Municipal Water Supply Research Articles

Battling Over Bathwater: Greywater Technopolitics in Los Angeles

AbstractIn Los Angeles, domestic wastewater recycling (“greywater”) systems are controversial, loved by local environmentalists and disdained by the city’s water agencies. Drawing on fieldwork among greywater advocates and public water agency workers, this article examines how greywater systems function as nodes that unsettle relations between residents and the public agencies that manage the city’s water grid. Elaborating the longstanding frictions over greywater reuse in LA reveals how these fixtures are mobilized by advocates to rescript the roles of both individuals and the state within the urban waterscape. Detailing public agency workers’ resistance to this form of selective disconnection from the grid helps to clarify the patterns of flows, norms of consumption, and forms of state control at stake in efforts to decentralize arrangements of urban water management.

Impact of COVID-19 emergency on residential water end-use consumption measured with a high-resolution IoT system

Abstract In the era of Smart Cities, in which the paradigms of smart water and smart grid are keywords of technological progress, advancements in metering systems allow for water consumption data collection at the end-use level, which is necessary to profile users' behaviors and to promote sustainable use of water resources. In this paper, a real case study of residential water end-use consumption monitoring shows how data collected at a high-resolution rate allow for the evaluation of consumption profiles. The analysis was carried out by calculating consumption statistics, hourly consumption patterns, daily use frequency, and weekly use frequency. Then, the comparison of two consumption profiles, computed before and after the COVID-19 lockdown, allows us to understand how a change in social and economic factors can affect users' behavior. Finally, new perspectives for water demand modeling and management, based on data with high temporal frequency, are presented.

Research on Construction Technology of Medium and Long Distance Pipe Jacking in Municipal Water Supply and Drainage Construction

Research on Construction Technology of Medium and Long Distance Pipe Jacking in Municipal Water Supply and Drainage Construction

Study on Long Distance Pipe Jacking Technology in Municipal Water Supply and Drainage Construction

Study on Long Distance Pipe Jacking Technology in Municipal Water Supply and Drainage Construction

Effective Application of Pipe Jacking Technology in Municipal Water Supply and Drainage Construction

Effective Application of Pipe Jacking Technology in Municipal Water Supply and Drainage Construction

High manganese and nickel concentrations in human hair and well water and low calcium concentration in blood serum in a pristine area with sulphide-rich bedrock

We report the trace element status of residents living in areas with naturally sulphide-rich bedrock and soil in two municipalities in Finland, Sotkamo and Kaavi. Altogether, 225 people from these sparsely populated regions participated voluntarily by providing hair and blood samples. The concentrations of calcium, zinc and copper in serum as well as selenium and cadmium in whole blood did not show correlation with those concentrations in hair samples. Calcium concentration in serum was slightly lower in the sulphide-rich areas (median value 91.4 mg/l, n = 103) than in the areas with adjacent sulphur-poor bedrock (median value 93.6 mg/l, n = 82). The concentrations of Ni and Mn in hair correlated with those in drinking water. The highest Mn and Ni concentrations in the water samples from private wells were 1620 µg/l and 51 µg/l and the highest concentrations in human hair samples 36.44 mg/kg and 12.3 mg/kg, respectively. The challenge with elevated trace element concentrations in some well waters is well documented. In northern countries (Finland, Sweden, Norway and Canada), only 10% of the population depend on private well water, and 90% have access to monitored municipal water supplies. Compared with data available from sulphide mine sites globally, the nickel and manganese concentrations in human hair samples were high in our sulphide-rich study area at Sotkamo representing the trace element status of residents under natural conditions.

Vulnerability of Groundwater Resources Underlying Unlined Produced Water Ponds in the Tulare Basin of the San Joaquin Valley, California.

