Water Treatment Resources for Water Operators Water treatment is the umbrella term for the processes used to make water more acceptable for a desired end-use, including meeting regulatory requirements. Drinking water treatment includes but is not limited to: chemical disinfection, coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, ultraviolet, ozone, membranes, and reverse osmosis. We have 1,772 resources (and counting) on Water Treatment in our Documents Database that provide valuable information on this topic. You can search for documents like a guidance manual for alternative disinfectants and oxidants, chlorination controls for small water systems, factsheets on bacteria in drinking water, and many other useful guides that will help you to deliver safe and clean water to utility customers. To access the wealth of knowledge on Water Treatment within our database just select "CATEGORY" in the dropdown then choose "Water Treatment." Once you make that selection, a second dropdown will appear where you can choose "HOST," “TYPE,” or “STATE” to narrow the search even further. If you have a specific search term in mind, use the “Keyword Filter” search bar on the right side of the screen. This is part of our A-Z for Operators series. July 26, 2024 By Katelyn McLaughlin A-Z for Operators series, Water Treatment A-Z for Operators, free resources, water treatment 0 0 Comment Read More »
Water Security/ Emergency Response Guides Water and wastewater utilities are responsible for taking action to protect their infrastructure, security practices should be incorporated into a utility's everyday business functions. Activities such as fence-cutting and lock-picking (often dismissed as harmless) may be indications of more serious threats to a water or wastewater system. Utilities must be prepared to respond to this type of threat, as well as a wide range of other emergencies, including natural disasters and cyberattacks. Improved security preparations provide for a more effective and efficient response from your utility. We have 1,220 resources (and counting) on Water Security/ Emergency Response in our Documents Database that provide valuable information on this topic. You can search for documents like a Community Water System Emergency Response Plan template, U.S. EPA's Water Cybersecurity Assessment Tool (WCAT), and guides on hazard mitigation for natural disasters, and many other useful guides that will help you to deliver safe and clean water to utility customers. To access the wealth of knowledge on Water Security/ Emergency Response within our database just select "CATEGORY" in the dropdown then choose "Water Security/ Emergency Response." Once you make that selection, a second dropdown will appear where you can choose "HOST," “TYPE,” or “STATE” to narrow the search even further. If you have a specific search term in mind, use the “Keyword Filter” search bar on the right side of the screen. This is part of our A-Z for Operators series. July 19, 2024 By Katelyn McLaughlin A-Z for Operators series, Emergency Response, Security A-Z for Operators, emergency response, free resources, water security 0 0 Comment Read More »
Water Reuse for Sustainability Water reuse is recycling treated wastewater for beneficial purposes such as agricultural and landscape irrigation, industrial processes, toilet flushing, and replenishing a ground water basin (aka ground water recharge.) Water recycling offers resource and financial savings, but there are concerns that some chemicals, like pharmaceuticals, may remain in treated water. We have 328 resources (and counting) on Water Reuse in our Documents Database that provide valuable information on this topic. You can search for documents on constructed wetlands for greywater recycling and reuse, a list of common terms used when discussing water reuse, potable reuse to diversify water supplies, and many other useful guides that will help you to provide excellent service to utility customers. To access the wealth of knowledge on Water Reuse within our database just select "CATEGORY" in the dropdown then choose "Water Reuse." Once you make that selection, a second dropdown will appear where you can choose "HOST," “TYPE,” or “STATE” to narrow the search even further. If you have a specific search term in mind, use the “Keyword Filter” search bar on the right side of the screen. This is part of our A-Z for Operators series. July 12, 2024 By Katelyn McLaughlin A-Z for Operators series, Sustainability, Water Reuse A-Z for Operators, free resources, water reuse 0 0 Comment Read More »
