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CA-NV AWWA, CWEA Finalize Advanced Water Treatment Operator Certification Program

After four years of work, the Advanced Water Treatment Operator certification program is now complete and launched by the California-Nevada Section of the American Water Works Association and the California Water Environment Association. The exam for the highest-grade level, known as AWT5, launched on July 15th, completing the planned roll-out of exams on-budget and on a fast-tracked schedule.

New Survey Polls U.S. Confidence In Tap Water

Four in five Americans served by a water utility (77 percent) say the quality of their tap water is excellent or good, although Black and Hispanic respondents report a lower level of satisfaction, according to a survey conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the American Water Works Association.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer tours the Alvarado Water Treatment Plant after meeting with workers to thank them for their continued service. Photo: City of San DIego water treatment plant

San Diego Mayor Thanks Water Treatment Plant Employees

The City of San Diego’s public utilities team including water treatment plant employees continues to work to provide its customers with high-quality drinking water during the coronavirus pandemic.

Following efforts to increase safety measures throughout all City departments to stop the spread of COVID-19, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer toured the Alvarado Water Treatment Plant on Friday to observe increased safety protocols. He also thanked City employees as they continue to deliver safe, reliable water to over 1.4 million San Diegans.

Increased safety measures ensure continued water supply safety

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer meetes with water treatment plant workers playing essential roles in delivering safe drinking water. Photo: City of San DIego

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer meets with water treatment plant workers playing essential roles in delivering safe drinking water. Photo: City of San Diego

Mayor Faulconer kicked off his visit Friday morning by meeting maintenance staff on duty.

“Like many San Diegans, our City employees are adapting as we take on the COVID-19 crisis,” said Faulconer. “They’re working under increased safety measures so we can continue to deliver essential services, including a safe, clean and reliable water supply.

“I stopped by the Alvarado Water Treatment Plant today to thank the employees there and let them know how proud we are of all they’re doing to keep the water running for San Diegans.”

More than a month into the coronavirus crisis in California, water and wastewater treament employees, continue to work around the clock to deliver essential services to San Diego County residents.

“I am so grateful for the employees that come to work daily to make sure the City residents have access to a safe and reliable water supply,” said Shauna Lorance, City of San Diego public utilities director. “While you might not be able to go out to a restaurant, visit the beach or any of the usual activities all of us in San Diego have learned to enjoy, you do not have to worry about the safety of the water supply. The water continues to be treated and tested just like always.”

The San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies have increased regional coordination and communication to ensure the coronavirus pandemic does not impact safe and secure water service for San Diego County.

Treatment plants employ innovative disinfection and filtration

Pipes carrying water through the treatment process at the Alvarado Water Treatment Plant. Photo: City of San Diego

Pipes carrying water through the treatment process at the Alvarado Water Treatment Plant. Photo: City of San Diego

The City of San Diego has three water treatment plants that use several treatment methods to provide safe drinking water to the public. The plants are managed by the City’s Public Utilities Department.

San Diego’s drinking water treatment plants use a combination of innovative disinfection strategies and filtration. This multi-step process provides multiple barriers against elements that could make the city’s water unsafe or impact taste.

When the Alvarado Water Treatment Plant began operation in 1951, it replaced old water treatment plants at University Heights and Chollas Heights. Located near the Murray Reservoir, Alvarado today provides drinking water to customers in the central section of the City. Plant capacity is 200 million gallons of treated drinking water per day and is operated by 16 City employees.

A multi-phase expansion and upgrade project for the plant was completed in 2011. The Alvarado Plant began its first year of active participation in the American Water Works Association’s Partnership for Safe Water Program in 2013 and has implemented several optimizing projects.

Alvarado is also home to the City’s Water Quality Laboratory, which continuously monitors the City’s drinking water to make sure it is always safe and meets all state and federal health standards.

Water Utilities May Face Virus-Linked Protective Gear Shortages

Nearly three in four water and wastewater treatment plants are worried about running out of masks, gowns, and gloves to protect workers from the deadly coronavirus, according to a survey of utilities.

The survey, released late Tuesday, reveals that the same proportion of utilities are also concerned about being able to keep workers 6 feet apart at all times to prevent transmission of the virus that causes Covid-19.

The findings are a snapshot of the concerns a subset of the nation’s water and wastewater utilities shared with the nonprofit American Water Works Association, which conducted the survey March 25-30. Responses came from 532 utilities, and the margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.

With the nation grappling to keep the coronavirus pandemic in check, clean and safe running water for washing hands and other cleaning has been deemed an essential service.

COVID-19: Water Associations Reassure Public Tap Water Safe to Drink

As the global COVID-19 outbreak continues to develop and reports of bottled water shortages make headlines, the National Association of Water Companies, the American Water Works Association and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies recently issued a joint statement about the quality of tap water in North America.

COVID-19: Water Associations Reassure Public Tap Water Safe to Drink

As the global COVID-19 outbreak continues to develop and reports of bottled water shortages make headlines, the National Association of Water Companies, the American Water Works Association and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies recently issued a joint statement about the quality of tap water in North America.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, America’s drinking water supplies remain a safe and affordable way to access the water needed for drinking, cooking and maintaining personal hygiene during the COVID-19 outbreak.

COVID-19 is not present in drinking water supplies

Americans and Canadians can and should continue to use and drink water from their tap as usual as COVID-19 is not present in drinking water supplies. Disinfection processes like those practiced by water systems across the North America provide protection that includes filtration and disinfection of our surface water supplies and disinfection of our ground water sources. These treatments are effective in removing and/or inactivating viruses.