The San Joaquin Valley (SJV) in California is one of the most agriculturally productive regions in the world relying in part on groundwater for irrigation and for domestic or municipal water supply for nearly 4 million residents. One area of growing concern in the SJV is potential impact to groundwater resources from ongoing and historical disposal of oilfield-produced water into unlined produced water ponds (PWPs). In this investigation, we utilized available information on composition of produced water disposed into unlined PWPs and levels of total dissolved solids in underlying groundwater to demonstrate that this disposal practice, both past and present, poses risks to groundwater resources, especially in the Tulare Basin in the southern SJV. Groundwater monitoring at unlined PWP facilities is relatively sparse, but where monitoring has occurred, impact to aquifers used for public and agricultural water supply has been observed and has proven to be too expensive to actively remediate. Results of this investigation should inform policy discussions in California and other locations where disposal of produced water into unlined impoundments occurs, especially at locations that overlie groundwater resources.

Pump-as-turbine for energy recovery in municipal water supply networks. A review

Pump-as-turbine for energy recovery in municipal water supply networks. A review

Simple Hplc Method Development for the Estimation of Galantamine Hydrobromide in Extended-Release Formulation

For the determination of Galantamine Hydrobromide in bulk and produced extended formulation, a new sensitive and quick HPLC technique was developed and validated according to ICH guidelines. The HPLC analysis was carried out using a waters system with a Thermo Scientific C18 (steel column (5 µm, 250mm × 4.6 mm)) column and a mobile phase of 0.1M phosphate buffer: Acetonitrile (40:60V/V) pH adjusted to 4.5 with orthophosphoric acid, at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The detection was done at a wavelength of 203 nm, and galantamine hydrobromide had a retention time of 8.0 minutes. Over the concentration range of 1-10 g/ml, the calibration plot revealed a linear relationship. The accuracy of the proposed method was determined by recovery studies and was found to be near to 100 and % RSD value was found less than 2. The repeatability testing for both standard and sample solutions showed that the method is precise within the acceptable limits. RSD % of the determination of precision was <2%. The proposed method showed excellent linearity, accuracy, precision, specificity, robustness and system suitability results within the acceptance criteria. In addition, Saturation solubility of Galantamine Hydrobromide was determined in different pH mediums and it was found that Galantamine Hydrobromide has pH-dependent solubility, freely soluble in alkaline pH, and insoluble in acidic pH.

Smart water grid: a review and a suggestion for water quality monitoring

Abstract Water is a valuable resource and an elixir of life. It is intimately linked to living standards around the world. Reducing water stress and conserving the resource is vital. It is the need of the hour to ameliorate conventional water resources systems to monitor water quantity and quality parameters continuously in real-time. Smart solutions play an important role in monitoring system parameters and making on-site measurements. This paper focuses on Smart Water Grid, an ingenious way to monitor and preserve the quantity and quality parameters in real-time by deploying remote sensors in the water distribution system. It presents a review of various sensors deployed, networking protocols used and cloud platforms employed in monitoring the water distribution system. The suitable networking protocols for the water distribution systems are suggested by analyzing various smart solutions. It also proposes an architecture for an IoT-based system to monitor residual chlorine concentration in the water distribution system. Smart Water Grid using Wireless Sensor Networks and the Internet of Things enables the monitoring of on-site conditions and generates alerts during abnormal conditions. It can enhance timely decision-making which will help in managing valuable water resources more efficiently.

Performance gaps of sustainability features in green award-winning university buildings

Sustainability certifications like BREEAM, LEED, and China's sustainable green building award certification scheme encourage installation of technologies that save mains water and grid electricity. Among these are rainwater harvesting systems, ultralow water use appliances, photovoltaic panel systems, and intelligent building management systems. In reviewing the performance of two award-winning university buildings over respective periods of sixteen and four years, we found that such systems delivered only 28–71% of their potential resource savings. These performance gaps arose from various technical and social issues (pump failures, tank leakages, poor alignment of demand and supply with limited storage, low photovoltaic panel efficiency, poor user acceptance, etc.), but the consequences were exacerbated by inadequate asset management that resulted in long system downtimes, in some cases for 2–5 years. Repair, maintenance, and upgrading expenses then combined with lower than anticipated water and electricity bill savings that ultimately meant that, for the most part, there was no prospect of earning a return on capital expenditures. Continuous monitoring of building water consumption by an external service provider was the most effective resource and cost saving solution in this study, as it required no capital expenditure, and revealed a 1640 l/h leakage, without putting high demands on the building management. In contrast, little value was obtained from 25 water-related sensors installed as part of a “building-as-a-lab” project because of inadequate post hand-over support. Robust post-commissioning operation should become a key criterion for sustainable building innovation, and this should be reflected in green awards and rating systems.

