Pharmaceutical Removal from Wastewater: Who Does it Best?
A partnership study between the University of Buffalo, Stony Brook University, Hampton Roads Sanitation District, and Hazen & Sawyer was published recently in the journal Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology. Funded by New York Sea Grant, this study analyzed a variety of technologies currently in use at seven wastewater treatment plants in the Eastern United States and how effective they were at removing pharmaceuticals from the wastewater. When measuring the effectiveness of removing medicines such as antibiotics and antidepressants from the wastewater, granular activated carbon and ozonation were particularly promising treatment methods. Both techniques were found to reduce the […]
Leading the Way: Dallas’s Water Conservation Plan
In April 2020, the city of Dallas will roll out its Comprehensive Environment and Climate Action Plan. The plan will establish Dallas’s goals toward reducing emissions and conserving water in the face of climate change. Dallas believes the water conservation programs it has implemented are proving successful. Since 2001, with the adoption of restrictions on landscape and lawn irrigation, the average water use per person has been reduced by 30 percent and has enabled the city to offset a 10 percent increase in population. Additionally, the city initiated other programs that encourage the general population to be conservation minded, such […]
The Drought Contingency Plan: Is it Enough?
Since 2000, the Colorado River and its reservoirs have seen significant decreases as a result of extreme drought conditions. These conditions only exacerbate the ongoing challenge of supply and demand: the farms and cities of the Southwest region have water demands that outweigh the available water supply leaving the river in a state of imbalance. Last year, in recognition of the crisis, the Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) was signed, but according to Brian Richter, the plan is not enough. Richter, president of the nonprofit group Sustainable Waters and a former director and chief scientist for the Nature Conservancy’s […]
Water Wars on the East Coast
We often hear about water wars in the western part of the country, but recent events related to a lawsuit brought by the state of Florida against the state of Georgia highlights the issue’s relevance to other parts of the country. In 2013, Florida sued Georgia for its use of water coming from the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river basin, alleging that Georgia’s high usage levels during a drought devastated the oyster industry in the Apalachicola Bay. The river basin is the primary source of drinking water for the metro Atlanta area (estimated at 70% of the population), and it also helps sustain […]
Lake Okeechobee: Hero or Villain for the Caloosahatchee?
After the driest September on record, Lake Okeechobee is approaching levels not seen since 2011 when Florida experienced drought conditions that were the worst witnessed in a century. Regionally, Lake O. serves several key roles. First, it is an indicator for water conditions, and when it reaches certain levels, water restrictions are implemented. Second, it is an important water source for both agricultural irrigation and drinking water in the southern part of the state. Third, it serves as a source of water for the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary during dry periods with those water releases coordinated by the Army Corps […]