West Virginia American Water announced a contingency plan for its Huntington water treatment plant this week in response to an algae bloom on the Ohio River. According to a press release from the company, the utility is following U.S. EPA recommendations by monitoring water quality and enhancing treatment techniques. Although treated water remains safe, raw water at and above the Huntington plant’s intakes does show elevated levels of microcystin.

The contingency plan involves running large, tempororary raw waterlines from the Guyandotte River, which are then tied to the current raw waterline. Specialized contractors will handle the installation of the temporary waterlines.

 

“We have great confidence in our treatment plant’s capabilities and ultimately may not need to use this backup source,” says Jeffrey McIntyre, president of West Virginia American Water. “We feel the best decision is to take extra precaution for the protection of our customers in the event that the blooms worsen.”

Source: American Water press release

Free Recycled Wastewater for Everyone!

The heat — and the drought — is still on in California, and cities are getting more and more creative when it comes to conserving water. Starting this month and running through the end of October, residents in Burbank can haul away free recycled wastewater from Burbank Water and Power.

The utility has supplied a metered five-spigot filling station where residents can fill up containers, free of charge. According to an LA Times article, each resident or business owner can take up to 300 gallons per visit, provided they sign a user agreement stating the water will not be used for drinking.

The water can be used for lawn and landscape watering, which is one of the major sources of water-use complaints in the city. According to state statistics, in July, the city received more than 950 complaints about improper water use.

The recycled wastewater program will cost the city an estimated $10,000, mostly for staff time.

Source: LA Times

New SCADA System Commissioned Ahead of Super Bowl

The City of Santa Clara, California, host for Super Bowl 50, has awarded an $8.6 million contract to Trimark Associates to deliver a working SCADA solution to control their water and wastewater services before the big game.

The Santa Clara Water and Sewer Utilities selected Trimark for the SCADA renovation project, which includes construction, configuration and commissioning a range of improvements to their SCADA system and a new wireless telecommunications network.

The SCADA system controls processes related to potable water treatment and distribution, recycled water and sewage treatment.

Trimark Associates will be supported in this project by Westin Engineering and subject experts from Kenexis, Schneider Electric, Applied Technology Group, and Spatial Wave.

Trimark press release