In July of this year, the University of Virginia’s water and sewer rates increased and will continue to increase until 2021 when the University will pay full city water and sewer rates instead of the reduced rates they have paid since 1981.  The bargain rate was the outcome of the U.Va.-City 1981 Water and Sewer Agreement, which “established that water delivered to the University’s water distribution system instead of directly to a University building would only be paid for with 25 percent of the normal retail rate over the wholesale rate of water.”[1]  City of Charlottesville Director of Utilities, Lauren […]

In a time when water scarcity is the norm for much of the country, environmental pressures effect numerous industries including breweries.  “On average, it takes about 4 to 5 gallons of water to produce a gallon of beer, making it a water-intensive industry.”[1] The city of Burlington, Vermont has six breweries, which does not seem like a lot.  However, in recent years the volume of beer produced by these breweries has increased and so, too, has the waste.  “Brewery waste includes yeast, spent grains and hops, and managing waste is expensive and challenging, local breweries say. Managing water and wastewater, […]

Although water is vital to sustain human life, water is equally vital to the economic foundation of the Permian Basin in west Texas.  Recently, large energy corporations have employed more intense fracking techniques to efficiently retrieve oil and gas.  This practice places an even greater amount of stress on the valuable commodity of water, which is already a scarce resource in the semi-arid western Texas climate.  The increase in the volume of water required for oil and gas operations has raised the question of how can “energy needs coexist with the needs of the people and animals and other industries […]

Lake Mead provides nearly 40% of Arizona’s water supply, making it an extremely valuable resource. New projections from The Bureau of Reclamation show that the lake has a one in five chance of dropping below 1,000 feet of elevation before 2026 due to drought and overuse. [1] By having what is known as junior priority status on the Colorado River, Arizona would be the first to experience cuts on the resource. Seven states and parts of Mexico all pull from the river-meaning Arizona will experience cuts soon. When this happens, the state will be forced to rely on whatever water they […]

Summer construction season is underway, and many tons of concrete will be used in waterway and flood control infrastructure in the coming months. In the future, concrete materials may begin to evolve as emerging markets are developing for more bendable concrete products. The University of Michigan along with many other laboratories around the world, are developing ways to make concrete more ductile.  Experts say that a bendable concrete could make water-related infrastructure safer, extend its service life and reduce maintenance costs.[1] Even though steel reinforcements often are added to concrete to prevent catastrophic structural failure there is a continuing effort […]