Florida Water Resources Journal - March 2022 by Florida Water Resources Journal

Editor’s Office and Advertiser Information: Florida Water Resources Journal 1402 Emerald Lakes Drive Clermont, FL 34711 Phone: 352-241-6006 Email: Editorial, editor@fwrj.com Display and Classified Advertising, ads@fwrj.com

Business Office:

1402 Emerald Lakes Drive, Clermont, FL 34711 Web: http://www.fwrj.com General Manager: Editor: Graphic Design Manager: Mailing Coordinator:

Michael Delaney Rick Harmon Patrick Delaney Buena Vista Publishing

Published by BUENA VISTA PUBLISHING for Florida Water Resources Journal Inc. President: Richard Anderson (FSAWWA) Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority Vice President: Jamey Wallace (FWEA) Jacobs Treasurer: Rim Bishop (FWPCOA) Seacoast Utility Authority Secretary: Mish Clark

Mish Agency

Moving? The Post Office will not forward your magazine. Do not count on getting the Journal unless you notify us directly of address changes by the 15th of the month preceding the month of issue. Please do not telephone address changes. Email changes to changes@fwrj.com or mail to Florida Water Resources Journal, 1402 Emerald Lakes Drive, Clermont, FL 34711

Membership Questions FSAWWA: Casey Cumiskey – 407-979-4806 or fsawwa.casey@gmail.com FWEA: Karen Wallace, Executive Manager – 407-574-3318 FWPCOA: Darin Bishop – 561-840-0340

Training Questions FSAWWA: Donna Metherall – 407-979-4805 or fsawwa.donna@gmail.com FWPCOA: Shirley Reaves – 321-383-9690

For Other Information DEP Operator Certification: Ron McCulley – 850-245-7500 FSAWWA: Peggy Guingona – 407-979-4820 Florida Water Resources Conference: 407-363-7751 FWPCOA Operators Helping Operators: John Lang – 772-559-0722, e-mail – oho@fwpcoa.org FWEA: Karen Wallace, Executive Manager – 407-574-3318

Websites Florida Water Resources Journal: www.fwrj.com FWPCOA: www.fwpcoa.org FSAWWA: www.fsawwa.org FWEA: www.fwea.org and www.fweauc.org Florida Water Resources Conference: www.fwrc.org Throughout this issue trademark names are used. Rather than place a trademark symbol in every occurrence of a trademarked name, we state we are using the names only in an editorial fashion, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. None of the material in this publication necessarily reflects the opinions of the sponsoring organizations. All correspondence received is the property of the Florida Water Resources Journal and is subject to editing. Names are withheld in published letters only for extraordinary reasons. Authors agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Florida Water Resources Journal Inc. (FWRJ), its officers, affiliates, directors, advisors, members, representatives, and agents from any and all losses, expenses, third-party claims, liability, damages and costs (including, but not limited to, attorneys’ fees) arising from authors’ infringement of any intellectual property, copyright or trademark, or other right of any person, as applicable under the laws of the State of Florida.

News and Features 4 It’s Coming: Water Conservation Month and Water Conservation Awards for Excellence 6 Florida Utility, High School, and Marine Center Among Award Recipients for AWWA Water Equation Youth STEAM Programs 8 AWWA Announces Annual Utility Benchmarking Survey 8 Winner of FWRJ Cover Contest Announced 22 Host Site Established for OSHA Training Institute Education Center 24 Sea Change: Desalination and the WaterEnergy Nexus—Scott Moore 30 Celebrate 2022 National Drinking Water Week! 36 Water Authority Hosts Unique Preserve Hike and Creek Viewing 55 Securing Your Water Storage Tank—Erin

43 49 51 53

FWPCOA Training Calendar FSAWWA "Last Splash" Campaign FSAWWA Roy Likins Scholarship Fund FWPCOA Region IV Short School

