immediate Past President of the Water Environment Federation (WEF)

The upcoming August 29 anniversary of Hurricane Katrina seems to always gets people thinking and talking (or in my case, blogging). Among the many things it’s come to symbolize, like failure of government emergency response, Katrina will always be a tragic reminder to me of the vulnerability of our water resources and the critical nature of the work we do as water quality professionals. I’m sure I’m not alone in remembering news accounts of individuals who did their best to keep their facilities operating under the most extreme circumstances, sometimes staying on the job while surrounded by flood waters in New Orleans. I was in awe of those heroic efforts and proud to be involved in water quality protection, and I salute everyone who worked to maintain the availability and safety of water during that difficult time. (In fact, please feel to share names and stories of “Katrina Water Heroes” by responding to this blog; I’m sure everyone would enjoy hearing about them.)

While we have fortunately not faced an environmental calamity on Katrina’s scale since then, there is still a huge, essential, and ongoing challenge to preserve and protect our water resources. It’s a job that demands real commitment and a genuine desire to protect public health and the environment through clean water. It is also a job that is done every day by members of the Water Environment Federation. We protect our families, our neighbors, and people we will never meet from the dreaded water borne diseases that are the scourge of most of our planet. Katrina symbolizes our achievement because even in those opportune conditions, we had no outbreaks.

I’d invite you to take a moment to read through some of the personal statements from our own WEF Water Heroes, water quality professionals who are working hard to keep our water clean and safe—all day every day. While (thankfully) there are no major wet weather events occurring on a regular basis, professionals in facilities across our country and around the world are ready. And they’re operating water and wastewater facilities to protect and deliver clean water, 24/7, every day. I’d call that heroic, too.

New TMDL Rulings Give Them Something to Talk About

2009-08-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

By Brooks Smith, Hunton & Williams LLP

The raging national dialogue on TMDLs moves into high gear next week in Minneapolis during TMDL 2009: Combining Science and Management to Restore Impaired Waters in Minneapolis. If you’re not a water quality junkie, stop here. If you are, you’ll be thrilled to hear that the comprehensive program includes scientists talking about new research like model development and advancements in water quality monitoring and evolving tools to implement effective TMDLs. Perhaps even better, representatives from source, nonpoint source, regulator, permittee, and environmental interests, and maybe even your next-door neighbor, will be there, and we expect lots of talk about the latest court rulings and what they mean for the nation’s watersheds.

Two new and controversial TMDL rulings, if widely applied, have the potential to turn the world of watershed management upside down. The first is from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the so-called Pinto Creek case, which deals with what to do with permits for new dischargers after a TMDL is in place. According to the Ninth Circuit, such permits may not be issued, even if they require offsets of equivalent or greater reductions in loading beyond existing conditions, unless and until all other regulated dischargers (and maybe even unregulated ones!) are subject to enforceable schedules of compliance to achieve their own allocations.

Anyone want to opine on what this will do to the pace of new permitting across the country? Egads!

The second is from a Vermont environmental court and deals with older TMDLs that have already been on the books for a few years. According to the court, these TMDLs may not control subsequent permit proceedings and may actually need to be re-evaluated as part of each proceeding to ensure that the original assumptions remain accurate. Let’s see, we have something like 60,000 TMDLs left to do around the country. And now we cannot even rely on the ones already in place! Read: budget, administrative and regulatory nightmare. There has got to be a better way to figure this out, so please go ahead and post some ideas! Meanwhile I hope to see you in Minneapolis.

On Microconstituents: Jury’s Out, Action’s in Baltimore

2009-07-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

By Joseph Cleary, P.E., BCEE
Principal, HydroQual, Inc.

When it comes to defining, managing, and decreasing the impact of microconstituents on human health and the environment, the jury is most definitely out. And beyond the need to learn so much more about microconstituents--the term we use to describe the natural and manmade substances ranging from drugs to personal care products that end up in water and must be assessed for potential impact on human health and the environment—-there’s a host of related issues to address. That’s exactly what’s happening in Baltimore next week at the Microconstituents and Industrial Water Quality 2009 Conference, where WEF and other leading public health organizations and stakeholders from around the world will take a hard look at the pressing and provocative subject of microconstituents. (This in addition to a comprehensive program on industrial wastewater.) As chair of the microconstituents portion of the meeting, I am very excited about the program the committee has put together.

Risk communication will definitely be in the spotlight at this meeting. Discussion of risks can be difficult in any field, but when you have engineers and other technical types in the communications mix, results can mystify or overwhelm the person on the street. For example, as more studies are done and analytical methods are developed and refined, we can expect more reports and findings that microconstituents are ubiquitous in the environment. To some non-technical ears that could sound scary!

As technical professionals, we know there is so very much to be learned about all the microconstituent variables like concentration, location, and frequency, which could comprise (or not) any risk to human health or the environment--not to mention developing sound scientific solutions based on what we learn. (See June 2009 New York Times article on what we can learn.) While there is no evidence to suggest risk to human health, we’ll continue to research, monitor, and evaluate microconstituents, and any potential challenges and remedies must be communicated accurately and effectively. (See WEF's Drug-Free Drains brochure.) That’s an essential part of our jobs as water quality professionals and one of many cutting-edge topics you can learn more about next week.

I think of microconstituents as an exciting new frontier when it comes to water--and Baltimore is the next outpost. Latest research, current best practices, and, yes, ways to communicate with the public--it’ll all be there. Come join us and be part of the action!

Nutrient Removal: Sustainable Solutions

2009-07-07T09:16:00.000-07:00

By Charles Bott, Conference Chair, WEF Nutrient Removal 2009 Conference

Last week WEF convened their second Nutrient Removal Conference: Sustainable Treatment Solutions. As chair, I had the challenging task of following up on a very successful 2007 event, but I had the assistance of great conference steering and planning committees as well as WEF staff to help with the program development.

While this year’s conference in Washington, D.C. was again located in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which has some of the most stringent nitrogen and phosphorus discharge limits in the world, it is clear that more widespread removal of nutrients from point sources is gaining momentum. Eutrophication and the growth of hypoxic zones such as in the Gulf of Mexico will be driving more broad-based nutrient removal.