Available Resources on Wastewater Treatment Domestic wastewater treatment, or sewage treatment, is the removal of contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff (effluents) and domestic. It includes the physical, chemical, and biological processes used to remove physical, chemical, and biological contaminants. The objective is to produce an environmentally safe fluid waste stream (or treated effluent) and a solid waste (or treated sludge) suitable for disposal or reuse as farm fertilizer. We have 2,279 resources (and counting) on Wastewater Treatment in our Documents Database that provide valuable information on this topic. You can search for documents on monitoring and data management, no-cost and low-cost operational upgrades for existing wastewater treatment plants, design challenges with liquid effluent collection, and many other useful guides that will help you to provide excellent service to utility customers. To access the wealth of knowledge on Wastewater Treatment within our database just select "CATEGORY" in the dropdown then choose "Wastewater Treatment." Once you make that selection, a second dropdown will appear where you can choose "HOST," “TYPE,” or “STATE” to narrow the search even further. If you have a specific search term in mind, use the “Keyword Filter” search bar on the right side of the screen. This is part of our A-Z for Operators series. July 5, 2024 By Katelyn McLaughlin A-Z for Operators series, Wastewater, Wastewater recycling A-Z for Operators, free resources, wastewater treatment 0 0 Comment Read More »
Wastewater Discharge/ Effluent This category is in reference to wastewater discharge, either treated or untreated, that flows out of a treatment plant, sewer, or industrial outfall. The documents within this category generally refer to wastes discharged into surface waters. We have 893 resources (and counting) on Wastewater Discharge/ Effluent in our Documents Database that provide valuable information on this topic. You can search for documents like "how to" guides for wastewater management of rural, underserved communities, case studies that shine a light on how to develop solutions to meet regulatory constraints, and many other useful guides that will help you to deliver safe and clean water to utility customers. To access the wealth of knowledge on Wastewater Discharge/ Effluent within our database just select "CATEGORY" in the dropdown then choose "WasteWater Discharge/ Effluent." Once you make that selection, a second dropdown will appear where you can choose "HOST," “TYPE,” or “STATE” to narrow the search even further. If you have a specific search term in mind, use the “Keyword Filter” search bar on the right side of the screen. This is part of our A-Z for Operators series. May 10, 2024 By Katelyn McLaughlin A-Z for Operators series, Wastewater A-Z for Operators, free resources, wastewater discharge, wastewater effluent 0 0 Comment Read More »
Water and Wastewater Utility Management The federal government and many states and national organizations put emphasis on training for water utility boards and other individuals and entities responsible for utility management. The water sector faces a number of challenges at an organizational level, including an aging workforce that’s getting ready to retire, aging infrastructure that’s approaching the end of its useful life, future (or current) water shortages in various areas of the country, and increasingly stringent U.S. EPA standards for both finished drinking water and wastewater effluent. By giving managers and board members a broader perspective on the water sector and the tools to manage well, state and federal agencies and TA organizations hope to prepare utilities for the challenges ahead. We have over 2,500 resources (and counting) on Utility Management in our Documents Database that provide valuable information on this topic. You can search for documents about best practices in building and evaluating managerial capacity, funding to develop a cybersecurity program, how to ensure your utility becomes more “climate ready," and many other useful guides that will help you to deliver safe and clean water to utility customers. To access the wealth of knowledge on Utility Management within our database just select "CATEGORY" in the dropdown then choose "Utility Management." Once you make that selection, a second dropdown will appear where you can choose "HOST," “TYPE,” or “STATE” to narrow the search even further. If you have a specific search term in mind, use the “Keyword Filter” search bar on the right side of the screen. This is part of our A-Z for Operators series. May 3, 2024 By Katelyn McLaughlin A-Z for Operators series, Capacity Development, Utility Management A-Z for Operators, free resources, utility management 0 0 Comment Read More »
Resources for Water Operators on Tribal Lands Native American and Alaskan Native communities are more likely to lack access to drinking water and basic wastewater services than other population groups in the United States. Many tribal systems struggle to find and keep certified operators, raise the money to keep the system going, and keep the board engaged with the utility’s needs and responsibilities. We have 470 resources (and counting) on Tribal Systems in our Documents Database that provide valuable information on this topic. You can search for documents with information on the distribution of funding under the PWSS Tribal Grant Program among EPA Regions, learn more about U.S. EPA's Tribal Drinking Water Operator Certification Program, PFAS resources for tribal communities, and many other useful guides that will help you to deliver safe and clean water to utility customers. To access the wealth of knowledge on Tribal Systems within our database just select "CATEGORY" in the dropdown then choose "Tribal." Once you make that selection, a second dropdown will appear where you can choose "HOST," “TYPE,” or “STATE” to narrow the search even further. If you have a specific search term in mind, use the “Keyword Filter” search bar on the right side of the screen. This is part of our A-Z for Operators series. April 26, 2024 By Katelyn McLaughlin A-Z for Operators series, Tribal Systems A-Z for Operators, free resources, tribal 0 0 Comment Read More »