Columns 20 C Factor—Patrick “Murf” Murphy 28 Test Yourself—Donna Kaluzniak 32 FSAWWA Speaking Out—Emilie Moore 34 Reader Profile—Elisa 'Elsa' Williams 48 Let’s Talk Safety: Energized Electric Equipment and Overhead Power Lines Can Be Deadly 52 FWEA Focus—Ronald R. Cavalieri

Departments

56 New Products 58 Classifieds 62 Display Advertiser Index

Schmitt

57 Pharmaceuticals Found in Florida Fish 61 News Beat

Technical Articles 40 Evaluation of Mixing, Mass Transfer, Operation and Maintenance, Energy, and Material Requirements for Hydrogen Sulfide Oxidation at the Orlando Utilities Commission Water Treatment Plants—

Srikanth S. Pathapati, Chris Schulz, John Healy, Brad Jewell, Eric Jones, Robert Sumpter, Quyen Newell, and Thomas Steinke

Education and Training 10-19 Florida Water Resources Conference Attendee, Exhibitor, and Sponsor Information 23 TREEO Center Training 33 2021 FSAWWA Awards 35 AWWA ACE22 37 CEU Challenge 38 FSAWWA Fall Conference Exhibitor Registration 39 FSAWWA Fall Conference Call for Papers

Volume 73

ON THE COVER: Wolf Branch Sink seasonal waterfall at the Lake County Water Authority preserve in Mount Dora. The authority provides environmental stewardship by limiting invasive species to allow native vegetation to thrive. For more information see page 36. (photo: Marty Proctor)

March 2022

Number 3

Florida Water Resources Journal, USPS 069-770, ISSN 0896-1794, is published monthly by Florida Water Resources Journal, Inc., 1402 Emerald Lakes Drive, Clermont, FL 34711, on behalf of the Florida Water & Pollution Control Operator’s Association, Inc.; Florida Section, American Water Works Association; and the Florida Water Environment Association. Members of all three associations receive the publication as a service of their association; $6 of membership dues support the Journal. Subscriptions are otherwise available within the U.S. for $24 per year. Periodicals postage paid at Clermont, FL and additional offices.

POSTMASTER: send address changes to Florida Water Resources Journal, 1402 Emerald Lakes Drive, Clermont, FL 34711

Florida Water Resources Journal • March 2022

It’s Coming: Water Conservation Month and Water Conservation Awards for Excellence Keeli Carlton Proclamation (Name of county/city entity) (Location) WHEREAS, water is a basic and essential need of every living creature; and WHEREAS, The State of Florida, Water Management Districts and (your name) are working together to increase awareness about the importance of water conservation; and WHEREAS, (your city or county name) and the State of Florida have designated April, typically a dry month when water demands are most acute, Florida’s Water Conservation Month, to educate citizens about how they can help save Florida’s precious water resources; and WHEREAS, (your name) has always encouraged and supported water conservation, through various educational programs and special events; and WHEREAS, every business, industry, school, and citizen can make a difference when it comes to conserving water; and WHEREAS, every business, industry, school, and citizen can help by saving water and thus promote a healthy economy and community; and NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that by virtue of the authority vested in me as (chair, mayor, etc.) of (your city or county name) and (commissioners or councilmembers, etc.) do hereby proclaim the month of April as Water Conservation Month (your city or county name), Florida is calling upon each citizen and business to help protect our precious resource by practicing water saving measures and becoming more aware of the need to save water.

This year marks the 24-year anniversary since April was first established as Water Conservation Month in Florida. During that time, great strides have been made toward understanding the impacts of water efficiency and water conservation programs. To recognize these efforts, the Florida Section American Water Works Association (FSAWWA) and Florida’s water management districts are once again asking local governments, water utilities, and other organizations to adopt a resolution or proclamation declaring “April as Water Conservation Month,” and then report this back to FSAWWA. It’s important that your organization add a Water Conservation Month proclamation to the statewide list. Each year, FSAWWA works with the state governor and cabinet to proclaim “April as Water Conservation Month.” By adopting Water Conservation Month and adding your proclamation to the statewide list, you’re letting Florida’s elected officials know just how important water efficiency and water conservation practices are to local governments, water utilities, and other organizations in Florida. The FSAWWA wants to have utilities and other groups throughout the state adopt this proclamation to get your efforts in water conservation recognized! To add your proclamation to the statewide list of entities proclaiming Water Conservation Month this year, please email your proclamation and its adoption date to Jenny Arguello at jenny@fsawwa.org. The due date for the proclamations is April 15, 2022. Your continued support of water conservation and water use efficiency in Florida through participation in this 24nd annual event is appreciated!