From the beginning of the conference planning process, it was clear that the focus of nutrient removal from wastewater treatment plants had transformed drastically in less than two short years. In 2007, the focus was on removing nutrients to extremely low levels using new technologies and approaches. Looking back, there was surprisingly little discussion about carbon footprints, net environmental benefits, or water quality benefits achieved.

However, the direction of our sector has shifted and the makeup of our program reflected that change. Discussions about environmental and societal costs in addition to the usual financial costs framed our nutrient removal debates in the context of a triple bottom line approach. In a resource-constrained world, energy efficiency and resource recovery both play a role in a more sustainable approach to nutrient removal from wastewater.

In the Opening General Session, I asked the audience to focus on three efforts:

Reduce the cost and environmental footprint associated with removing nutrients. This will come from a focus on energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, lower chemical usage, resource recovery, and reliability of operations. Clearly, a continued focus on new and more cost-effective nutrient removal technologies is an important part of this challenge, but it must be balanced with environmental and societal cost concerns.

Move forward on the “new paradigm” of wastewater treatment and integrate these concepts into current planning and upgrades. This means thinking about wastewater as a resource for water reuse and reclamation and incorporating approaches such as decentralization and even source separation.

Engage the broader water quality community and the public. We will continue to make significant investments in our infrastructure. The understanding of the high quality effluent we produce can only increase the political will to further our nutrient removal efforts associated with more diffuse sources like urban stormwater, air deposition, and agriculture.

So what will be the focus of Nutrient Removal 2011? What issues or trends will shape our thoughts on the program and information needs for WEF’s members and beyond? Check back to the conference website and WEF’s Nutrient Removal Knowledge Center and let us know what you think.

SJWP: Taking It to the Next Level in Alaska

2009-06-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

By Erin Mosley, Chair of WEF's Stockholm Junior Water Prize Committee

This week, nearly 50 students and many of their teachers are travelling to Anchorage, Alaska, for the U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) Competition hosted by the Alaska Water Wastewater Management Association (AWWMA) and WEF. As the only major high school science competition focusing on the water environment, the SJWP offers its participants an opportunity to meet role models and peers who understand their projects and their passion for water quality issues. It’s also a different kind of competition...one that emphasizes collaboration, networking, and fun over “lone wolf” research.

The competition reaches a broad range of students through its multiple levels of competition. After projects are submitted online for the state level competition, many students are interviewed by water industry professionals from the WEF Member Associations (MAs). In this way, each MA plays a crucial role in connecting with these students and encouraging their interest.

The state winners arrive at the U.S. on-site competition to meet the judges and attend the award ceremony, but they leave with a network of friends and future colleagues developed through the social and educational events. Likewise, their teachers participate in an outreach program that encourages water-related curriculum and research over the long term. And the competition doesn’t stop there – we provide opportunities to publish, keep in touch, and more.

The SJWP program addresses so many areas of interest to WEF members that it is hard to list them all in one blog: workforce sustainability, career outreach, fueling future research, networking among up-and-coming water professionals, and strengthening ties between WEF and its MAs are only the first things that come to mind.

So as I travel to Anchorage to be a “coach” to a group of state winners for the fourth year running, my thanks go out to Stephanie Costello and others at WEF, the SJWP committee (which is always looking for new members), AWWMA and the volunteers in Alaska, our sponsors, each MA that has helped with state competitions and student/teacher airfares, and any other volunteer or friend who has touched this competition in the last decade.

Please contact us if you have ideas and would like to get involved. And make sure to check out the SJWP page soon for news on the U.S. winner and finalists. Cheers!

Nutrient Removal: Everywhere, All the Time?

2009-06-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

By Jeanette Brown, 2008-2009 Vice-President of the Water Environment Federation

As water quality experts know, many treatment plants throughout the United States are required to remove nitrogen, phosphorus or both. And if you manage or work at a utility like mine, in a region where nutrient removal is required, you know there are significant related costs, both capital and operating, as well as increased process monitoring requirements. As stewards of the environment, we take great pride not only meeting permit requirements but also in trying to achieve much greater removal of pollutants. Now we must all address a fundamental question as to whether or not every water body would benefit from nutrient removal. It’s complicated, because while we strive for the cleanest water possible, we understand this objective must be balanced against most effective use of environmental resources and diverse considerations that impact water quality at the regional and local levels.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has petitioned EPA to issue generally applicable nitrogen and phosphorus removal requirements for wastewater treatment plants. They contend that total phosphorous limits of 1.0 mg/L and total nitrogen limits of 8.0 mg/L are consistently attainable on an annual average basis using current secondary treatment technology. They also contend that many treatment plants are currently doing this with either a slight increase in cost or in some cases reduction of costs.

Many of us who currently operating nutrient removal plants have some concerns about this proposal because we understand how cold temperatures, wet weather and changing influent characteristics can impact nutrient removal efficiencies. In order to evaluate this petition, which will certainly be a hot topic at the upcoming Nutrient 2009 meeting, members of WEF and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) developed a questionnaire which has now been completed by many plants throughout the country. The results give us an understanding of the processes used at plants, whether or not they are doing nutrient removal, effluent quality, and costs. The goal is to provide EPA with expert advice as they continue to address nutrient criteria and issues.

Additionally WEF has convened a nutrient issues workgroup. This workgroup is assessing base line performance of conventional secondary treatment plants that evaluate how much nitrogen and phosphorus can be removed by the process. They are also evaluating state-of-the-art processes for nutrient removal, including cost and performance.

It is vitally important that we continue to thoroughly address this question of universal benefits of nutrient removal before any final decision is made to mandate generally applicable nutrient removal requirements. As stewards of clean water, we all have a stake in the answer, and I’d appreciate your thoughts.

P.S. You may want to check out the Nutrient Removal Knowledge Center on WEF's website for more information.