Antimicrobial resistance in integrated agroecosystems: State of the science and future opportunities.

As the Journal of Environmental Quality (JEQ) celebrates 50 years of publication, the division of environmental microbiology is one of the newest additions to the journal. During this time, significant advances in understanding of the interconnected microbial community and impact of the microbiome on natural and designed environmental systems have occurred. In this review, we highlight the intractable challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on humans, animals, and the environment, with particular emphasis on the role of integrated agroecosystems and by highlighting contributions published in JEQ. From early studies of phenotypic resistance of indicator organisms in waters systems to current calls for integrating AMR assessment across "One Health," publications in JEQ have advanced our understanding of AMR. As we reflect on the state of the science, we emphasize future opportunities. First, integration of phenotypic and molecular tools for assessing environmental spread of AMR and human health risk continues to be an urgent research need for a one health approach to AMR. Second, monitoring AMR levels in manure is recommended to understand inputs and potential spread through agroecosystems. Third, baseline knowledge of AMR levels is important to realize the impact of manure inputs on water quality and public health risk; this can be achieved through background monitoring or identifying the source-related genes or organisms. And finally, conservation practices designed to meet nutrient reduction goals should be explored for AMR reduction potential.

Post‐Drought Groundwater Storage Recovery in California's Central Valley

AbstractGroundwater depletion is a major threat to agricultural and municipal water supply in California's Central Valley. Recent droughts during 2007–2009 and 2012–2016 exacerbated chronic groundwater depletion. However, it is unclear how much groundwater storage recovered from drought‐related overdrafts during post‐drought years, and how climatic conditions and water management affected recovery times. We estimated groundwater storage change in the Central Valley for April 2002 through September 2019 using four methods: GRACE satellite data, a water balance approach, a hydrologic simulation model, and monitoring wells. We also evaluated the sensitivity of drought recovery to different climate scenarios (recent climate ± droughts and future climate change scenarios: 20 GCMs and 2 RCPs) using water balance method and statistical sampling of historical climate data. Estimated Central Valley groundwater loss during the two droughts ranged from 19 km3 (2007–2009) to 28 km3 (2012–2016) (median of four methods). Median aquifer storage recovery was 34% and 19% of the overdraft during the 2010–2011 and 2017–2019 post‐drought years, respectively. Numerical experiments show that recovery times are sensitive to climate forcing, with longer recovery times for a future climate scenario that replicate historical climatology relative to historical forcing with no droughts. Overdraft recovery times decrease by ∼2× with implementation of pumping restrictions (30th to 50th percentiles of historical groundwater depletion) to constrain groundwater depletion relative to no restrictions with a no‐drought future climatology. This study highlights the importance of considering water management implications for future drought recoveries within the context of climate change scenarios.