Water Conservation Awards for Excellence This annual awards program of the FSAWWA Water Use Efficiency Division (WUED) recognizes innovative and outstanding achievements in water efficiency throughout Florida. Entry forms will be posted at www.fsawwa.org in July 2022. Keeli Carlton is chair of the FSAWWA Water Use Efficiency Division. S

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Florida Utility, High School, and Marine Center Among Award Recipients for AWWA Water Equation Youth STEAM Programs The American Water Works Association’s Water Equation program has announced that it will fund STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) youth education programs totaling $11,050. The award recipients are: S N ew Jersey Sea Grant S Girls Scouts of Central New Jersey S P inellas County Utilities South Cross Bayou (SCB) Education Program S L oggerhead Marinelife Center, Girls of Promise, and Women’s Foundation of Arkansas S S eminole High School STEAM Academy

Funds for Water, Education, and Science

Festival to promote water education and careers. Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Jupiter will receive funds for its Unwrap the Waves initiative, which reaches schools, community partners, and students to reduce trash in aqua ecosystems. The award to Seminole High School’s STEAM Academy in Sanford will fund a project that links established science and math technologies involving data collection and analysis to environmental, construction, and electrical engineering technologies. Central Arkansas Water in Little Rock will receive funds to provide support for STEM learning to area organizations, including Girls of Promise and the newly

New Jersey Sea Grant will use its awarded funds to create a pilot Aquaculture Apprenticeship Program to provide a pathway for students to enter a career in the aquaculture sector. Girl Scouts of Central New Jersey will celebrate February as STEAM month and use its awarded funds to develop the curriculum to inspire girls to embrace and celebrate scientific discoveries. The Pinellas County Utilities SCB Education Program in Florida will receive funds for its collaboration with Pinellas County Schools, Florida Section AWWA (FSAWWA), and the West Coast Chapter of the Florida Water Environment Association (FWEA) to host a 2022 Water

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founded Women’s Foundation of Arkansas internship program, which is for college women of color majoring in STEM fields. The programs will expose them to careers in conservation and the environment.

Nominations and Awards Funding Funding for youth STEAM programs is provided through the Water Equation Women for Water Circle of Giving, which accepts nominations and awards funding. Donations for the program are accepted at http://we.awwa.org/we2022, or contact Michelle Hektor, AWWA senior manager of development, at mhektor@awwa.org for more information. S

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AWWA Announces Annual Utility Benchmarking Survey The American Water Works Association (AWWA) has announced the opening of its annual benchmarking survey. The AWWA Utility Benchmarking Program was developed to help water and wastewater utilities track their own data and compare it to established standards among their water industry peers. The program focuses on two areas: an annual survey to collect performance data and publication of that data for utilities to utilize. Benchmarking through the AWWA program allows utilities to: S Understand their performance relative to the industry S Identify areas for improvement or investment S Track performance against strategic goals S Establish realistic goals and create action plans S Facilitate customer and stakeholder conversations