Water Regs Frozen in Time, Need Reinvention

2009-05-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

By Rebecca West, 2008-2009 President of the Water Environment Federation

New EPA administrators bring new opportunities to address environmental challenges, like improving our regulatory approach to the nation’s water resources. It was a big theme at the WEF/NACWA Clean Water Policy Forum earlier this month, where utility executives discussed our nation’s out-of-date water regulations. We talk about limited Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water Acts that do not connect water needs and resources at the state and local levels and folks generally agree that watershed management is the best approach to managing water. Water—supply and quality—is interconnected and should clearly be regulated that way, and it’s not under our current system.

Don’t get me wrong, both Acts were based on the best science and thinking at the time they were created and are very, very good. They’ve made tremendous progress, but they’ve run the course of a useful life, and we also know so much more today. Nonpoint source pollution, impacts from urbanization, you name it, there’s a whole new dimension in water management not reflected (no pun intended) in our current water regulations. Not to mention how climate change impacts water quality and supply through impact over time.

And unlike anything we have now, any revised legislation should emphasize a conservation ethic to address growing water scarcity and the importance of water reuse. People are undervaluing and over consuming water, and unfortunately we have not mustered the political will to begin asking them to use less!

Bottom line: let’s start with a blank sheet of paper and reinvent regulation from a watershed perspective, including every aspect of water resource management. Why not start by combining the SDWA and the CWA to create a single Water Act, and down the road from a global sustainability standpoint, the International Water Act? Just some thoughts from the recent Clean Water Policy Forum, what do you think?

Sharing the Sustainability Buzz

2009-05-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

By Peter T. Brady, B.E., Residuals and Biosolids Committee Chair

At the residual and biosolids meeting in Portland last week, sustainability through effective residuals management could be described as a shared vision…or the major buzz. Topics like benefits of land application where appropriate and increased plant efficiency were discussed everywhere. And presentations on green energy and energy renewal were especially popular among older and younger attendees alike. That’s actually why I’m blogging.

In addition to creating leading-edge optimization solutions and tools for today’s residuals managers, our field must continue to attract and cultivate a new generation of young professionals (YPs). The Residuals and Biosolids Committee (RBC) is addressing sustainability from both perspectives because to make sustainability work, we need a sustainable workplace.

Green energy savers like the incinerator Cleveland upgraded to generate electricity or the report on carbon emissions presented last week are great for at least two reasons…they contribute to our profession’s knowledge base and they attract the YPs who want to fix the environment. While we build on a solid range of best practices and operations to sustain the environment through smart residuals management, we must communicate the very real opportunities to protect public health and the environment. And we should do that through venues where YPs seek information (like blogs)-- and encourage their involvement. The time to reach out has never been better.

As we saw in Portland, big things are happening in residuals management, a field bursting with innovative and practical ways to improve our environment. WEF and the RBC continue to work toward developing the best possible technical information and resources, making them available in formats that work for experienced residuals professionals as well as YPs who may be exploring the field for the first time. (Visit the Residuals and Biosolids Conference Proceedings page to see materials from recent RBC meetings.) And the RBC has challenged each of its subcommittees to increase their number of active YPs, through social media, old-fashioned networking or whatever else works, and we’ll review our progress at WEFTEC. We need YP involvement, and so does a sustainable planet.

Value for Members Remains Top WEF Priority

2009-04-27T08:15:00.000-07:00

By Bill Bertera, WEF Executive Director

WEF is in the best financial shape of its long history...still, we expect our operations--and our members--to be significantly affected by the recession. Like utilities and companies across the country, and indeed, around the world, we will be doing business differently to meet tough economic challenges. For the record, one thing won’t change, and that’s our focus on delivering top quality training and education for water quality professionals.

WEF will continue to provide the best possible value for stretched member dollars even as we adjust current spending. It’s the Federation’s job to help you protect public health and the environment, and we are adapting our programs to meet your needs and resources.

We understand that travel is more difficult for many of our members, so we are putting new emphasis on distance learning technologies like free webcasts. Budgets for education and training are strained...we are adding more free content to our websites in response. Resources for innovation are strapped...we are emphasizing cutting-edge material and technologies in our educational offerings, including WEFTEC, our specialty conferences and our seminars. And of course, we continue to focus on providing our members with the latest information on new funding for wastewater projects, a big topic at next week’s 2009 National Clean Water Policy Forum sponsored by WEF and NACWA.

This is a hard time for both the public and private sector, and WEF is here to make it a little less so. Already there are signs that the recession may be softening, but we have a long way to go yet. Together we will get there.

Please take a moment to let us know what you think and what else WEF could do to be of more help still.

Show Me the Green Infrastructure

2009-04-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

By Paul Freedman, 2008-2009 President-Elect of WEF

The other day I was having a discussion about the current stimulus bill and potential set asides for green practices, when a thought hit me: are we as a profession and as individuals really walking the talk, or merely looking for handouts? Put another way, have we fully embraced a new mentality about adopting green practices or are we just being politically correct to win federal money?

I am happy to say, that WEF as an organization and as a professional association talks the talk, and walks the walk. WEF has a Community of Practice on Sustainability with more than 100 members and has provided professionals with hundreds of presentations, papers, and articles on related topics including a specialty conference on sustainability in 2008 and another planned for 2010; we’ve also been quite active in legislative and regulatory affairs advocating for green practices. Beyond all this, WEF is demonstrating our commitment through implementation of our WEFeco program which is aimed at reducing the organization’s carbon footprint through individual and organizational actions, and will ultimately help other organizations go green with similar efforts. This has included everything from reducing our energy usage and paper usage to recycling and even installing a green roof and terrace(come by and admire it or read about it in the April issue of Highlights.

So especially in light of upcoming Earth Day celebrations, I am proud to be part of an organization that is advocating and embracing green practices. As experts and stewards of the water environment, we do have an obligation to lead, by voice and by example. And who is more qualified to lead efforts to redesign water and land-use infrastructure for communities that are greener, better for the environment and more livable and sustainable? What are you doing, both as a part of your organization and as an individual? I challenge you to take a moment and share an example of what you or your company or organization is doing in the way of green practices or more specifically, infrastructure. Thanks in advance for your post and your commitment to a cleaner, greener environment.