Coliform Sampling There are a variety of bacteria, parasites, and viruses which can cause health problems when humans ingest them in drinking water. Testing water for each of these germs would be difficult and expensive. Instead, water quality and public health workers measure for the presence of bacteria in drinking water using coliform bacteria as an indicator. The presence of any coliforms in drinking water suggests that there may be disease-causing agents in the water. We have 499 resources (and counting) on Total Coliform in our Documents Database that provide valuable information on this topic. You can search for documents on potential pathways for coliform contamination, coliform bacteria and well water sampling, best practices for coliform sampling, and many other useful guides that will help you to deliver safe and clean water to utility customers. To access the wealth of knowledge on Total Coliform within our database just select "CATEGORY" in the dropdown then choose "Total Coliform." Once you make that selection, a second dropdown will appear where you can choose "HOST," “TYPE,” or “STATE” to narrow the search even further. If you have a specific search term in mind, use the “Keyword Filter” search bar on the right side of the screen. This is part of our A-Z for Operators series. April 19, 2024 By Katelyn McLaughlin A-Z for Operators series, Revised Total Coliform Rule, Water Treatment A-Z for Operators, free resources, total coliform 0 0 Comment Read More »
Stormwater Runoff Stormwater runoff is generated when precipitation from rain and snowmelt events flows over land or impervious surfaces and does not percolate into the ground. As the runoff flows over the land or impervious surfaces (i.e. paved streets, parking lots, building rooftops, etc.), it accumulates debris, chemicals, sediment, and other pollutants that could adversely affect water quality if the runoff is discharged untreated. Storm sewers can be connected to sanitary sewers and is treated as wastewater when that is the case, so that when discharged it is better for the environment. We have 554 resources (and counting) on Stormwater in our Documents Database that provide valuable information on this topic. You can search for documents on wet weather management strategies, how to verify the source of inappropriate discharges to storm drainage systems, how to develop a CSO Long-Term Control Plan, and many other useful guides that will help you to deliver safe and clean water to utility customers. To access the wealth of knowledge on Stormwater within our database just select "CATEGORY" in the dropdown then choose "Stormwater." Once you make that selection, a second dropdown will appear where you can choose "HOST," “TYPE,” or “STATE” to narrow the search even further. If you have a specific search term in mind, use the “Keyword Filter” search bar on the right side of the screen. This is part of our A-Z for Operators series. April 12, 2024 By Katelyn McLaughlin A-Z for Operators series, Stormwater A-Z for Operators, free resources, stormwater 0 0 Comment Read More »
Source Water Protection Source water is untreated water from streams, rivers, lakes, or underground aquifers. It is used to provide public drinking water and it supplies private wells with water used for human consumption. In order to give water utilities and community members the information they need to decide how to protect drinking water sources, the Safe Drinking Water Act requires that the states develop EPA-approved programs to carry out assessments of all source waters in the state. We have over 2,300 resources (and counting) on Source Water in our Documents Database that provide valuable information on this topic. You can search for resources like the Drinking Water Mapping Application to Protect Source Waters (DWMAPS), a guide to groundwater protection, a Ground Water Rule compliance manual for water systems and states, an FAQ on abandoned wells, a flowchart to help determine groundwater sources under the direct influence of surface water (GWUDI), and many other useful guides that will help you to deliver safe and clean water to utility customers. To access the wealth of knowledge on Source Water within our database just select "CATEGORY" in the dropdown then choose "Source Water." Once you make that selection, a second dropdown will appear where you can choose "HOST," “TYPE,” or “STATE” to narrow the search even further. If you have a specific search term in mind, use the “Keyword Filter” search bar on the right side of the screen. This is part of our A-Z for Operators series. March 6, 2024 By Katelyn McLaughlin A-Z for Operators series, Source Water Protection A-Z for Operators, free resources, source water, source water protection 0 0 Comment Read More »