Performance Indicators AWWA’s benchmarking program continuously tracks utility performance indicators developed and applied by water industry professionals to provide a framework for improving both operational efficiency and managerial effectiveness for all utilities. The

basis of this program is a system of well-defined and time-tested indicators specific to the water sector. These indicators were designed to help utilities providing water and/or wastewater services improve their operational efficiency and managerial effectiveness and are reviewed annually to ensure relevancy and clarity. This year’s survey is organized by performance indicators in five areas: S Organizational development S Customer relations S Business operations S Water operations S Wastewater operations Utility performance data collected from previous survey results is currently available in the AWWA publication, “Utility Benchmarking: Performance Management for Water and Wastewater.” It’s available to order online in the AWWA Store at www.awwa.org. Utilities interested in participating in the survey should visit the online survey portal on the benchmarking page at AWWA’s website, noted previously. Survey participants will receive a report with their confidential results relative to the collected results of similar utilities, as well as a 30 percent discount on the publication. The data collection period for the survey will end on April 1. S

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Winner of FWRJ Cover Contest Announced In the October 2021 issue of this magazine, we published a cover photo and ran a contest for someone to identify it. That person would win a complimentary full-conference registration for the 2022 Florida Water Resources Conference in Daytona Beach. The people who responded correctly were entered into a drawing, which was won by Joe Stephens, utility director of Coral Springs Improvement District. He identified the photo as showing the three membrane trains in the district’s drinking water plant. Thanks to everyone who entered and congratulations Joe! S

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C FACTOR

Environmental Stewardship: It’s What We Do! Patrick “Murf ” Murphy President, FWPCOA

ne of the topics for this month’s Journal is environmental stewardship. A quick web search for that definition brings very similar results, but let’s look at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Policy definition: “Environmental stewardship is the responsibility for environmental quality shared by all whose actions affect the environment.” It really is what we do! All of our disciplines have a role in this goal. Every single day, when we go into work and do the best we can do at our jobs, we are being environmental stewards. It’s not just the operators; it’s the engineers in our industry who are doing the same thing, working alongside the operators to give them the best designs and guidance for operating compliantly. It’s also the vendors who give us proven technologies and equipment that are reliable and effective. And it’s the

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regulators who give us guidance in operating our systems and keep us on the straight and narrow. What is environmental stewardship? It’s everything to do with “Earth Day.” It’s public outreach, drawing in people to the concept of environmental stewardship, having everyone involved in making informed choices that are good for the environment and sustain our quality of life, and increasing their awareness about how to adopt stewardship practices. It’s about having a cleaner and safer future!

Operators and Environmental Stewardship As operators, how can we increase our level of environmental stewardship? By studying harder for our state certification exams. The drinking water (DW), wastewater (WW), and distribution system (DS) operator passing rates (A level license for DW and WW and Level I for DS) have run for years between 28 to 63 percent (since 2017). The B licenses and Level II kind of hang around 41 to 75 percent, with the WW B usually having the lower number. The C licenses for DW and WW range between 47 and 63 percent, with the DS Level III ranging between 73 and 80 percent. There’s a whole lot of finger-pointing going on here: the tests are too hard, there were trick questions, the instructors didn’t cover what was on the tests, etc. I don’t think I can put a number on how many years I’ve heard from the instructors at our short schools that the students show up without a book; some show up and don’t even know what class their boss signed them up for. At the voluntary certification exam courses, they don’t spend any time in their rooms during the weeklong course to crack the book that is provided because the pool table at Charlie’s II was calling their name! There cannot be enough emphasis put on studying to comprehend, instead of memorizing questions and answers just long enough to pass a test. If you study, and study correctly, you will pass! This is your profession, drive it like you own it; invest in yourself and don’t stop advancing! That’s just scratching the surface when you only study to pass an exam. Besides studying continually for the knowledge and betterment of your job skills, are you reading your operating permit? Can you place your hand on the emergency response plan (ERP) and spill response

