Latest news, insights, and discussion on US and global drinking water regulations.

WATER INDUSTRY FEATURES, INSIGHTS, AND ANALYSIS

PFAS Settlements: Debunking The Myths And Revealing What's Really At Stake For Water Utilities Misinformation and confusion could prevent some utilities from benefitting from the aqueous film-forming foam multidistrict litigation (AFFF MDL) settlements. Here are five common myths about the AFFF MDL PFAS settlements and how public water systems can make the most of this unprecedented funding opportunity.
When Chemistry Meets Water Innovation
Nobel-winning molecular materials are poised to reinvent purification, desalination, and reuse.
Solving The World's Microplastics Problem: 4 Solutions Cities And States Are Trying After Global Treaty Talks Collapsed
Microplastics seem to be everywhere — in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat. Countries have tried for the past few years to write a global plastics treaty that might reduce human exposure, but the latest negotiations collapsed in August 2025. While U.S. and global solutions seem far off, policies to limit harm from microplastics are gaining traction at the state and local levels.
AEC System Proven Effective For Chloride Removal
In two bench-scale tests, a new technology effectively removed up to 99% of chlorides and 97% of total dissolved solids in a single pass. This solution offers a commercially viable alternative to traditional treatment methods.
Common Misconceptions Are Keeping Lakes "Sick"
Long-held misconceptions about lake management fuel the intensity and recurrence of harmful algal blooms.
Colorado's Subalpine Wetlands May Be Producing A Toxic Form Of Mercury — That's A Concern For Downstream Water Supplies
The wetlands found across the Rocky Mountains of Colorado just below tree line are crucial for regulating the supply of clean water from the highlands to metropolitan regions downslope, including Denver. However, new research shows the wetlands also harbor a health risk.
Grand Canyon's Dragon Bravo Megafire Shows The Growing Wildfire Threat To Water Systems
As wildfire crews battled the Dragon Bravo Fire on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim in July 2025, the air turned toxic. A chlorine gas leak had erupted from the park’s water treatment facility as the building burned, forcing firefighters to pull back. The water treatment facility is part of a system that draws water from a fragile spring. The fire also damaged some of the area’s water pipes and equipment.
What Are Legionella Log Books And Why Are They Important? Implementing and managing a Legionella control regime can sometimes seem daunting and complex. Invariably, a lot of resources, time, and effort are needed to achieve the required standard and provide assurance to senior management and auditors that controls are effective and those that are not are being managed and rectified appropriately.
How ABB's Flow And Digital Technologies Help Bawat With Smarter Ballast Water Compliance
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) sets strict global standards for ballast water management to prevent the spread of harmful aquatic organisms. For companies like Bawat, a Danish innovator in ballast water management, being able to verify ballast water flow measurements quickly, accurately, and from anywhere in the world is essential.
PFAS Policy In 2025: Why It's Time To Go Beyond Remediation The most common techniques for disposing of PFAS may no longer be good enough.

DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS

The Aqueous Electrostatic Concentrator's (AEC) modular design provides a small footprint and low energy consumption, and it can be skidded, trailer-mounted, or custom configured to fit into existing spaces.

Reducing And Reusing Water In Steel Manufacturing

The art of manufacturing steel for industries is well over 100 years old. Within this time, the steel business has fulfilled consumer needs, including construction, transportation, and manufacturing. The steel manufacturing process is quite intensive as it requires a lot of water to cool down the application. Steel plants constantly look for strategies that can help sustain the steel for a longer time by efficiently improving water and energy consumption.

Aqua ElectrOzone Ozone Generation System

Ozone treatment for water and wastewater has been utilized successfully for several decades and continues to be a viable disinfection solution for both municipal and industrial plants, worldwide.

ReFlex Max™ Reverse Osmosis

Desalitech ReFlex Max Reverse Osmosis systems are highly efficient, typically reducing brine waste by 50% to 75% and energy consumption by up to 35%.

NeoTech D238™

The NeoTech D238™ is specially designed to disinfect water and is an essential component in advanced oxidation processes.

MECTAN® Grit Chamber

Grit is a source of problems in wastewater treatment facilities, which causes wear and tear on mechanical equipment, decreases the effective treatment volume in basins, causes pipe blockages and generally increases operating costs

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HAAs In The EU: Monitoring For Haloacetic Acids Under The Drinking Water Directive

PFAS Unpacked: Experts Answer Questions On EPA Rules, Funding, Treatment, And More

With the U.S. EPA's PFAS rules now in place, utilities are finding themselves with a growing number of questions regarding how to treat these chemicals, the potential costs, and much more. For answers, Water Online's chief editor, Kevin Westerling, hosted an Ask Me Anything session featuring Ken Sansone, Senior Partner at SL Environmental Law Group; Kyle Thompson, National PFAS Lead at Carollo Engineers; and Lauren Weinrich, Principal Scientist at American Water.
Monitoring Know-How For PFAS Regulations

