City facing civil penalty for overflow and E. coli violations at wastewater treatment plant
The town of Oliver Springs, Tenn., could be forced to pay fines from state environmental regulators unless they make upgrades to its wastewater treatment plant. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation issued the order after giving the city several permit violations over the past few years pertaining to overflows and E. coli violations. Oliver Springs Mayor Chris Helper is aware that the plant needs improvements, having spent $250,000 from its reserve fund in the past fiscal year. If more improvements are not made soon the city could be facing a civil penalty of $175,000.
LIFT looking for solutions to be applied in the water quality industry
The Leaders Innovation Forum for Technology (LIFT) is seeking submissions from innovative technology providers for solutions that can be applied in the water quality industry. Through the LIFT Technology Scan and Assessment program, technology providers are offered an optimal platform to introduce their emerging, pre-commercial and newly commercialized technologies to funders, advisors and end users. LIFT Technology Scan submissions must be applicable to municipal and industrial stormwater and wastewater collection and treatment operations in developed nations, such as the U.S.
EPA proposes plan to address surface water contaminated with heavy metals
EPA has proposed a plan to address soil, sediment and surface water contaminated with hexavalent chromium and heavy metals by past industrial operations at the Shieldalloy Metallurgical Corp. site in Newfield and Vineland, N.J. The plan calls for a combination of cleanup measures at portions of the site, including capping the soil, excavating and removing contaminated sediment and prohibiting future residential use of the facility. Hexavalent chromium and heavy metals can have serious health impacts, including nervous system damage and cancer.
White paper explains impact of lead-free water regulations for OEMs and contractors
New federal regulations governing lead content tightening safety restrictions, dictate much lower lead content for certain potable water systems and components, than in the past. A new white paper helps explain the latest lead-free water system regulations for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and contractors — and how to specify valves to comply. Manufacturers of potable water equipment and systems, including drinking water fountains, RO systems, coffee machines and commercial kitchen equipment, as well as equipment maintenance contractors are affected by the new regulations.
Del Valle Water Treatment Plant receives award for continued effort to improve water quality
Zone 7 Water Agency’s Del Valle Water Treatment Plant received the “Directors Award of Recognition” from the Partnership for Safe Water for the 15th consecutive year, an honor achieved by only 30 water utilities across the country since the program’s inception. The Partnership is a program developed by the AWWA, EPA and associated partner organizations to guide water suppliers towards improving water quality by optimizing system operations.
Research shows activated carbon adsorption is the preferred way to control odors and VOC emissions
New research published in Water Environment Research (WER), shows activated carbon adsorption is the preferred way to control odors and volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions. Research for the article titled, “Efficient Control of Odors and VOC Emissions via Activated Carbon Technology,” was conducted by Farhana Mohamed, James Kim, Ruey Huang, Huong Ton Nu and Vlad Lorenzo.
Details announced for Water, Wastewater and Environmental Monitoring conference and exhibition
The organizers of the International Water, Wastewater and Environmental Monitoring conference and exhibition (WWEM 2014), have announced the details of the conferences that will take place at the Telford International Centre in England, November 5-6. The first day’s conference will focus on the monitoring aspects of industrial and municipal monitoring, whereas the second day will address some of the key issues relating to sampling and laboratory analysis.
MWH Global partners with CSC to provide cybersecurity services
MHW Global announced that it has partnered with CSC to provide integrated cybersecurity services to the world’s utility infrastructure. The new partnership will work with utilities and municipalities to protect their water and wastewater collection, distribution and treatment systems, dams, ports and hydroelectric power infrastructure around the world. The collaboration combines MWH’s experience with global water utility systems and CSC’s industry-leading cybersecurity intrusion detection, prevention and mitigation capabilities, to help secure the world’s most critical resources.