Thoughts from the World Water Forum

2009-03-31T07:10:00.000-07:00

By Rebecca West, WEF President

During the World Water Forum V, held in Istanbul, Turkey, March 16-22, 2009, I was one of more than 25,000 participants who discussed themes including the following:

Global Change and Risk Management;
Advancing the Human Development and the Millennium Development Goals (MDG);
Managing and Protecting Water Resources;
Governance and Management;
Finance;
Education, Knowledge and Capacity Development.

The theme that struck me as most important was Advancing Human Development, which prompted discussions on the need to provide access to sanitation and clean drinking water in developing areas with growing populations and the resulting water scarcity and degraded water quality. It seems to me that once access to sanitation and clean drinking water is available--whether in developing or industrialized areas of the world--that communities and their residents can develop; then the other five forum water themes could be addressed.

For communities across this planet to survive and then thrive, access to basic sanitation and clean water is the first and most essential requirement. I’ve had opportunities to witness this first hand, most recently during a personal trip to Kidete, Tanzania. A small village of around 700 people, Kidete is located on the outskirts of Iringa, Tanzania (population around 180,000 people). It’s an area blessed with frequent rainfall, but access to water is a challenge due to changing weather patterns and an expanding population requiring water for living and for growing food.

As seen in this photo, Kidete residents must seek available water sources each day for their daily drinking, cooking, bathing, washing and crop growth. A consistent and ample water supply would begin to completely change this village: children could attend school, women could better attend to the daily chores of growing and gathering food for their families (or perhaps even begin a small business or go back to school), babies would be born with better birth weights and a greater chance of living beyond their toddler years. Once this happens, Kidete and villages like it could develop a better standard of living and focus on protecting their water supply because they understand the value of water and what it means for each day of their lives. Then water issues related to governance, management, finance, education, and capacity development will take shape and more complex water issues related to global change and risk management could be considered.

Basic access to sanitation and clean drinking water is a right of all people, and I offer these thoughts to show that human development really does depend on that right. So do global water solutions.

Sound Science: Water Quality Monitoring

2009-03-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

Carl Myers, Assistant Director, WEF Government Affairs

Recently joining the WEF staff a few years removed from my former EPA life, I was cheered by the new Administration’s focus on sound science, clearly stated by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson:

“Science must be the backbone for EPA programs. The public health and environmental laws that Congress has enacted depend on rigorous adherence to the best available science.”

A critical component of applying sound science, the need to collect, analyze and wisely use good water data, including the robust ambient and related water quality monitoring efforts necessary to provide good data, cannot be overlooked. In these tough economic times, we must appreciate the array of monitoring efforts now underway at Federal, State and local levels and do whatever we can as water professionals to cooperatively support and improve all our monitoring efforts.

WEF has long supported the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program administered by USGS in cooperation with many others. NAWQA is a well-designed and implemented water quality monitoring program producing both national and State/local data and results helpful to informing water management decisions. WEF, in cooperation with USGS, has sponsored a continuing series of congressional briefings to make sure NAWQA findings are understood and discussed by national leaders. The next congressional briefing, which as always is open free to the public, will discuss new findings about the quality of our nation’s private drinking water wells. “The Quality of Our Nation’s Private Drinking Water Wells: Are Current Contaminant Levels Above Public Health Benchmarks?” is scheduled for Friday, March 27 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. in the Cannon Caucus Room of the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, DC. No RSVP is required for attendance. For more information, contact Donna Myers (dnmyers@usgs.gov, 703-648-5012) at USGS or Nick Bardis (nbardis@wef.org, 703-684-2400 x7731) at WEF.

Supporting water quality monitoring should include encouraging everyone, not just water professionals, to both understand and participate in water monitoring. WEF and the International Water Association in partnership with a wide range of sponsors have been helping local participants observe World Water Monitoring Day™ (WWMD). In 2008, more than 73,000 people worldwide visited their local streams, rivers, lakes, and other waterbodies to take basic water quality measurements in celebration of World Water Monitoring Day, marking a 60% increase in participation from 2007. WWMD is officially observed each year on Sept. 18. Beginning in 2009, participants will be able to monitor and report data to the WWMD database from March 22 (World Water Day) until Dec. 31. The goal is to engage 1 million people in monitoring their local waterways by 2012. For more information, see the World Water Monitoring Day 2008 Year in Review, available at www.WorldWaterMonitoringDay.org or by request at wwmd@wef.org.

NAWQA and WWMD are just two examples of how WEF is supporting and advancing water quality monitoring. It’s important that all water professionals work together to help develop the best possible monitoring data to support sound science even as we go full-speed-ahead on watershed management actions.

Global Water Stewardship and WEF

2009-03-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

By Paul Freedman, 2008-2009 President-Elect of WEF

During this very recent bitter cold spell my water pipes froze, and I was without water. Albeit a short time, still this helped me really appreciate the importance of having adequate, clean and safe water. Yet, we know that here in the US, and globally, the sustainability of our water supplies is continually threatened by pollution, excessive demands, and now climate change. So, as an organization of water professionals, we at WEF asked, “what can we do to help mitigate these threats?” At our last meeting, the WEF Board of Trustees passed a resolution to partner with the Alliance for Water Stewardship to promote and recognize good practices among large water users and providers.

As water quality professionals know, water scarcity is a human health and economic threat. In 2003, the US and the GAO predicted that 46 states will experience water shortages within 10 years, and we have already seen dangerous levels of drought across the continental map. Areas of historically stable supplies like the southeast came dangerously close to depleting their available supplies just two years ago, while sunbelt areas in the south and Southwest are perennially short. Globally, insufficient and unsafe water supplies are problems for over a billion people, causing an estimated 1.6 million deaths every year. Industries and even whole economies of countries are often threatened by water shortages. So when it comes to water, smart conservation, effective allocation, and wise use are essential to public health, economics, and the environment worldwide. (See WEF's resources on water reuse.) Governments and users share responsibility for the solutions.

