• NC AWWA-WEA

    Reducing Energy Use for Aeration in Eden, NC, Reactor Basins

    Electrical-grid powered aeration is used intensively in reactor basins at activated-sludge wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to supply the mixing and oxygenation needed for digestion. Personnel at the Eden WWTP investigated alternatives to grid-powered aeration to reduce the plant’s operational expense and carbon footprint. A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency qualitative assessment indicated that solar powered circulation (SPC) technology could replace some or all of the mixing and oxygenation supplied by grid-powered aeration (U.S. EPA 2005).

    Sunday, March 27, 2011

  • NALMS 30th International Symposium

    A World of Opportunity for Within Water-body Management, A Needed but Neglected Complement to Watershed Management Policy

    Analyses of data from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency indicate that 64% of lake and reservoir acres are impaired, and that the prevalence of eutrophication in U.S. lakes and reservoirs increased from 10-20% in 1972 to over 50% in 2009. Nonpoint source pollutant inputs are estimated to be about 20 times those of point sources. U.S. policy for limiting nonpoint source inputs centered on best management practices for soil conservation and watershed management for decades.

    Wednesday, November 3, 2010

  • Water and Health: Where Science Meets Policy

    Climate Change Stimulates Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms (FHABs): A Within Water-body Management Solution

    The increasing incidence and durations of toxigenic FHABs threaten human and animal health, aquatic ecosystem sustainability and economies. FHABs, primarily caused by rapid cyanobacterial population expansions to levels above 20,000 cells/ml, often produce some of the most potent toxins known. Climate change is partially driving the increase through excessive nutrient input to water bodies during severe storm water runoff, water stagnation during prolonged droughts and rising temperatures.

    Monday, October 25, 2010

  • Water and Health: Where Science Meets Policy

    Water and Health: Where Science Meets Policy

    Managing Water as One: Breaking Down the Silos to Advance a Sustainable National Water Policy

    Imagine a world where water is viewed, managed, and valued as one resource. A world where the silo thinking that has kept clean water, drinking water, stormwater, and water reuse interests segregated erodes - and a movement toward meeting future challenges on a watershed basis, with a focus on sustainability and green cities, emerges in its place. Changing the water paradigm - this is the vision of the Clean Water America Alliance (Allianc

    Monday, October 25, 2010

  • WEFTEC 2010 / 83rd Annual Technical Exhibition & Conference

    Improving Wastewater Oxygenation and Mixing Efficiency

    Oxygenation and mixing are required in many municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to improve processing and shorten treatment durations. WWTPs often use mechanical aerators to both oxygenate and mix wastewater. However, much more aeration is needed to thoroughly mix than oxygenate the wastewater. This imbalance creates an operational inefficiency when excessive aeration horsepower (HP) is used for mixing. Excessive HP usage increases electrical grid-power consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and operational costs.

    Background

    Saturday, October 2, 2010

  • International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology 2010

    Freshwater Harmful Algal Bloom Suppression: Solar-Powered Circulation And Current U.S. Policy

    The increasing incidence and durations of toxigenic Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms (FHABs), threaten human and animal health, aquatic-ecosystem sustainability and economies. Successfully confronting the risks of FHABs requires effective and environmentally sustainable methods for bloom prevention. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not established FHAB-prevention policy. Relevant EPA and other Agency activities are heavily weighted toward limiting nutrient input to freshwater through soil conservation and watershed management practices.

    Monday, July 12, 2010

  • International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology 2010

    Improving Wastewater Oxygenation And Mixing Efficiency Through Solar-Powered Circulation

    Oxygenation and mixing are required in many municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to improve processing and shorten treatment durations. WWTPs often use mechanical aerators to both oxygenate and mix wastewater. However, much more aeration is needed to thoroughly mix than oxygenate the wastewater. Excessive horsepower (HP) usage for mixing increases electrical grid-power consumption, operational costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

    Monday, July 12, 2010

  • 19th Annual Southeastern Lakes Management Conference

    Climate Change Stimulates Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms (FHABs): A Within-Waterbody Management Solution

    The increasing incidence and durations of toxigenic FHABs threaten human and animal health, aquatic ecosystems and economies. Climate change is partially driving the increase through rising temperatures, excessive nutrient input to waterbodies during severe stormwater runoff, and water stagnation during prolonged droughts. Prolonged expenditures of $1B+/yr on watershed management failed to halt the increase. Environmentally sustainable within-waterbody management solutions are needed to suppress FHABs.

    Wednesday, May 5, 2010

  • National Science Teachers Association 2010 National Conference

    It’s Not Enough to be a Good Scientist

    You often need to reach across scientific disciplines, engage the public, get legislation enacted, and interact with agencies and industry to solve some of the world’s greatest problems. This presentation will describe the ongoing effort to protect health and aquatic ecosystems from the looming crisis of toxigenic freshwater harmful algal blooms (FHABs). FHABs are rapid and massive expansions of phytoplankton populations, particularly cyanobacteria, many of which produce some of the most potent toxins known.

    Thursday, March 18, 2010

  • 2010 Land Grant and Sea Grant National Water Conference

    Freshwater Harmful Algal Bloom Suppression through Solar-Powered Circulation

    The increasing incidence and durations of toxigenic Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms (FHABs) threaten human and animal health, aquatic-ecosystem sustainability and economies. Successfully confronting the risks of FHABs requires ecologically benign and sustainable methods for bloom control. The current study evaluated the ability of solar-powered circulation (SPC) to suppress FHABs. Municipal personnel at three nutrient-enriched, source-water reservoirs collected planktonic-density data sufficient for assessing the efficacy of SPC for FHAB suppression.

    Sunday, February 21, 2010
 
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