Water Quality Controls in Construction

Water Quality control for construction sites is a requirement at any site within the United States. Erosion Controls are the first, and many times, last preventative measure for water discharge from a site. If these fail, streams, wetlands, or even off-site upland areas (yards, etc.) are adversely affected. Site quality is affected when valuable soil is lost and restoration requires replacement. Human exposure to contaminants, violation of governmental regulations, contractor reputation, and the overall economics involved in construction are at risk.

Collaborative Modeling Using System Dynamics for Water Resource Management

Water resource management for most Southwestern states requires collaborative solutions that cross regional, state, and federal judicial boundaries. As most of the region experiences drought-like conditions as well as population growth, there is a growing concern about sustainability of the water resource to meet industrial, agricultural, and residential demands. Technically, seeking a consensus path requires modeling of the hydrologic cycle within a prescribed region. Credible models must capture key interdependencies of various water resources, use historical data for calibration, and provide temporal/spatial resolutions that are aligned with the interests of the decision makers.

Development of a Technology Roadmap for the Energy and Water Nexus

Energy and water are critical resources that are inextricably and reciprocally linked. The production of energy requires large volumes of water, and the treatment and distribution of water depends upon readily available, low-cost energy. For example, electricity production from thermoelectric power plants can use ∼140,000 million gallons of water per day for cooling—accounting for 39% of all freshwater withdrawals in the nation, second only to agriculture in the United States (Figure 1). Significant amounts of water are also needed for hydropower, extraction/refining of minerals for energy, and bio-fuel production. Electrical energy, on the other hand, is needed for water treatment (e.g., desalination, wastewater), pumping, and distribution. The amount of electricity used in water and wastewater industries is equivalent to the amount used in chemical, petroleum refining, and paper industries. These interdependencies, coupled with increasing demands for energy and diminishing availability of freshwater supplies, pose significant challenges to ensure the sustainability of these two critical resources. Examples of the interrelationships between energy and water use are shown in Figure 2.

Determination of Water-Soluble Organophosphorus Herbicides by Ion Chromatography With Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry Detection

There is a high risk for human exposure to organophosphorus pesticides through contaminated drinking water. Glyphosate, glufosinate, fosamine and ethephon are among the water-soluble herbicides used currently. Sensitive and rapid analytical methodologies are critical for evaluating their residuals in a broad variety of samples, including environmental waters. However, challenges arise from the inherent chemical properties of the herbicides: strong polarity, high solubility in water, insolubility in organic solvent (except ethephon), absence of chromophore or fluorophore in their molecular structures. So far very rare analytical methods are available for ethephon [1] and fosamine [2], while glyphosate and glufosinate are often determined by gas chromatography [3], high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) [4] and capillary electrophoresis (CE) [5]. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is sensitive, rapid, selective, and is more powerful when hyphenated with appropriate separation. For the analysis of glufosinate, glyphosate and its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), ICP-MS was recently coupled to CE [6] or ion-pairing reversed-phase LC [7].

Creating Sustainable Water Supplies That Benefit Industries and Communities

For many years, the world enjoyed an abundance of high-quality fresh water that was inexpensive to obtain, treat and transport. Now, many communities and industries face water shortages, deteriorating water quality from seawater intrusion and greater demands due to population growth, tourism, recreational use, drought and industrial expansion. Many water and wastewater treatment plants are struggling to keep up with these higher demands or achieve the quality standards set forth by regulatory agencies. As fresh water becomes harder to obtain and its demand rises, the cost to individual consumers and industrial users increases.

Construction of a Lab-Scale Reverse Osmosis (RO) System for Organic/Biological Fouling Research

New Mexico ranks 2nd in natural gas production of all producing states and the Gulf Coast region. A significant amount of produced water can be generated during gas production. In 2002, around 3.8 million barrels of produced water were generated during gas production in the San Juan Basin. While obviously not drinkable at the wellhead due to the presence of salts, trace organics, and heavy metals, produced water may be treated for agricultural and industrial purposes. Reclaiming produced water for industrial processes would then free up freshwater resources for other beneficial uses. Membrane separation is a viable option for produced water desalinization; however, its large-scale implementation has been plagued by the recurring fouling of the membranes and the associated high operating costs. The paper describes the components and layout of a bench-scale reverse osmosis (RO) system used to study membrane fouling from the desalination of produced water.