Per the Board resolution I mentioned earlier, WEF is now helping launch the Alliance for Water Stewardship. The Alliance is an international partnership of like-minded organizations with the objective to develop a set of principles and good practices for large water users and providers, including industry and all types of water utilities. We have a 3-year goal to develop a global certification program with a vision to recognize water users and managers who are responsible water stewards, protecting and enhancing freshwater resources for people and nature. The program builds on global scientific and policy research on “water footprints” and the desire to not only minimize wasteful water uses but also undertake practices that can protect and replenish the availability of safe clean water in individually stressed watersheds and groundwater aquifers.

There are numerous international efforts to define sustainable practices, and in many cases we certify those good steward practitioners in everything from forestry to commercial fisheries. However, sustainable water is a foundation for all of those industries. Water is not only essential to life, it’s a foundation for our food supply, our economy, and our global ecology. So WEF members, as the professional “stewards” of the water environment, we have a responsibility to lead and establish practices that will insure a sustainable future for clean, safe water. That’s why we are supporting the Alliance for Water Stewardship.

What do you think? Add a blog reply. If you want more information please contact me or Matt Ries at the Water Environment Federation.

SYPC Brings Community Service to WEFTEC®

2009-02-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

By Haley Falconer, WEF Students and Young Professionals Committee (SYPC) member

I am very excited to have the opportunity to blog about the success that the Students and Young Professionals Committee (SYPC) has had regarding our first service project as well as plans for WEFTEC.09. It was at WEFTEC.07 in San Diego when the SYPC first discussed participating in a service project, and at the time, the group wanted something that would engage the young (and seasoned) WEF SYPC members as well as give our group something we could put our name on and be proud of. The initial goal was to complete a couple of small projects in Chicago and Orlando with an ultimate objective of finishing a large project for the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans (WEFTEC.10).

The project we selected in Orlando, Fla. for WEFTEC.09 is a wetland replanting as a part of the Orange County Utilities Northwest Water Reclamation Facility (NWRF). NWRF is an advanced secondary treatment system with a permitted treatment capacity of 7.5 MGD that is located in the northwest part of the County, about 30 miles from the WEFTEC.09 conference location.

This project includes harvesting plants from established parts of the wetlands and replanting them in other areas that currently have a limited amount of plants. The wetlands system consists of six cells planted with native plants and includes approximately 75 acres of land; this project, however, will focus on one wetland cell. Volunteers will have the opportunity to learn about a wetland treatment system and how wetlands are used to further remove nutrients from secondary effluent.

The work will be completed on the Saturday of WEFTEC, and each volunteer will hopefully plant around 20 plants. We estimate that about 100 students and young professional volunteers will gain hands-on experience with reclaimed water and learn how reclaimed water is integrated with water supply sources by supplementing wetlands treatment with advanced secondary wastewater treatment process and lake augmentation. There is also potential for a community education part of this project that will be further developed in the future.

The success of the first SYPC service project in Chicago added energy and enthusiasm to the Orlando project. Around 60 volunteers at a neighborhood park (Pulaski Park) helped with that project, titled "Gettin’ Out of the Gutter," which focused on building and planting a rain garden. WEF SYPC collaborated with the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT, Chicago); the Chicago Park District; the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago; and the Illinois Water Environment Association to plan and coordinate the project, recruit volunteers and sponsors, and provide construction labor. The Illinois WEA will also maintain the rain garden. We look forward to this sort of corroboration in Orlando! For more information contact me at haleyfalconer@gmail.com or Rebecca McLarty at McLartyRG@cdm.com.

P.S. Due to the success of the SYPC’s first service project and the momentum and anticipation of the next project, our group would like to challenge each WEF Member Association to participate in a service project of their own. This is an opportunity for each MA to get out and make a difference in our own communities. Many small projects can have a huge impact, and I hope that this is a continuation of a tradition of service through WEF!

On Turning Waste into Watts…

2009-02-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

By Jeanette Brown, Vice President of WEF

As WEF vice president, I testified before the House Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee this morning about protecting water quality and public health more economically and efficiently. It was extremely rewarding and an experience I will certainly never forget.

It was really inspiring to be able to place our shared goal for sustainable water infrastructure squarely on the new administration’s radar screen. (Read full testimony.) As water quality professionals, we know that the proper treatment of our water makes significant demand for energy, the cost of which cannot be overlooked or underestimated. Energy efficiency and energy independence are essential to sustainable wastewater treatment. We are concerned about the high use and cost of energy (over 30% of a utility’s operating budget!) as well as the age of water infrastructure. As members of the Water Environment Federation, we have continually taken a proactive approach to address conservation and renewable energy using technology and innovation. WEF has documented this commitment to the environment and our water through conferences, papers, forums, and publications. (See WEF's Sustainability & Energy Knowledge Center.) I’m optimistic that key legislators understand this now, too.

But perhaps as important as all of that is a major evolution in thinking where wastewater utilities are beginning to be viewed as big players in conserving or even supplying energy, rather than energy consumers or waste generators. It’s a paradigm shift advanced by cost, climate change, and sustainability considerations. In fact, we initiated a pilot study and scaled research program for the conversion of wastewater biosolids to synthetic gas (www.stamfordbiogas.com) at my own utility with the support of the Federal Department of Energy. As discussed this morning, other new approaches that can turn waste to energy, generate electricity and income, or use energy efficiently are taking place across the country and around the world.

We like to say that the success of our sustainable future will be “CTI”; Conservation, Technology, and Innovation. We are the people who can turn waste into watts! I was grateful for today’s opportunity to shed some light on this topic and feel truly honored to be part of this wonderful community of environmental stewards and professional practitioners who dedicate their lives to the preservation of our most valued resource, our water.