Small businesses across the nation receiving funding from EPA
EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is presenting $2 million in funds to 21 small businesses in 14 states to develop and commercialize sustainable technologies that address environmental concerns. Each year, EPA offers a solicitation and funding opportunity for small businesses in a competitive two phase process with Phase 1 allotting companies to receive up to $100,000 for “proof of concept” of their technology, and in Phase 2, successful Phase 1 companies may apply to develop and commercialize their technology with funding up to $300,000.
County in Ill. opens unique waste processing facility at wastewater treatment plant
DuPage County officials cut the ribbon on a new 24-hour waste processing facility at the Woodridge Greene Valley Wastewater Treatment Facility, the first of its kind in Ill. The new system uses gravity to allow the liquid part of the waste to run off into its own system. Previously, public works drivers had to remove waste from stormwater sewers and then dry the refuse, before taking it to the dump. This time-consuming process was inefficient in terms of protecting groundwater and streams. County officials are hoping to save thousands of dollars per year with the new system.
Best-selling author on innovation leadership, Luke Williams, to deliver keynote address at WEFTEC 2014
Luke Williams, a best-selling author and globally recognized authority on innovation leadership, will deliver the keynote address during the Opening General Session of the Water Environment Federation’s (WEF) 87th Annual Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC 2014), taking place this fall in New Orleans, La. The opening session will kick off the conference, a five-day event that is expected to draw thousands of water quality professionals and exhibitors to the New Orleans Morial Convention Center, Sept. 27-Oct. 1.
WERF selects firm for research on co-digestion of organic waste
The Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) has selected Kennedy/Jenks to perform research as part of a series of new projects on furthering co-digestion. The project entitled, Co-Digestion of Organic Waste – Addressing Operational Side Effects (ENER12R13), will help increase the number of utilities performing co-digestion by providing tools that enable them to better understand the implications of co-digestion and reduce roadblocks and uncertainty associated with the process. A benefit of co-digestion is that it uses existing infrastructure and expertise to divert food waste, fats, oils and grease for the purpose of biogas production.
GE acquires anaerobic digestion technology business, Monsal
GE announced agreement to acquire Monsal, a private England-based water, waste, advanced anaerobic digestion and integrated biogas-to-energy business. With Monsal’s advanced anaerobic digestion technology and industry knowledge, GE will be able to help municipalities and industrial manufacturers shift from disposing wastewater treatment byproducts to generating renewable energy and other value from their streams.
PEOPLE
President and CEO of Aqua-Aerobic Systems Inc. Bob Wimmer, was inducted into the Northern Illinois Business Hall of Fame. Wimmer joined Aqua-Aerobic in 1998 and has assisted in increasing the company’s overall customer base in addition to expanding the plant’s local reach. The Rockford Chamber of Commerce celebrated this year’s Hall of Fame inductees with an event at Midway Village in Rockford, Ill. The Hall of Fame was established to recognize icons and leaders of commerce and industry in the region.
Gresham, Smith and Partners, a multi-disciplinary design and consulting firm for the built environment, announced Chris Hammer, P.E., has joined GS&P as a senior water resources engineer in the firm’s Nashville office. He has delivered more than $2 billion of infrastructure projects during his 22-year career, managing water, wastewater and natural gas projects in both the public and private sectors. At GS&P, Hammer will focus on project management, staff mentoring and client service throughout the Southeast.
T&S Brass and Bronze Works named Ian Bradley vice president of finance. Bradley has worked for the company since 2004, entering as a cost manager and later advancing to the titles of controller and director of finance. Bradley will be responsible for global financial operations of T&S and its subsidiaries in his new position, and will report directly to CEO Claude Theisen.
Koch Membrane Systems Inc. (KMS) Division of John Zink KEU GmbH hires Giuseppe Guglielmi as regional sales manager for the water and wastewater division in Monza Brianza, Italy. Guglielmi has more than 10 years of experience in the water and wastewater sector and has worked on membrane bioreactor technology for wastewater treatment, focusing primarily on process optimization, modeling and automation for energy savings since 2003. He became the technical director of ETC Engineering LTD in 2008, a consulting firm he co-established, and was additionally responsible for the commercial launch of the Oscar process controller technology.