Drought and Water Shortages

This year has been particularly dry in many areas, and regional droughts are forcing communities to consider how they will respond to current or potential water shortages. To be clear, a drought does not mean that a water shortage is imminent, a fact I learned in 2014 when I worked on an AWWA survey that collected water shortage tracking and response information from almost 500 utilities across North America. During the development of the survey language, the subject matter experts made sure a water shortage was clearly defined as when a water supply is reduced to a level that cannot support existing demands. Natural forces like a drought, system component failure or interruption, or regulatory actions may cause water shortages lasting from a month to several years. Meanwhile, a drought can be defined in several ways, the simplest being as a deficiency of precipitation over an extended period, usually a season or more. AWWA conducted the 2014 survey after significant droughts in the southwestern United States resulted in drastic restrictions—some communities even turned to emergency potable reuse to make up their water deficits. While drought was all too common, water shortages were rare—but that seemed to be changing. The next year, Cape Town, South Africa, experienced a multiyear drought, leading to the projection of a “Day Zero,” a date when water professionals estimated they would run out of water. Many utilities that regularly face drought have demand-reduction strategies in place, and water suppliers have playbooks to follow when declaring a water shortage emergency. Even so, things feel much more precarious this year, mainly because of changing climate. Exceptional droughts are becoming commonplace, and the US Bureau of Reclamation even recently declared the first-ever water shortage on the Colorado River. Further cutbacks are expected without significant precipitation in the area. As described in AWWA's Manual M60, Drought Preparedness and Response, providing a reliable supply of water requires being prepared for water shortages of varying degree and duration. There are complex relationships among water resources, customer demands, political interests, and policies/regulations that help mitigate problems during times of shortage. Effectively addressing water shortages requires collaboration and innovation from all stakeholders, including municipal water systems, ranchers/farmers, power providers, and environmentalists. As we confront these challenges, AWWA will continue to serve as a bridge organization, uniting the worlds of science and research, policy, and best practice. This month's Journal AWWA includes articles on system consolidation, data management, phytoplankton in Detroit, and distribution system modeling. If you are interested in submitting an article, please contact me at journaleditor@awwa.org.

Rainwater Harvesting in the Rainforest: A Technical and Socioeconomic Review of Community Approaches in Brazil

This paper reviews potable water issues affecting river dwelling communities and assesses the use of Rainwater Harvesting techniques to help meet potable water requirements. The study specifically explores river communities on the periphery of the city of Belem, where there is no potable mains water supply. This interdisciplinary study reviews the socioeconomic context of the different organisational stakeholders as well as analysing technical data to ascertain the effectiveness of the systems in practice. Surveys indicate nearly half of residents consume water from sources potentially contaminated by raw sewage and mining effluent with detrimental impacts to public health. This paper reviews previous local studies and describes ongoing attempts to derive locally appropriate rainwater collection and treatment processes. This includes attempts to construct and trial organic material-based rainwater filters that comprise of different mixes of sand, gravel and activated carbon derived from by-products of local fruit processing industries, namely acai harvesting.

Research on Design of Municipal Road Water Supply and Drainage Engineering

Research on Design of Municipal Road Water Supply and Drainage Engineering

A Summary of Residential Radon Surveys and the Influence of Housing Characteristics on Indoor Radon Levels in Canada.

Based on community and nationwide radon surveys with long-term radon measurements in a total of 21,818 homes, radon distribution characteristics in Canada have been reassessed with the population-weighted arithmetic mean radon concentration of 82 Bq m−3, geometric mean radon concentration of 55 Bq m−3, and geometric standard deviation of 2.45. The major pathway for the influx of radon into Canadian homes is from the surrounding soil. Statistical analysis has shown that radon levels in houses with a basement are, on average, about twice the radon levels in houses without a basement, and houses with private wells also tend to have higher radon concentrations than houses with municipal water supply.