The Future Ain’t What it Used to Be: Climate Change Considerations for Your Utility’s Infrastructure Planning

2009-01-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

By Matt Ries
Managing Director of Technical and Educational Services at the Water Environment Federation

I recently attended the First National Expert and Stakeholder Workshop on Water Infrastructure Sustainability and Adaptation to Climate Change, joining over 130 other EPA and other federal agency water and climate experts; academics; NGO and association representatives; and consultants. The two-day workshop was sponsored by the US EPA Office of Water and Office of Research and Development, and results and input from participants will be used to help direct EPA’s water-related climate research and other initiatives. I took away three main points from the plenary presentations and subsequent concurrent sessions:

1. The impacts of climate change are already occurring. Jim Hanlon, Director of the EPA Office of Wastewater Management stated that “we are beyond the question of whether climate change is occurring and moving toward looking at how utilities can adapt” while other speakers outlined climate change impacts to water utilities. Sea level rise is impacting water intakes, outfalls, sea walls, and other infrastructure near oceans while saltwater intrusion becomes more prevalent. Storms of increased intensity result in flooding and can overwhelm infrastructure. Droughts decrease water supplies while at the same time increasing the demand for water. Changing patterns of snowfall and snowmelt deviate from historical hydrological patterns and challenge infrastructure designed for different conditions. Increasing water temperatures impacts water quality - what does this mean if your NPDES permit is a function of the assimilative capacity of the receiving waters?

2. There is a need for climate models to provide sound, reliable data that can support specific planning efforts. As one modeler with over 4 decades of modeling experience stated, climate change models are the most complex – and the uncertainties greater – than any other type of environmental model he’s worked with. That said, climate models and computing power continue to improve. Down-scaling climate models to useful resolutions remains a challenge even with great strides over the past few years. While most models shown predict increases in temperatures, resulting precipitation patterns and, for example, CSO frequencies range from slightly lower percentages to much higher percentages depending on the model. But, as EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water Michal Shapiro concluded, “we can’t wait for the perfect answer” to address climate change.

3. Stationarity is dead. A February 2008 Science article, “Stationarity is Dead: Whither Water Management” (see www.sciencemag.org, vol. 319, page 573) described the need for a new approach to predict hydrologic patterns for water resource planning. Yogi Berra’s quote in the title of this blog reflects how planners used to be able to use past patterns to predict the future using the concept of stationarity, “the idea that natural systems fluctuate within an unchanging envelope of variability.” However, the article authors and many at the workshop assert that recent changes in the earth’s climate are producing uncertainties that go beyond human impacts and natural variability in the hydrologic cycle that could be accounted for in previous planning approaches. So is that pump station you just built with the elevation of the designated 100-year floodplain at risk if future precipitation patterns don’t correspond to historical norms and we’re seeing 100-year storms roll though every couple of years?

So what’s a utility to do? For a start, thinking about incorporating flexibility in both operations and design into your system’s infrastructure. The workshop discussions outlined a need to provide methods and models to adequately assess infrastructure risk, including vulnerability assessments, something the EPA Office of Water will be working on. These tools will be needed to help utilities properly evaluate alternatives in light of relative risks. Also, consider dual-benefit solutions and approaches - Dr. Steven Buchberger of the University of Cincinnati noted that aging infrastructure and climate change are “complimentary, concurrent challenges.” What about incorporation of multi-benefit green infrastructure into stormwater mitigation plans? Drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure can last half a century or longer, meaning changes in climate that may not be evident for decades will impact the infrastructure you’re planning, designing, and building today. And a visit to WEF’s Knowledge Center on Sustainability & Climate Change could also help in your planning.

There is clearly a dichotomy to addressing this issue. Most of the utilities presenting at the workshop were from large, metropolitan areas and in the breakout discussions, it was noted that small to medium utilities are having trouble “keeping their heads above water” (no pun intended by the participant, I’m sure), much less worrying about climate change. Also, it is clear that some utilities in some states, such as California, are moving forward with plans for adaptation and working on mitigation efforts while in other parts of the country, climate change is not on the radar screen yet. What are you doing, if anything, to incorporate CC into your planning, designs, and operations and how do you think water utilities can meet yet another challenge to providing a quality, consistent product and continue protecting the public’s health?

Water Infrastructure: Yes We Can!Historic Moment, Historic Opportunity

2009-01-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

By Robert Matthews
Senior Vice President of CDM and Chair of the Water Environment Federation's Government Affairs Committee

A new Congress has arrived in D.C., and the nation’s first African American president has taken the Oath of Office. Barack Obama, who faces challenges unprecedented in modern American history, promises significant change in the way the U.S. operates at home and abroad. The whole world will be watching, including WEF members.

One of the new President’s top priorities is a one trillion—(no typo, that’s Trillion)--dollar stimulus package to jumpstart our ailing economy, including, potentially, a record-breaking level of funding for water infrastructure funding—seven to 20 billion dollars. That means more dollars in 2009 than was ever available through the water construction grants of the 1970s! Congress is currently debating the details—-including what type of projects to fund, use of grants and/or loans, starting “shovel-ready” projects in 120 days or moving to a two-year program, and WEF member concerns are certainly on their radar screen.

Since WEFTEC, we have written a letter to the Congressional leadership supporting the inclusion of water infrastructure funding in any stimulus package; recommended that 20 billion dollars be set aside for water as part of the WIN coalition (view letter); asked WEF members to encourage their congressional representatives to support clean water and provided sample letters for their use, and worked with the National Resources Defense Council and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies to collect examples of green infrastructure projects could be funded. WEF also provided EPA with recommendations for streamlining State Revolving Fund (SRF) requirements to expedite the spending of new funding.

As of this writing, this stimulus package is expected to be finalized by mid-February, so that means there is still time for action! Those of us in the water business know that we can never do enough to make sure our elected officials provide needed support. WEF members should write their Congressional representatives in support of water infrastructure funding as part of the stimulus. You can also find out what your own state is planning, and sign up for the Government Affairs Committee (GAC)’s free February 2 webcast, Stimulus Funding for Wastewater Infrastructure: How Much May be Available and What Can it Mean for My Community? I will be hosting the webcast and expect that the timely and stimulating discussion by our panel of experts will provide you key information that you will need to know to obtain funding. Meanwhile you may also want to visit www.WaterIsLife.net, where you can find many useful tools that help communicate the importance of water infrastructure investment to the public.

In short, the moment is now and the opportunity is here. Let’s work together and rebuild the nation’s clean water infrastructure. To quote the new President, yes we can!

We Wanted It to Go to Reuse, And They Said No (So What Do We Do About It?)

