News / Articles

EPA Announces $2.9 Billion for States to Reduce Lead in Drinking Water and Protect Americans’ Health

Published On 5/20/2026

EPA is providing $2.9B to states to find and replace lead service lines, protecting children and communities from lead exposure. Funds support pipe identification, planning, and replacement, reinforcing national efforts to ensure safe drinking water.

Published On 5/18/2026

EPA advances a lifecycle PFAS strategy, proposing legally defensible drinking water rules, offering nearly $1B for PFAS mitigation, expanding treatment and destruction technologies, and supporting small systems through the PFAS OUT initiative.

Published On 5/15/2026

EPA is providing $80M in grants to help states upgrade stormwater and sewer systems, prioritizing small and financially distressed communities to reduce sewage overflows and protect waterways from pollution.

Published On 5/15/2026

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin argues that advanced recycling — especially pyrolysis — can “unmake” plastic into raw materials, but regulatory barriers are slowing U.S. growth. He calls for reclassifying pyrolysis as manufacturing to spur investment and keep the U.S. competitive.

Published On 5/15/2026

EPA is investing $90M to upgrade drinking water and wastewater systems in Tribal, rural, and small communities — including $30M through the Indian Health Service and $60M for technical assistance programs like RealWaterTA — to improve access, safety, and compliance.

Published On 5/15/2026

EPA released updated science‑based guidance for safely destroying and disposing of PFAS, recommending Class I injection wells, hazardous‑waste landfills, and high‑performance combustors, while adding a new framework to evaluate emerging destruction technologies.

Published On 5/15/2026

EPA launched WRAP 2.0 to expand water reuse for industry, AI, and energy, boosting resilience and public health. The plan promotes partnerships, supports state‑led reuse efforts, and targets reuse for tech, manufacturing, and energy sectors.

Published On 5/14/2026

Brine valorization (BV) transforms desalination from a cost center into a multi‑commodity industrial process that can produce fresh water and high‑value minerals—potentially making desalinated water zero‑cost or even revenue‑positive.

Published On 5/14/2026

Reactivated GAC restores spent carbon to near‑virgin performance, destroys PFAS, cuts disposal and replacement costs, and reduces emissions by up to 80%. It outperforms regeneration, avoids landfill/incineration liabilities, and is validated through peer‑reviewed studies.

Published On 5/14/2026

Closed‑loop heating and cooling systems aren’t aerosol‑producing, but they still create ideal conditions for Legionella: warm stagnant zones, biofilm‑friendly plastics, corrosion debris, and poor temperature control. Good design, filtration, monitoring, and smarter biocide dosing are key to prevention.

Published On 5/14/2026

EPA’s new applied‑science focus pushes utilities to move beyond chemical symptom‑treatments and address root causes — hypoxia, internal loading, and phytoplankton imbalance — using full‑column oxygenation, enzymatic bio‑dredging, and data‑driven accountability.

Published On 5/14/2026

Eutrophic reservoirs create a compounding financial liability: once internal loading overtakes watershed inputs, treatment costs escalate exponentially. Only root‑cause interventions that eliminate hypoxia and sediment nutrients can break the cycle and protect utilities.

Published On 5/14/2026

Smart sensors, AI optimization, advanced membranes, and tighter industrial pretreatment are reshaping municipal treatment. These tools boost efficiency and compliance but require new skills, cybersecurity planning, and careful integration to deliver full value.

Published On 5/14/2026

PAC gives utilities rapid, flexible control during variable flows, short contact times, seasonal organics, surface‑water swings, T&O/TOC spikes, and early PFAS risk. It’s not a GAC replacement, but a fast, low‑capex tool — with sludge impacts to manage.

Published On 2/13/2026

PFAS are persistent “forever chemicals” found in water, soil, and air, linked to cancer and immune, developmental, and hormonal harm. EPA’s new rules set strict limits, require monitoring, and drive costly treatment upgrades as utilities work to remove and manage PFAS contamination.

Published On 5/20/2026

OD tests take days, but operators need answers in hours. Explainable AI predicts water‑quality levels instantly while showing which variables drive the result, helping operators trust and act on the data—though utilities still need modern instruments and training.

Published On 5/15/2026

University of Birmingham researchers developed sunlight‑activated, molecular‑thin catalysts made by a simple mechanical process that break down persistent pollutants in wastewater up to 2.5× faster — offering a scalable, solvent‑free cleanup method.

Published On 5/15/2026

WSU researchers boosted renewable natural gas production by 200% using a high‑pressure oxygen pretreatment and a novel microbe that upgrades biogas to 99% methane, cutting sludge‑treatment costs nearly in half and creating a scalable, circular waste‑to‑energy solution.