plan? These should be at your fingertips during Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and/or EPA inspections. I’ve had it asked of the operator on duty (as if I wasn’t there), “Can you produce the ERP, and do you know what’s in it?” Do you? Yes, it can be a little overwhelming as a trainee or new person to the industry putting in your 40-plus hours a week, learning all the things you need to know to perform your job successfully, while also juggling your life, family, and extracurricular activities (that keep us sane). But let’s add another item: there are rules associated with environmental stewardship. The Florida Administrative Codes (F.A.C.s), Florida Statutes (F.S.), Code of Federal Regulations (CFRs), and more are things that should be read and learned. Hey, we can’t remember everything, but if you’ve read it at least once, a light might go on when it’s dark, and that glow could take you back to the verbiage you need from that once-read document. As instructors we generally point to the chapters in the F.A.C.s that are predominantly loaded on the exams and have great importance in our everyday duties, such as 62-550, 62-555, 62-600, 62-604, 62-610, 62620, 62-625, and 62-640, but there are rules for everything, and some of them are just as, or possibly more, important, but sit lonely on the shelves. For example, Chapter 62-761, Underground Storage Tank Systems, and 62-762, Above Ground Storage Tank Systems, will help keep you compliant for inspections, but more importantly, will lead to having a generator that will start and run during that hurricane or power-loss event. The purpose of Chapter 62-780, Contaminated Site Cleanup Criteria, is to prevent adverse effects on human health, public safety, and the environment that may be caused by contaminants that have been released or discharged into the environment and implement the riskbased corrective action provisions of Chapters 376 and 403, F.S. Knowing this chapter can save your company or utility plenty of money, especially if you can react and stay in the “De Minimis discharge” requirements. There’s more, but I should wrap this up by saying there is a code that is not a law that supports environmental stewardship: our code of ethics!

FWPCOA 2022 Spring State Short School The FWPCOA 2022 Spring State Short School will be held March 14-18 at the Indian River State College in Fort Pierce. That’s also Spring Break, so hopefully you’ve made lodging reservations well in advance, and you don’t pull a Murphy and end up sleeping in the hospital lobby waiting for a room to open up at the inn. As of the January board of directors meeting, the college has indicated that it presently has no COVID protocols in place.

I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible and FWPCOA having a wonderful, and successful Spring State Short School! For event details go to www.fwpcoa.org and view the calendar. For all events contact Shirley Reaves at (321) 383-9690 or fwpcoa@gmail. com, or Darin Bishop at (561) 840-0340 or memfwpcoa@gmail.com.

Florida Water Resources Conference The Florida Water Resource Conference (FWRC), to be held April 24-27, 2022, in Daytona Beach at the Ocean Center and Hilton, is shaping up nicely. The mostly brand-new executive board of FWRC has taken the bull by the horns, and there are others behind the scenes to thank, but I want to point out the FWRC officers here: S F WRC President – Tim Madhanagopal S F WRC Local Arrangements – Kim Kowalski S F WRC Technical Programs – Nicole McConnell S F WRC Treasurer – Mark Lehigh S F WRC Executive Manager – Michele “Mish” Clark S F WRC Web Editor – Alexander Krämer The FWPCOA Operators Showcase will be on Sunday, April 24, from 2 to 4 p.m., held in the Ocean Center, Room 102A. It’s more of a workshop with technical-session tones, and predominantly operators, though all are welcome. It’s always a good time! The FWPCOA awards will be presented at the FWRC awards luncheon and annual meeting on Monday, April 25, from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m., in the Ocean Center, Ballroom BC. You must have nominations submitted to Renee Moticker, FWPCOA Awards and Citations Committee chair, by March 12, 2022. This is a great opportunity to acknowledge outstanding individuals in our association. The awards are: S D avid B. Lee Award – Based on the operator’s plant operations and activities within the operators association. S P at Flanagan Award – Given by the state association to an associate member, based on their assistance to operators and contribution to the operators association. S R ichard P. Vogh Award – Given to the FWPCOA region judged most progressive during the year. Please do not fail to attend this joint conference, sponsored by FSAWWA, FWEA, and FWPCOA; it’s a great networking and technicalsession event. Additionally, if you are attending, consider volunteering to help with registration. They have two-hour slots available and one could Continued on page 22

Region IV meet and greet.

Florida Water Resources Journal • March 2022

Continued from page 21 have your name on it; it would be a great help to FWRC’s success. As a side note: Earth Day is the Friday right before the conference on April 22, 2022.