2009-01-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

By Rebecca West
President of the Water Environment Federation

Happy New Year Waterbloggers! I was going to blog about all my priorities for this year as WEF president, (yes, it’s true), but in the interests of space (and keeping your attention), I’ll cut right to the chase on what’s the biggest deal to me and maybe you, too. That priority is a focus on water reuse and how we maximize its effectiveness to relieve stressed global water supplies and underscore the connection to public health.

My thought is that to be successful, we have to look beyond the related science and technology to make it happen. In addition to the science and technology, the social, cultural, and economic aspects of what it means to make water reuse a commonly accepted practice to preserve our water resources must be addressed--science alone is one justification for the effective reuse practices that are so vital to sustainability of our water resources. We’ve all had or heard of experiences where communities have rejected water recycling or biosolids land application programs for reasons ranging from affordability to some sort of fecal phobia. Sort of like that popular song, we wanted it to go to reuse, they said no, no, no. That’s why a more holistic approach—and sharing that broader thinking through the water quality field--will be absolutely essential to successful water sustainability.

I’m very excited about WEF’s upcoming disinfection conference, Disinfection 2009, which happens February 28 to March 3 in Atlanta, Ga., where the social, cultural and economic aspects of how to translate the developed water research and technology into successful and sustainable programs for the disinfection of water resources in developing country environments will be addressed. Chaired by Gary Hunter (Black and Veatch) and Daniele Lantagne, (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), this event will also serve to ramp up that connection between our work and public health. I’m hoping we’ll see more training, conferences, and forums that add new dimensions to water reuse in the very near future.

Please take a few moments to let us know what you think about the importance of going beyond the science in public communications about water reuse. What has been your experience and how can we best educate the public and build awareness about the role of reuse in global water sustainability? It’s a big question for all of us, but it’s one that I know we can answer together.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts or comments.

Share the Joy of Access to Water

2008-12-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

By Rebecca West
President of the Water Environment Federation

Hello WEF members and other waterbloggers! I just got back from a trip to Kenya (traveling for personal business, not as a WEF representative), where every day was a reminder that although access to water is an absolute necessity, it’s not a given in many places. For example, due to the lack of or intermittent rainfall, many people and communities had to locate the closest available water and go get it for daily living. In fact, this picture
shows villagers pulling water from a neighboring rainwater collection tank to provide access to water in their area.

I’d go even further and say access to water is a right to which every person on this planet is entitled. And we as water quality professionals understand the challenges to providing clean water worldwide complicated by factors like population growth and climate change. At the Water Environment Federation, we embrace a technical commitment to clean water, and it can be put to good use through special partnerships that offer WEF members opportunities to apply their expertise in ways that make a difference. Engineers Without Borders and Water for People, a WEF charity of choice, are just two organizations of many that would put your own time or financial contributions to further ensure people across our blue planet can gain access to water and sanitation.

So this holiday season, I ask you to support an organization that works to provide global access to water and sanitation and share the joy of access to water and protection of their health through access to sanitation with those less fortunate. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate the abundance we have and underscore the importance of extending this very basic right to those less fortunate. Meanwhile, thanks for all you do to protect public health and the environment every day and very best wishes for peace and happiness in the coming year.

Protecting Our Purple Pipes

2008-12-01T11:59:00.000-08:00

By Don Vandertulip, PE
Chair, WEF Water Reuse Committee

I’ll start at the beginning of this important issue, which is ultimately about organizations working together to protect public health and sustainable water supplies. Purple is the standard color for pipe adopted by the international utility industry to distribute municipally treated reclaimed water. In late June 2008, a question was raised alerting water reuse professionals to a proposed plumbing code that would require use of purple pipe for all graywater systems. The proposal was embedded in updates to the 2009 Uniform Plumbing Code under final development by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) and the indication was all reuse organizations had approved it. IAPMO used the Canadian CSA B128 Design and Installation of NonPotable Systems as a guide to coordinate with international standards.

Utility members and reuse professionals at the Water Environment Association (WEF), the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the WateReuse Association (WRA) were not aware of this proposed change, and they responded—along with several state health departments—based on a three-decade history of distributing high-quality reclaimed water through purple pipe and gaining public support for highly treated reclaimed water. Their concerns included:

Potential cross connections between two purple pipe systems with significantly different quality;

The public could be exposed to inadequately treated water in a municipal purple pipe system contaminated by an on-site cross connection; and,

Public exposure and cross connections would negatively impact public confidence in the municipal reclaimed water system.

Based on this feedback, a joint letter signed by Executive Directors of WEF, AWWA, and WRA was submitted to IAPMO on September 24, 2008. I believe this letter represents the first letter endorsed by the three organizations in a common effort to eliminate a public health threat. In a separate action, Florida Department of Health (FDEP) sent a letter protesting the proposed Code.

Discussions at WEFTEC.08 among representatives of IAPMO and all three water groups regarding Code revision revealed that the issue included not only on-site graywater systems but also other sources of alternate water to include rainwater harvested water, stormwater, and air conditioning condensate and showed that other entities unfamiliar with reclaimed water production might influence its use, distribution, and quality.

Based on all of the input they received, IAPMO formed a Task Group to review the proposed code requirements and to develop alternative code requirements acceptable to plumbing code inspectors and municipal utility providers. I was appointed to this committee to represent WEF and WRA, while Alan Rimer, Chair of the AWWA Water Reuse Committee will represent AWWA.

The bottom line is that technical solutions will be developed for consideration by both reclaimed water utility interests and plumbing code enforcement officials. Water utilities and professionals have done a good job of “branding” purple pipe and educating constituents within the immediate service area about the value of reclaimed water use to the community. It is now apparent that water professionals, utilities, and state health departments must become more involved with local, state and national building code development to ensure that highly treated reclaimed water protects public health and guards against public exposure to inadequately treated alternate waters originating from on-site treatment units. I believe this increased involvement should include:

Improved communications between IAPMO and professionals from the water field by providing technical presentations to educate each other about their respective approaches to public health;

Improved education within our own house-including utility, health and environmental department professionals so we can recognize well-intended efforts by others that may impact the value of our purple pipe liquid assets;

Evaluation, by utilities, of state and local regulations that may be in conflict with the Plumbing Codes adopted by the local communities and direct communication with the state entities to provide clear regulations protective of public health without causing regulatory conflict; and,

Identification of additional common code/public health concerns related to use of non-potable water on property also served with potable water that should be mutually addressed.