Published On 5/15/2026

HKUST researchers developed a mesh bioreactor with ultrasound‑driven cavitation cleaning that delivers 10–20× higher flux than MBRs, cuts treatment costs by 50%, and produces effluent exceeding discharge standards — a scalable, low‑fouling wastewater solution.

Published On 5/14/2026

High‑strength nitrogen loads often exceed what biological treatment can handle. Ammonia‑stripping towers and other physical‑chemical methods offer reliable, small‑footprint removal, especially for sidestreams, when paired with monitoring, upgrades, and data‑driven control.

Published On 5/14/2026

Integrated ultrasonic smart meters are replacing external transmitters because they cut failure points, simplify installation, reduce lifecycle cost, and align with modern open AMI networks — making legacy clamp‑on radios increasingly unnecessary.

Published On 5/14/2026

Utilities often stumble in AMI rollouts by treating them as hardware swaps, underestimating data integration, neglecting stakeholders, misjudging network performance, and ignoring shorter smart‑meter lifecycles — all fixable with strategic planning.

Published On 5/14/2026

High‑pressure jetting delivers deeper, faster, chemical‑free sewer cleaning, opening new service lines and boosting customer satisfaction. With the right equipment, pricing strategy, and ROI planning, jetting becomes a profitable, eco‑friendly business expansion tool.

Published On 5/15/2026

EPA’s WRAP 2.0 elevates water reuse as critical infrastructure and urges public‑private collaboration, but experts warn uneven state rules, limited funding, and public stigma toward recycled water could slow adoption and hinder industrial reuse goals.

Published On 5/14/2026

A new bipartisan bill — the Advancing Water Reuse Act — would create a 30% investment tax credit to help industries adopt recycled water, reducing freshwater demand, limiting effluent discharges, and strengthening long‑term water security.

Published On 5/14/2026

Accurate sewer mapping and documentation — supported by GIS, surveys, and camera inspections — improves maintenance, speeds approvals, reduces errors, and helps homeowners and contractors understand system layout for safer, more efficient repairs.

Published On 5/18/2026

Europe faces severe stormwater underinvestment as climate‑driven floods intensify. Spending may reach €643B by 2036 but remains 70% below need. Fragmented markets, rising competition, and digital solutions are reshaping a rapidly growing sector.

Published On 5/15/2026

Drexel researchers found that household stormwater measures — rain barrels, cisterns, efficient fixtures, and greywater reuse — can cut flooding and combined sewer overflows by 11–13%, and remain effective even under climate‑driven increases in rainfall and sea‑level rise.

Published On 5/15/2026

Environmental groups argue Maryland’s industrial stormwater permit is unlawful, ignores climate‑driven rainfall, lacks monitoring, and leaves vulnerable communities exposed to toxic runoff. They’re urging the court to require stronger, enforceable pollution controls.

Published On 5/15/2026

Virginia Tech and Isla Urbana are expanding rainwater‑harvesting systems with Indigenous communities in southern Mexico, improving year‑round water access, strengthening local resilience, and training residents and students in long‑term water stewardship.

Published On 5/15/2026

Researchers created DURUM, the first global dataset of microplastics in urban stormwater, combining 180 samples from 15 countries to improve modeling, guide drainage design, and support future regulations aimed at reducing microplastic pollution.

Published On 5/20/2026

Water and sewer utilities need written, trained‑on emergency action plans. Regular drills, preparation, and clear response steps protect employees, reduce chaos, speed recovery, and strengthen overall workplace safety and compliance.

Published On 5/20/2026

Extreme heat, cold, wind, rain, and lightning pose major job‑site hazards. Preparing plans for each, training crews, securing equipment, and monitoring conditions prevents injuries, delays, and emergencies on construction sites.

How to Hold Safety Meetings That Stick

Published On 5/14/2026

Safety meetings fail when they’re routine, generic, or lack follow‑up. Engagement improves when meetings use real scenarios, hands‑on demos, honest incident reviews, and tracked corrective actions — kept short, focused, and relevant.

Published On 5/14/2026

Hazardous‑energy exposure injures thousands yearly, yet lockout/tagout failures are fully preventable. Most incidents stem from human error and outdated procedures. Strong training, equipment‑specific controls, and strict compliance remain essential to protect workers.

SORTing Out Workplace Hazards

Published On 5/14/2026

SORT — Stop, Observe, Recognize, Take ownership — helps workers break complacency and spot hidden hazards. By pausing, scanning conditions, identifying risks, and acting on them, employees prevent injuries and keep job sites safer every day.

Published On 5/14/2026

Optimizing PAM requires precise control of charge density, molecular weight, and coagulant sequencing. A structured approach improved dewatering by 21% and saved ¥1.4M annually, proving that polymer selection is an engineering problem, not trial‑and‑error.

