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Results for “Journal of the American Water Works Association”

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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2018

Modeled de facto reuse and contaminants of emerging concern in drinking water source waters

De facto reuse is the percentage of drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) intake potentially composed of effluent discharged from upstream wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Results from grab samples and a De Facto Reuse in our Nation's Consumable Supply (DRINCS) geospatial watershed model were used to quantify contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) concentrations at DWTP intakes to qualitatively compare exposure risks obtained by the two approaches. Between nine and 71 CECs were detected in grab samples. The number of upstream WWTP discharges ranged from 0 to >1,000; comparative de facto reuse results from DRINCS ranged from <0.1 to 13% during average flow and >80% during lower streamflows. Correlation between chemicals detected and DRINCS modeling results were observed, particularly DWTPs withdrawing from midsize water bodies. This comparison advances the utility of DRINCS to identify locations of DWTPs for future CEC sampling and treatment technology testing.

Journal - American Water Works Association↗
USGS1962

Controlled induced recharge tests at Kalamazoo, Mich

This article discusses the results of a controlled field testing program, which indicated that definite hydraulic and other advantages may be gained from induced recharging as practiced at Kalamazoo, Michigan. Results include the following: water levels and artesian pressures can be maintained at high stages, the results are lower pumping lifts and substantial reductions in the amount of power used for pumping; the high water levels permit increased rates of withdrawal during periods of peak demand; encroachment of poor quality water from other aquifers is minimized; the surface water induced into the aquifer is filtered naturally through great thicknesses of earth materials; natural underground storage is used to conserve and protect water, which otherwise would flow largely to waste; and, significant supplemental benefits, including flood control, have been derived. The tests demonstrated that it is possible to manipulate the regimen of a complex hydrologic system for definite hydraulic benefits with predictable results. Furthermore with current methods, quantitative evaluations may be made of the effects of induced recharge. The results of the tests, therefore, are applicable in other areas of similar hydrogeologic environments.

Michigan↗
USGS1965

Infrared photography and imagery in water resources research

This article briefly describes the characteristics of infrared radiation and demonstrates how infrared photography and infrared imagery can be applied to water resources research, specifically to the identification and description of hydrologic features.

Journal - American Water Works Association↗
USGS1969

Glaciers and water supply

Glaciers are one of the few large sources of water supply that remain unexploited. With the advance of civilization into the subpolar regions, a better understanding of glacier hydrology becomes increasingly important.

Journal American Water Works Association↗
USGS1969

Rapid determination of filterable residue in natural waters

The most widely used procedures for determining filterable residue (total dissolved solids) in water are macromethods given in Standard Methods. Although macromethods give good results, they require large amounts of water and long drying times. This report describes a microtechnique for determining filterable residue that requires only 0.05 ml of water and 15 min/sample drying time. The sensitivity of the method is within the range (4 mg/l or 5 per cent) given in Standard Methods and that reported by Sokoloff.

Journal - American Water Works Association↗
USGS1994

Organonitrogen herbicides in the lower Kansas River basin

Atrazine, which is not readily removed by conventional treatment, may cause problems for water utilities in agricultural areas. To help managers, planners, and regulators determine when and where surface waters are likely to be adversely affected by organonitrogen herbicides, the authors analyzed various data on the distribution of these compounds in the lower Kansas River basin. They found that atrazine was the most frequently detected herbicide, was found in the highest concentrations, and was most likely to exceed the maximum contaminant level. The highest atrazine concentrations in the water were measured where the largest amounts of atrazine had been applied to the land, and median concentrations were higher in spring and summer than in fall and winter. Atrazine and chemically similar herbicides are not effectively removed by traditional water treatment. The Kansas State Board of Agriculture has established a pesticide management area to decrease the amount of atrazine that enters surface water.

Journal - American Water Works Association↗
USGS1996

Water supply implications of herbicide sampling

Hydrologic conditions may affect concertrations of organonitrogen herbicides and may be important considerations in complying with drinking water regulations. The temporal distribution of the herbicides alachlor, atrazine, cyanazine, and metolachlor was documented from September 1991 through August 1992 in the Platte River at Louisville, Neb., the drainage of the Central Nebraska Basins. Lincoln, Omaha, and other municipalities withdraw groundwater for public supplies from the adjacent alluvium, which is hydraulically connected to the Platte River. Data were collected, in part, to provide information to managers, planners, and public utilities on the likelihood of water supplies being adversely affected by these herbicides. Three computational procedures—monthly means, monthly subsampling, and quarterly subsampling—were used to calculate annual mean herbicide concentrations. When the sampling was conducted quarterly rather than monthly, alachlor and atrazine concentrations were more likely to exceed their respective maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) of 2.0 μg/L and 3.0 μg/L, and cyanazine concentrations were more likely to exceed the health advisory level of 1.0 μg/L. The US Environmental Protection Agency has established a tentative MCL of 1.0 μg/L for cyanazine; data indicate that cyanazine is likely to exceed this level under most hydrologic conditions.