The IAPMO Task Group and greater utility awareness are good starts. It is incumbent on all water utility professionals to work toward improved recognition of design controls and regulations that are supportive of public health and sustainable water supply solutions. Meanwhile, I’d invite you to visit www.iapmo.org to learn more about this important code development organization and watch for further developments as we all work together for a cleaner environment.

Liquid Assets: It’s Time to Review the Nation’s Portfolio

2008-11-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

By Rebecca West
President of the Water Environment Federation

You’ve probably heard it said that when the market’s down, it’s time to invest. Although I can’t speak to personal financial decisions (that’s someone else’s blog), public investment in the nation’s aging infrastructure--especially our drinking water and wastewater systems--makes a lot of sense and seems to be gaining some traction as one way to address our current economic woes through job creation and so forth. But beyond infrastructure funding as an economic stimulus, it’s simply past time for communities across the country to review their water infrastructure investments. And in light of declining revenues and the challenges of financing future debt, communities everywhere will want to make sure they can continue to provide water and sewer services that protect public health and maintain quality of life. All of this is pushing the community dialogue about where to get the best value for infrastructure investments, and that’s a very good thing.

I just got back from a great North Carolina Water Environment Association meeting, where of course the growing national focus on infrastructure (and the potential for increased funding) was a hot topic, and I heard some pretty interesting ideas. One was that economic considerations plus infrastructure demands could result in scenarios where communities combine their resources to address infrastructure issues. Evidently that’s already happening in some areas, and we are likely to see more in the future, especially as we get even more broadly into management from a watershed perspective and as communities explore the most cost-effective ways to provide essential water and sewer services to their customers.

The other thought that really surprised me during dinner conversations was whether or not water utilities should be lumped in with failing corporations in terms of government assistance. Yes we all recognize that our water infrastructure badly needs a cash infusion, but do we want that as part of an economic bailout by government? After all, infrastructure problems have resulted from a failure to invest and will this fact lead the public to believe that our water infrastructure problems are a result of poor management or a lack of leadership? I wanted to share these thoughts with you because they speak to the ongoing philosophical discussion of whether investments into water infrastructure should be made by the national government or made and defined at the local level?

One way or another, it looks like public infrastructure awareness is going up, and in our case must be raised to a level where citizens understand their health and quality of life depend on water infrastructure investment and are willing to support it. This is our BIG opportunity as water quality professionals to work to build public understanding of water’s value, its connection to public health, and the vital need for resources to support smart, sustainable management of the water environment.

“Water Is Life, and Infrastructure Makes It Happens™” can help us strike while the proverbial iron is hot. Initiated by WEF with support from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), Water Is Life at www.WaterIsLife.net is a program designed to mobilize grass roots support by providing utilities with professional outreach tools including brochures and bill stuffers, ads and public service announcements, webcasts, and much, much more. For example, in Spartanburg, infrastructure education, including Water Is Life materials, have helped us engage in ongoing community discussions and attract media attention to our water infrastructure issues.

The centerpiece of Water Is Life’s 2008-09 program is “Liquid Assets: The Story of Water Infrastructure,” a $1 million documentary project produced by Penn State Public Broadcasting that examines the critical role water infrastructure plays in protecting public health and promoting economic livability. You might be interested to know that WEF provided financial support to this important project and is working with NACWA, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and others to increase viewership of the program and build local coalitions to create one voice for water infrastructure.

The program is airing around the country (check the latest schedule), and I’d encourage all of you waterbloggers to contact your local PBS station, request airings in your communities, and do everything you can to spread the word. I’d also appreciate any comments or additional thoughts about today’s column, so feel free to blog away!

Take A Walk on the Wet Side: Do You Know Your Water Footprint?

2008-10-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

By Rebecca West
President of the Water Environment Federation

I'm honored to post the very first blog for the Water Environment Federation, and we hope it’s the beginning of many conversations that will get folks thinking and talking about water. Water was definitely all the buzz last week at WEFTEC.08™ in Chicago, where 2008 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate Professor John Anthony Allan, of King’s College London, was the keynote speaker who inspired so many with his comments on virtual water, including yours truly.

The idea of virtual water--basically how much water is needed to produce the food, clothes, and other goods and services we use every day—is a whole new way of looking at water conservation and sustainability. Much as ‘carbon footprints’ define amounts of energy consumption that can be reduced to improve the environment, virtual water helps define our individual water consumption in terms of water footprints. It’s not at all like the ways we are used to thinking and talking about water.

Like many of us in this business, I’ve spent much of my professional life talking about water conservation in terms of taking shorter showers, turning off water when you brush your teeth, minimizing outdoor water use and not using your toilet as a trashcan. These ideas are readily shared when we talk about water conservation, but despite our constant education and outreach, I’m not sure people are really thinking about all the water they use, much less changing their behavior. But here is an idea - what if water quality experts start talking about smaller water footprints instead of shorter showers? I wonder what impact we may have in affecting people’s “water behavior” if we started doing this?

I encourage you to visit http://www.waterfootprint.org to find out that water footprint size varies depending on many things including lifestyle, product choices, even nationality. According to the Water Footprint Network, in China the annual water footprint is 700 cubic meters per person versus 2500 cubic meters per person in the United States. Some of that difference relates to products created with domestic water resources versus products created using water from outside the country. There are other considerations such as diet, and we like our hamburgers!

It takes 16,000 liters of water to produce just 1 kilogram of beef. So if you have a salad for lunch instead of a hamburger, you can reduce your water footprint (and save a few calories in the process!) It’s all about understanding how the choices you make impact the water we have, and it’s time to get the conversational ball rolling down the road to a greener, more sustainable future!

Meanwhile I invite you to visit http://www.waterfootprint.org and find out more about what it takes to reduce your own water footprint. And I ask you to share your comments and ideas for reducing personal water footprints here on the WEF WaterBlog.