A Q&A to explain and resolve issues confronting water suppliers as they endeavor to comply with the monitoring requirements of federal PFAS regulations.
Clearing LCRI Hurdles

Assessing what lies ahead in the 10-year race to go lead-free, otherwise known as the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI).
Making Sense Of GRR For LCRR: How Galvanized Service Lines Factor Into Inventory Requirements

Many water systems are still tackling the challenge of identifying and compliantly managing galvanized and galvanized-requiring-replacement (GRR) service lines.
A Tiny Bit Of PFAS

In the most recent edition of Water Innovations, there is not a single article focused on PFAS. That wouldn't be exceptional if not for the fact that discussion around per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances has so thoroughly dominated the water space lately. And yet, I penned this as an intro to the edition — just "a tiny bit of PFAS" content — because a small portion of PFAS is of the utmost importance in terms of treatment, policy, and cost.

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The Importance Of A Multifaceted Approach To Containment

Risk assessment is integral to manufacturing processes, particularly in drug production, and having effective containment strategies can help identify potential hazards and ensure worker safety.
Supercharging Acoustic Leak Detection With Analytics

The integration of advanced analytics can take acoustic leak detection systems to another level by leveraging noise filtering, pattern recognition, and comprehensive data analysis.
Ensuring Chemical Compatibility In Water Treatment Equipment

This article will explain when and why chemical compatibility matters in water treatment applications, factors that can influence compatibility, and how to determine compatibility in certain cases.
World's Largest 1,4-Dioxane Treatment Initiative

Groundwater on Long Island, New York, contains the contaminant 1,4-dioxane. Despite no federal regulation, local water providers and state authorities have taken action to address contamination, establishing a state-enforced maximum contaminant level.
HPLC Autosampler Performance I: Challenging USP Methods

In this study, the injection precision of an Alliance iS HPLC System was evaluated using four compendial HPLC methods from the USP with challenging method conditions and strict system suitability criteria.
Demand Based Flushing Using AMI And Water Quality Sensors

Improve efficiency and water quality with demand-based flushing. The integration of sensors and smart networks allows utilities to remotely monitor and optimize flushing cycles.
Understanding And Mitigating Oxygen Heterogeneity In Large-Scale Bioreactors

Oxygen heterogeneity, caused by pressure variations and other factors in large-scale bioreactors, can significantly impact cell growth and product yield.
Addressing Water Treatment Challenges: Technology Access Limitations By Small, Rural Water Utilities

With aging infrastructures, lean and limited personnel, lower budgets, and less accessible, often remote locations, smaller and rural water treatment plants are challenged in maintaining operations while understanding new and important technologies in improving contaminant removal in water treatment.
Converging Challenges, Unified Solutions: How Three Overlapping Trends Are Shaping Public Water

With the right help, coping with workforce upheaval, the digital transition, and asset management can be an opportunity.
Rapid Thermal Stability Screening Of High Concentration Biologic Drugs

Explore data demonstrating the effectiveness of a rapid screening-differential scanning calorimeter as well as its detection limits and the range of concentrations suitable for DSC analysis.
Using Ozonation And Biologically Active Filtration To Remove Micropollutants

Ozonation and biologically active filtration (O3-BAF) is being increasingly used to address the issue of organic micropollutants (OMPs) in wastewater treatment and potable reuse.
How To Reduce Water Usage When Starting Up A Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) System

This article aims to help utilities and municipalities to better understand the startup process and offer solutions to reduce the amount of water needed to get GAC filters online.
Disinfection For Municipal Water Supply, Montana, US

The Big Sky district in Montana, spanning 228 square miles and serving approximately 2,600 customers, has been grappling with the challenge of increasing summer water demand for irrigation.
6 Wastewater Treatment Problems Jet Aeration Can Solve

This article delves into the six most prevalent wastewater treatment issues in industrial treatment plants and explores how jet aeration and jet mixing technology can effectively mitigate them.

Scope 3 Emissions: A Shared Challenge, A Collective Responsibility

Despite growing sustainability efforts, our industry lags in climate goals, especially Scope 3 emissions. Discover why bold action and deep collaboration across the value chain are essential for real progress.
Charting The Course: Q&A With Calgon Carbon's Technical Director, Dr. Angela Rodriguez

Calgon Carbon’s Dr. Angela Rodriguez shares insights on PFAS treatment, regulatory readiness, sustainability, and how innovative carbon technologies help utilities balance compliance, cost control, and environmental goals.
X-Ray Inspection Vs. Metal Detection Technologies For Food Safety: What Should You Know?

Here, we outline two distinct food inspection technologies and how manufacturers can utilize them to circumvent expensive and potentially harmful hazards.
PFAS And Water Quality: What We Know About Forever Chemicals

As public awareness of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) grows, so too does concern over their widespread presence in our water, soil, food, and even our bodies. Rapid, on-site, or remotely operated detection of these “forever chemicals” is a crucial step to understanding the levels of PFAS within our systems.

WATER INDUSTRY FEATURES, INSIGHTS, AND ANALYSIS

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