Journal - American Water Works Association↗
USGS1996

Pesticide distributions in surface water

The distribution of pesticide concentrations at two study sites points to herbicides that may affect management of public water supplies. Distributions of concentrations of 46 pesticides were documented from May 1992 through March 1994 for Maple Creek near Nickerson, Neb., and Platte River at Louisville, Neb. As their source of public water supplies, Lincoln and the western part of Omaha withdraw groundwater from the adjacent alluvium near the Platte River site, which is hydraulically connected to the Platte River. Organonitrogen herbicides dominated the pesticide distributions at each site. Variations in the distributions of pesticides at the two sites partly reflect differences in land use and land management practices. Diazinon, an insecticide used in urban areas, was commonly detected at the Platte River site but not at the Maple Creek site. Of the 46 pesticides analyzed at the Platte River site, the herbicides atrazine and alachlor were more likely to exceed their respective maximum contaminant levels of 3.0 and 2.0 μg/L; cyanazine was more likely to exceed the health advisory level of 1.0 μg/L.

Journal - American Water Works Association↗
USGS1999

DBP formation of aquatic humic substances

Terrestrial vegetation commonly shed into reservoirs contains chemical precursors of DBPs. Aquatic humic substances (AHSs) in water generate potentially harmful disinfection by‐products (DBPs) such as haloacetic acids (HAAs) and trihalomethanes (THMs) during chlorination. AHSs from two Arkansas reservoirs were characterized to define source, identify meta‐dihydroxybenzene (m‐DHB) structures as probable DBP precursors, and evaluate predicted HAA and THM formation potentials. Elemental nitrogen content < 1 percent, phenol content > 0.5 μeq/mg, δ 13 C values of –27% o , and low yields of syringyl phenols found by cupric oxide (CuO) oxidation suggest a pine tree source for the AHSs found in the Maumelle and Winona reservoirs in Little Rock, Ark. CuO oxidation yielded fewer m‐DHB structures in Maumelle AHSs than in Winona AHSs. A higher 3,5‐dihydroxybenzoic acid (3,5‐DHBA) content correlated with increased HAA and THM formation potential. The 3,5‐DHBA concentration in Winona AHSs was similar to the range found in AHSs extracted from deciduous leaf litter, twigs, and grass leachates.

Journal - American Water Works Association↗
USGS2001

Evaluation of USEPA method 1622 for detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts in stream waters

To improve surveillance for Cryptosporidium oocysts in water, the US Environmental Protection Agency developed method 1622, which consists of filtration, concentration, immunomagnetic separation, fluorescent antibody and 4, 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) counter-staining, and microscopic evaluation. Two filters were compared for analysis of 11 stream water samples collected throughout the United States. Replicate 10-L stream water samples (unspiked and spiked with 100–250 oocysts) were tested to evaluate matrix effects. Oocyst recoveries from the stream water samples averaged 22% (standard deviation [SD] = ±17%) with a membrane disk and 12% (SD = ±6%) with a capsule filter. Oocyst recoveries from reagent water precision and recovery samples averaged 39% (SD = ±13%) with a membrane disk and 47% (SD = ±19%) with a capsule filter. These results demonstrate that Cryptosporidium oocysts can be recovered from stream waters using method 1622, but recoveries are lower than those from reagent-grade water. This research also evaluated concentrations of indicator bacteria in the stream water samples. Because few samples were oocyst-positive, relationships between detections of oocysts and concentrations of indicator organisms could not be determined.

Journal - American Water Works Association↗
USGS2002

Movement of atrazine and deethylatrazine through a midwestern reservoir

The three-dimensional visualization of atrazine and deethylatrazine in a reservoir was determined by five "snapshots" over a one-year period using immunoassay analyses, confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and visualized with a three-dimensional computer program. The surveys were conducted in Perry Lake in Kansas and showed that spring runoff laden with triazine herbicides entered the reservoir and did not mix immediately. Concentrations varied threefold between the inlet and the public water supply intakes located at the opposite end of the reservoir. The concentration range in the outflow varied much less than the concentration in the reservoir because of mixing throughout the season near the dam and outflow. A major conclusion from the study was that multiple analyses by a low-cost immunoassay technique coupled with computer visualization software gave a good three-dimensional view of the mass of herbicide present in a drinking water reservoir.

Journal - American Water Works Association↗
USGS2004

Water-soluble pesticides in finished water of community water supplies

To evaluate the effect of the treatment process on pesticide concentration, source water and finished (treated) water samples were collected from 12 community water systems (CWSs) and analyzed for water-soluble pesticides. The pesticides most frequently detected in the source water were the triazine herbicides (atrazine, cyanazine, prometon, and simazine) and the chloroacetanilide herbicides (acetochlor, alachlor, and metolachlor). Atrazine, metolachlor, prometon, and simazine were detected in the source and finished water of every system sampled. Deethylatrazine, a degradate, was detected in the source and finished water of every CWS but one. The triazine and chloroacetanilide herbicides were usually detected in the finished water after the treatment process, although for most treatment plants the concentrations were significantly less in the finished water. For other pesticides detected in source water—especially the organophosphate insecticides and other sulfur-containing pesticides (diazinon, chlorpyrifos, malathion, and metribuzin)—the treatment process either removed or degraded the pesticide completely.

