WATER INDUSTRY FEATURES, INSIGHTS, AND ANALYSIS
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PFAS Are Turning Up In The Great Lakes, Putting Water Supplies At Risk — Here's How They Get There
No matter where you live in the U.S., you have likely seen headlines about PFAS being detected in everything from drinking water to fish to milk to human bodies. Now, PFAS are posing a threat to the Great Lakes, one of America’s most vital water resources.
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Why Too Much Phosphorus In America's Farmland Is Polluting The Country's Water When people think about agricultural pollution, they often picture what is easy to see: fertilizer spreaders crossing fields or muddy runoff after a heavy storm. However, a much more significant threat is quietly and invisibly building in the ground.
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Water In 2026: The Nexus Of Policy, Technology, And Resilience As water systems become more circular and complex, understanding and managing the subsurface — the hidden half of the water cycle — is becoming a critical enabler of resilience. This article explores the key trends shaping this new reality, from tackling “forever chemicals” to the water strategies redefining heavy industry.
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PFAS In Pregnant Women's Drinking Water Puts Their Babies At Higher Risk, Study Finds
When pregnant women drink water that comes from wells downstream of sites contaminated with PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” the risks to their babies’ health substantially increase, a new study found. These risks include the chance of low birth weight, preterm birth, and infant mortality.
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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.
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When Chemistry Meets Water Innovation
Nobel-winning molecular materials are poised to reinvent purification, desalination, and reuse.
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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.
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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.
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Common Misconceptions Are Keeping Lakes "Sick"
Long-held misconceptions about lake management fuel the intensity and recurrence of harmful algal blooms.
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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.
VIEWS ON THE LATEST REGS
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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.
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A Q&A to explain and resolve issues confronting water suppliers as they endeavor to comply with the monitoring requirements of federal PFAS regulations.
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Assessing what lies ahead in the 10-year race to go lead-free, otherwise known as the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI).
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Many water systems are still tackling the challenge of identifying and compliantly managing galvanized and galvanized-requiring-replacement (GRR) service lines.
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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.
MORE WATER INDUSTRY FEATURES
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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.
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Improving pediatric adherence requires age-appropriate formulations, taste-masking, and swallowability strategies. Regulatory, clinical, and technological insights help overcome barriers and support safer, more effective therapies for children across developmental stages.
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Focusing on lifecycle ROI reveals ozone's value. It significantly reduces chemical and operational costs while extending filter media life, providing measurable long-term financial savings and compliance resilience.
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A proper test kit management program is no longer a “nice-to-have”—it’s a compliance necessity. Without a structured system, you risk inspector drift, failed audits, and errors in batch release.
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Optimizing pDNA production in E. coli requires strategic media selection and scale-up planning. Explore a study that identifies ideal conditions for high-yield manufacturing.
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Explore strategies to maximize drug product recovery during sterile filtration, minimize hold-up volume, and reduce dilution after PUPSIT to ensure higher yield, improved efficiency, and less waste.
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Learn how scanners used for high resolution metrology measurements should be designed and tested for flatness of motion, particularly for atomic force microscopy (AFM).
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Traditional chloramine monitoring methods have drawbacks that complicate water treatment. A new sensor can measure multiple parameters, offering operators better process control.
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Discover how digital twins are enabling the optimization of cell culture processes for improved, more predictable outcomes in the creation of therapeutic proteins and antibodies.
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Ion exchange (IX) is a tried-and-true method of removing metals and other inorganic compounds from water. Arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, selenium, radionuclides, and zinc are just a few examples of the compounds that our ion exchange systems have removed from water.
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Discover how Pentair partnered with one Illinois County and an engineering design firm to build a cutting-edge wastewater treatment plant.
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Master the fundamentals of identifying and monitoring process-related impurities. Ensure biologic safety and regulatory success by optimizing your analytical strategy.
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As water scarcity and energy costs rise, new ultrafiltration membrane technologies deliver higher flux, longer lifespan, and reduced fouling—turning water treatment from a compliance task into an efficiency opportunity.
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An optimized in vitro transcription (IVT) platform enables scalable, high-yield, and cost-efficient mRNA therapeutic production by leveraging data-driven process optimization and enzyme innovation to overcome key manufacturing challenges.
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Advanced side stream filtration protects sensitive cooling infrastructure in data centers, extending membrane life, reducing water and energy use, and preventing costly downtime caused by particulate-loaded cooling water.
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The City of Hot Springs, Arkansas knows the challenges of dealing with aging infrastructure well. The city’s 143-year-old system covers 923 miles of water mains in rocky terrain, making it difficult to detect leaks. That is why the utility’s water department decided to act.
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Explore the tax implications for individuals who received compensation for participating in clinical trials, specifically focusing on the issuance of the 1099-MISC.
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Read about three of the most pressing wastewater challenges utilities face today and how Stratmoor Hills, Key West Resort Utilities, and Beijing Water Group are using advanced treatment and reuse to overcome them.