DEVELOPMENT OF MODELS OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER FOR PUBLIC WORKS

The aim of the study is to improve the efficiency of technology transfer management in public works by developing a model for the reasonable definition of transfer objects and their components. The subject of the study are models of reasonable definition of technology transfer objects and their components. The basis of the methodology of research are the principles and models of technology transfer, methods and models of the theory of project management, as well as system analysis. The paper shows that for the formation and implementation of public works for various purposes, the goal of using technology transfer processes should be considered the achievement of the highest level of technological development. Under the conditions of the technological development processes analysis of the individual economic sectors, possible models to achieve different levels of technological development and technical-technological indicators of public works are defined. These include the "gradual" transition model, the "jumps" model, and the "big jump" model. These models are characterized by the following: the model of "gradual" transition assumes that its main feature should be considered a gradual transition from the actual level of technological development to the one following it; for the model of "jumps" the main feature should be considered the possibility of transition to a higher level of technological development bypassing the next in order from the actual level; the "big jump" model differs from the "jumps" one in that a significantly low initial level of technological development immediately reaches the maximum level, which takes place for a certain time. The chosen model of processes to achieve different levels of technological development significantly affects the planning of qualitative and quantitative indicators of public works. Identification of potential objects of transfer and their components is proposed to solve through the development of classification features of public works and programs, as well as the formation of their information models. The main classification attributes of public works should be considered: organizational, technological, as well as equipment and materials. As the main indicators to ensure effective management decisions in the planning of public works should be used the cost of transfer, as well as the timing of delivery of objects. The conditions for selecting the object of transfer and its components in terms of cost and time for different models of acquisition of the appropriate technological level are defined. A model of technology transfer object distribution and an algorithm for planning public works using technology transfer was developed. The implementation of the research results on a number of public works for the development of municipal heating and water supply systems has proven their effectivenessTaking into account the significant resources needed for public works and programs, the research findings should be considered important for various sectors of the economy.

Implementation of the New European Bauhaus Principles as a Context for Teaching Sustainable Architecture

Due to the presentation of the European Green Deal (EGD) on 11 December 2019, it is important to introduce a new context for the education of architects corresponding to the objectives set by the European Union. These include reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing the energy efficiency of buildings, designing buildings in accordance with the principles of the circular economy, using renewable energy, as well as promoting ecological food and protecting biodiversity. As part of the design course Environmentally Friendly Housing Architecture, inspired by, among others, the design of the New European Bauhaus and the former Bauhaus art school, both of which are compared in the first part of this article, we identify a number of new, assessed design indicators related to the achievement of the above objectives, in line with the trend of sustainable architecture. The indicators are divided into four main categories: energy, environment, indoor climate, and society, where, for example, the environmental category includes the following criteria: embodied energy (MJ/m2), embodied carbon footprint (CO2eq/m2), use of rainwater and gray water (% of demand), use of mains water (% of demand), local production of vegetables and fruit (% of demand). During the design process, changes were made to achieve better indicators, and the final designs were described using radar charts. The paper presents a statistical summary of the achieved values for individual indicators, the progress achieved, exemplary design solutions, and the assessment of the methodology used. The design course Environmentally Friendly Housing Architecture was assessed by the participants by means of a questionnaire.

Groundwater, biodiversity, and the role of flow system scale

AbstractGroundwater‐dependent ecosystems and species (GDEs) are found throughout watersheds at locations of groundwater discharge, yet not all GDEs are the same, nor are the groundwater systems supporting them. Groundwater moves along a variety of flow paths of different lengths and with different contributing areas, ranging from shorter local flow paths with low discharge and large seasonal variability to streams, springs and wetlands to longer regional flow paths with potentially larger discharge and low seasonal variability, commonly at low basin elevations. How does this variation in physical hydrology affect the type and distribution of GDEs? Using data on hypsographic position, groundwater‐dependent species distributions, groundwater pumping and streamflow from Oregon, USA, we provide a conceptual model and initial supporting evidence demonstrating that spatial variation in groundwater flow path scales, illustrated using basin hypsography, is a driver of non‐random distribution of GDEs across watersheds. Further, we posit that the spatial variation in primary stressors to groundwater (e.g. pumping and climate change) will differentially affect GDEs depending on their hypsographic position. Furthermore, because of their use for irrigation and municipal water supply, regional groundwater systems and associated species are more likely to be studied and receive regulatory protection. Our initial data point to a disproportionate focus on larger discharge, lower elevation GDEs, which leads to a bias in our understanding of the full suite of biodiversity associated with groundwater discharge as well as their stressors and potential mechanisms for protection.