Journal - American Water Works Association↗
USGS2006

Occurrence of MTBE and other gasoline oxygenates in CWS source waters

Results from two national surveys indicate that the gasoline oxygenate methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) is one of the most frequently detected volatile organic compounds in source waters used by community water systems in the United States. Three other ether oxygenates were detected infrequently but almost always co-occurred with MTBE. A random sampling of source waters across the United States found MTBE in almost 9% of samples. In geographic areas with high MTBE use, the compound was detected in 23% of source water samples. Although MTBE concentrations were low (<1 µg/L) in most samples, some concentrations equaled or exceeded the drinking water advisory of 20 µg/L set by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The frequent detection of even low concentrations of MTBE demonstrates the vulnerability of US source waters to anthropogenic compounds, indicating a need to include MTBE in monitoring programs to track the trend of contamination.

Journal - American Water Works Association↗
USGS2007

Estimating cleanup times for groundwater contamination remediation strategies

This article presents the Natural Attenuation Software (NAS), available as a free download from Virginia Polytechnic University, which can help remedial project managers and their contractors estimate the time of groundwater remediation through consideration of such natural attenuation processes as advection, dispersion, sorption, source zone depletion, and biodegradation. NAS consists of a combination of computational tools implemented in three main interactive modules. The article discusses testing and evaluation of NAS along with expected benefits of the software tool.

Journal - American Water Works Association↗
USGS2007

Development of an SPE/CE method for analyzing HAAs

A method to analyze haloacetic acids (HAAs) in drinking water was developed using a capillary electrophoresis (CE) ion analyzer for analyte separation and detection. The effects of background electrolyte (BGE) composition, sample injection approach, and on- and offcapillary preconcentration techniques on HAA peak resolution and method sensitivity were evaluated. The recommended BGE consists of 25 mM phosphate buffer at pH 5.7 with 1 mM tetradecyltrimethylammonium hydroxide as the electroosmotic flow modifier. Aqueous samples were preconcentrated using solid-phase extraction (SPE) and then loaded onto an extended light path capillary (75-μm inside diameter ÷ 56-cm effective length) using pressure injection (50 mbar for 12 s). The estimated method detection limits were in the range of 1.5–3.5 μg/L. The SPE/CE method was used to analyze ambient and spiked water samples from a water distribution system, and results were in good agreement with those using US Environmental Protection Agency method 552.2. The main advantage of the SPE/CE method over the currently approved HAA analysis methods is that it does not require HAA derivatization, which involves potentially hazardous chemicals and conditions. Disadvantages of the SPE/CE method are that it does not offer a significant time savings (because of the need for off-capillary sample preconcentration) and chlorodibromoacetic acid could not be quantified because of interference from a contaminant peak.

Journal - American Water Works Association↗
USGS2007

DOM in recharge waters of the Santa Ana River Basin

Assessment of the composition, reactivity, and potential health effects of dissolved organic matter (DOM) is an important issue in the regulation and operation of groundwater recharge projects. The composition of DOM in various natural surface waters and reclaimed waters used to recharge the alluvial aquifers of the lower Santa Ana River Basin in California was derived primarily from terpenoid hydrocarbons and amino sugars. Lesser amounts of aromatic sulfonate and alkylphenol polyethoxylate metabolites of anionic and neutral surfactants were detected in reclaimed water, and these metabolites persisted in waters of the Santa Ana River, the Prado Wetland, and the recharge basins. Only small amounts of humic substances derived from tannins and lignins were deposited during storm flow periods in the Prado Wetland, but these amounts were responsible for significant increases in disinfection by-product formation potential in these waters. Colloids composed of bacterial cell wall fragments showed large percentage increases in all waters during storm flow periods.

California↗
USGS2013

Stainless-steel wires exclude gulls from a wastewater treatment plant

There is growing concern about the prevalence of pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment and the role wildlife plays in their transmission and dissemination. Gulls feeding at wastewater treatment plants may provide a route for transmission of pathogens and bacteria to public water supplies or other critical areas. The authors identified gulls routinely feeding at a wastewater treatment plant in Millbury, Mass., and tested the effectiveness of overhead stainless-steel wires in excluding gulls from the plant. The number of gulls in certainstructures was compared before and after wiring and during an experimental approach using simultaneous treatments and controls. Stainless-steel wires spaced at 0.9-3.3 m (3-10 ft) effectively prevented gulls from using treatment structures (p < 0.0001) and were effective for > 24 months. Materials costs to wire all structures was about $5,700, and labor costs were $4,020. Overhead stainless-steel wires can provide a long-term, cost-efficient method of excluding ring-billed gulls from wastewater treatment plants.

Massachusetts↗