Regulatory Compliance and Water Treatment Advances: From Research to Application

Water utilities must comply with a myriad of regulations from stage two disinfection by-product rule to the revised total coliform rule.  Many of these rules are rigorous and at times conflicting.  Precisely navigating the regulatory landscape and meeting water quality objectives while being vigilant about unintended consequences has become a major focus for utilities now more than ever. 

Evaluating appropriate technology choices to comply with multiple and/or conflicting water quality goals is a priority for utilities.   Currently, a number of decision support tools have been developed to aid utilities in this effort.  This talk will highlight one such tool, the Simultaneous Compliance Tool that was recently developed by the Water Research Foundation.  The tool is designed for both large and small water systems.

As regulations become more prescriptive, customer expectations increase, and the quality of current source waters is expected to degrade over time many utilities need to consider treatment options above and beyond conventional treatment.  Extensive research has been conducted on advanced treatment options such as biological treatment, advanced oxidation processes, membranes, UV, and ozone as a means to meet these challenges.

Moving these technologies from research studies to field application involves extensive benefits analyses including; cost, operations trade-offs, and long-term forecasting for sustainable use. Recent applications of these technologies and case-studies will be highlighted.