Efforts by some to profiteer off of bottled water shortages are inexcusable, but drinking water consumers can avoid being taken advantage of by simply using the water that is available in their homes from the tap.

“America’s water companies share a deep understanding of the importance of the reliability of quality water and wastewater services in our daily lives and during a public health crisis and are committed to taking steps to help ensure our water systems are functioning both reliably and safely,” says NAWC President and CEO Robert Powleson.

COVID-19 response efforts by water providers protect public health

The municipalities and private companies that make up the 51,000 community water systems across the U.S. are taking measures to help protect their workforce so they can continue to keep the water flowing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This means limiting home repair visits and directing customers to pay bills online instead of coming into their water providers’ offices. Because of the outbreak and the need for access to clean water in order to promote personal hygiene and overall public health, many systems across the United States are suspending shutoffs for nonpayments. If you are facing financial difficulty and cannot afford to pay your water bill at this time, please be in direct contact with your water provider.

“Water utilities throughout the United States and Canada are prepared to protect public health in normal conditions and in emergencies, and they are committed to keeping safe water flowing, 24/7,” says AWWA CEO David LaFrance. “During times like these, safe and reliable water service is essential for drinking and food preparation, hand-washing and carrying away waste.”

‘Challenging times’

As COVID-19 response efforts evolve to meet the needs of the American and Canadian people, the member organizations represented by NAWC, AWWA and AMWA will continue to support the water systems by offering all of the water profession’s expertise and resources at their disposal. The agencies added that they’re confident in their ability to serve communities across the country with the highest level of efficiency, empathy and professionalism.

“These are challenging times for our nation, but despite the many uncertainties regarding COVID-19, Americans should take comfort in the fact that the virus does not spread through drinking water supplies. The nation’s water systems remain committed to the uninterrupted delivery of clean and safe drinking water for the duration of this crisis,” says AMWA CEO Diane VanDe Hei.

California’s Clean Energy Conundrum

San Diego – While California draws nearly one third of its power from renewables, solar and wind energy systems are periodically pulled offline because there’s not enough demand when the wind is blowing and the sun is shining. These so-called “curtailments” increased significantly between 2014 (when they were almost non-existent) and today. They could soon become a major barrier to a more sustainable future as more and more renewable energy sources are developed to meet peak demands.

Thankfully, California water agencies are well-positioned to play a pivotal role with a solution that makes the state’s electrical grid more flexible, stable and efficient. Strategic deployment of large-scale, long-duration pumped storage facilities could minimize curtailments and provide many other benefits. That would help California achieve its aggressive targets to supply at least 60 percent of the state’s energy from renewables by 2030 and 100 percent from clean energy sources by 2045.

Water Resources Engineer Sami Sweis holds the Nautilus in his right hand and a foam ball in his left hand that the high-tech device is placed in before it is inserted into a water pipeline to scan for potential leaks. Photo: Water Authority

High-Tech Tools Help Detect Possible Pipeline Problems

It’s a whole new ballgame for the San Diego County Water Authority when it comes to finding leaks in major pipelines with cutting-edge technology.

One new tech tool deployed for the first time in February actually looks like a tennis ball that floats through water-filled pipelines scanning for potential trouble.

Of course, the new device is much more complex inside than a tennis ball – in fact, the Nautilus is among the most advanced tools of its kind in the world.  It not only detects defects that are invisible to the human eye, it does so without requiring pipes to be drained, which saves a significant amount of water and disruption to customers.

Innovation Leader

The Nautilus is just the latest component of the Water Authority’s cutting-edge Asset Management Program that has been adopting and developing innovative tools for more than two decades. In fact, the Water Authority has been recognized by the American Water Works Association as a leader in the water industry for its focus on asset condition assessment, risk management, proactive pipeline replacement, and use of cutting-edge technology that saves ratepayers money.

“These high-tech tools are cost-effective and fit perfectly with our proactive approach to managing our infrastructure, including 310 miles of large diameter pipelines and 1,400 pipeline structures,” said Nathan Faber, an operations and maintenance manager with the Water Authority. “Our mission is to find potential failures in the system in advance, rather than react after a failure.”

‘Listening’ for leaks

The Nautilus uses acoustic feedback to detect leaks or abnormalities in active pipelines without causing any disruption to water service or supply, Faber said. About the size of a tennis ball, the Nautilus is placed inside a larger, sterilized foam ball, to float through operating pipelines.

For the First Aqueduct scan, 26 sensors, called synchronizers, were installed on various structures on the outside of the pipeline. Those sensors relayed information to the Nautilus as it floated between checkpoints. No leaks were discovered in the tested portions of the pipeline.

Digital Resolution

A scan from the LIDAR device shows precise and highly-accurate digital measurements that pinpoint pipeline problems. Photo: Water Authority

A scan from the LIDAR device shows precise and highly-accurate digital measurements that pinpoint pipeline problems. Photo: Water Authority

Leveraging new technology to gather data and pinpoint pipeline problems saves water and money.

“Responding or reacting after failures can cost up to six times the cost of proactive repairs,” Faber said.

He pointed to a recent pipeline repair project in La Mesa, where a Light Detection and Ranging device, or LIDAR, was used inside a pipe to provide highly-accurate digital measurements.

“The LIDAR took 1,600 measurements in five seconds,” Faber said. “The high-resolution images showed stressed pipe and verified cracking issues that allowed crews to make an efficient, proactive repair.”