LATHAM, N.Y. — Water quality changes from season to season. Municipalities are required to test water throughout the year and meet certain standards. However, as we have seen in recent years, when weather conditions are extreme, municipalities’ abilities to maintain consistent water quality could be hampered. In a recent article from Water Technology, Jake Mastroianni detailed how unexpected storms can be devastating to municipalities, interrupting their regular operations and sometimes seriously degrading water quality.
Superstorm Sandy is a perfect example of the damage these strong storms can do to water infrastructure. The storm caused extensive damage to New Jersey's largest wastewater treatment plant as well as overflows and discharges for many municipalities, leading to boil water alerts and water shortages.
Preparation for future storms like Superstorm Sandy can include moving crucial equipment to higher ground, building flood walls, installing independent power generation plants or backup generators and digging deep tunnels to store storm water and sewage. These changes may be costly but they can save money and increase efficiency in the face of future weather anomalies.
Read the full article from August 2013 here.