Published On 5/14/2026

Advanced biological technologies like MBBR, IFAS, SBR, MBR, and integrated DAF systems help oil and gas facilities treat complex, variable wastewater more efficiently, boosting stability, lowering costs, and supporting compliance and water reuse.

Published On 5/14/2026

Produced water treatment is surging as water scarcity, regulations, rising disposal costs, and ESG pressure push industries toward reuse. New AI‑enabled, nuclear‑powered, and nanotech solutions are transforming produced water into a strategic sustainability resource.

Published On 5/15/2026

Training isn’t the fix‑all people think it is. Strong teams start with smart hiring, clear expectations, good leadership, proper resources, accountability, and coaching — then targeted training fills the remaining gaps.

Published On 5/14/2026

Water, energy, and compute are now intertwined. Rising scarcity and volatile electricity prices make energy efficiency the strongest form of risk management, and energy recovery across all RO pressures is becoming essential for resilient operations.

Published On 5/14/2026

Drought resilience demands massive investment, but traditional funding can’t keep pace. A mix of alternative financing — bonds, PPPs, climate and environmental finance, insurance, and savings — is essential to modernize water systems, manage risk, and secure long‑term water security.

Published On 5/14/2026

AI‑driven data center growth is colliding with aging water systems and a retiring workforce. Water utilities must digitize operations, attract tech talent, and rebrand water as a modern, data‑centric career to build a resilient, future‑ready sector.

Published On 5/14/2026

CVWRF shows that AI succeeds only with strong foundations: clean data, modernized infrastructure, a trained workforce, and small, high‑value use cases. Their phased approach turns AI from hype into reliable, scalable operational improvement.

Published On 5/14/2026

Federal water earmarks are stalling not for lack of money but lack of capacity. An EPA audit shows most projects haven’t drawn funds due to permitting, design, compliance, and workforce bottlenecks — highlighting the need for stronger post‑award support and visibility.

Published On 5/14/2026

Monitoring expectations are rising. Regulators now demand continuous, defensible, time‑aligned data — exposing weaknesses in remote connectivity. Satellite IoT reduces gaps and strengthens traceability, making monitoring systems more resilient and audit‑ready.

Looking for Life Member Photos

Published On 10/20/2017

Looking for Life Member Photos

Published On 5/19/2026

Iowa chemists created a UV‑activated 3D lattice that forms cavities to capture and store water from air, offering a sunlight‑powered approach to atmospheric water harvesting with potential for scalable, intelligent, low‑resource drinking‑water solutions.

Published On 5/18/2026

Americans overwhelmingly prioritize safe, reliable water over who owns the system. With $1.25T in needed upgrades and 30M people served by violating systems, voters support investment and are open to public‑private partnerships that deliver results.

Published On 5/15/2026

FAMU‑FSU engineers built an AI model that predicts E. coli contamination in waterways up to 24 hours ahead using rainfall, flow, and turbidity data — enabling proactive alerts that protect public health and local economies from sudden beach closures.

Published On 5/15/2026

Spokane County’s Wetland Explorers program immerses fifth graders in hands‑on water education at Saltese Flats, teaching conservation and the aquifer while training teachers and engaging thousands of students. The award‑winning team delivers 12,000+ hours of outdoor learning.

Published On 5/15/2026

Boise State researchers developed a portable, low‑cost transistor‑based sensor that detects PFAS on‑site in real time, reaching EPA‑level sensitivity. The technology could replace slow, expensive lab testing and help industries catch contamination at the source.

Published On 5/14/2026

AZ, CA, and NV proposed a plan contributing over 3.2 million acre‑feet through 2028 to stabilize the Colorado River, combining major conservation, coordinated reservoir operations, and system improvements while urging all Basin states to provide verifiable reductions.

Published On 5/14/2026

RMIT researchers found eucalyptus bark can be turned into highly porous carbon that filters water, cleans air, and captures CO₂. Using a simple one‑step process, the waste material becomes a low‑cost, sustainable option for environmental purification.

Published On 4/10/2026

Boulder’s annual Children’s Water Festival brings 800–1,000 fourth- and fifth‑graders together for a full day of hands‑on water education, STEM learning, and environmental stewardship — helping kids understand where their water comes from and how they can protect it.

Published On 2/7/2026

Mars once had abundant water, but Hubble and MAVEN data show it escaped to space as hydrogen and deuterium leaked from a turbulent, rapidly changing atmosphere. By tracking these escape rates, scientists reconstructed Mars’ wet past and gained insights that also help predict how Earth‑like planets evolve.

Murder in the Aeration

Published On 7/30/2025

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-in-the-aeration-john-seldon/1144866808

FW&PCOA Program Catalog

Program Catalog

Published On 5/21/2020

This is a news item publicizing online training offered by the association.

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