Ron McCulley, Administrator for the Certification and Restoration Program (aka OCP) with Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Region IV Meet and Greet

Another special thanks to Mr. Ron McCulley for providing details about the passing rates for the state exams, and doing so with very short notice so that I could meet the deadline for my column submittal. Not only did he provide the information, but he loaded me up with enough to have a whole article in itself! A lot of good things have happened/changed during his tenure and it’s quite evident that he has a vested interest in the success of the program, the operators passing the tests, and maintaining operator professionalism. The FWPCOA supports these standards and they should not be reduced to get better results! I believe if one prepares thoroughly and approaches the examination with the mindset of a professional, they will not fail the exam! To that end, what if something bad happens the day you take the test and you do fail? Ron amended the contract with PSI (a computerbased testing vendor) in November 2021 and removed the language that required a waiting time of 60 days between exam event dates. An applicant who fails any exam may reapply and take an exam just as fast as the application and approval can make it through the process. That was done with us operators in mind, so, thank you Mr. McCulley! I want to thank all the hard-working people in our industry. Thank you for doing all you do every single day! Let’s keep that water clean! S

A special thank you to Region IV for coordinating a memorable dinner and meet and greet for the board of directors at the January meeting. Region IV, serving Sumter, Hernando, Pasco, and Pinellas counties, has the following officers: S Director – Bob Case S Chair – William Anderson S Vice-Chair – Jeff Pfannes S Secretary – Debra Englander S Treasurer – Vivian Gleaves They all helped put on the extravaganza, which was mainly coordinated by Jeff Pfannes. The event included Kenneth City dignitaries: Mayor Robert J. Howell; council members and spouses; Town Manager Pete Cavalli (who is also a FWPCOA member), and other Region IV members. It was very refreshing to see the level of interest and support from a legislative body that supports the theme of environmental stewardship. This gathering was directly after the Education Committee meeting, which was extremely well-attended.

Host Site Established for OSHA Training Institute Education Center The University of Florida’s Office of Professional and Workforce Development (OPWD) has been selected as a host training organization for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) courses offered by the OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Center at Volunteer State Community College. The goal of OSHA courses is to reduce workplace fatalities and injuries by teaching the application of standards in hazard recognition and prevention. The OTI Education Center is a national network of nonprofit organizations authorized by OSHA to deliver occupational safety and health training to public- and private-sector workers, supervisors, and employers. Participants in the program are encouraged to establish host sites to provide

additional training opportunities within their respective OSHA region. The OPWD previously created courses on safety and health management for leadership under the department of the University of Florida Training Research and Education for Environmental Occupations (UF TREEO). This series of courses aims to help employers and workers comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

22 March 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal

“The agreement between our two institutions allows us to support OSHA’s mission to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for workers through education and training,” says Andrew Campbell, director of OPWD. The OPWD offers noncredit education for learners across multiple modalities. Its mission is to design and deliver innovative learning opportunities for everyone, with the vision to create an enduring legacy of excellence. To learn more about OPWD visit pwd.aa.ufl.edu. The schedule of the OSHA courses will be announced in the coming weeks. For continuing developments visit www.treeo.ufl.edu/osha-training. Learn more about the OTI Education Center at www.volstate.edu/workforce/osha. S

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Sea Change: Desalination and the Water–Energy Nexus Scott Moore If there’s one near-inexhaustible resource on Earth, it’s the saltwater that covers two-thirds of the globe. For decades, water-scarce regions have looked to the sea as an almost unlimited water source, but desalination, the process of removing salt to make drinkable water, is extremely energyintensive and has long been seen as too expensive for all but niche applications. Can desalination ever mean an end to thirst? New technology and changing economics have made desalination more attractive, yet the basic challenge remains the same: breakthroughs in energy production and storage are needed for desalination to help make global development more sustainable.

The Promise of Desalination There are many sources of water for the world’s cities, farms, and factories. Most of the world’s agriculture relies on rainfall, while its cities and industries depend mostly on a combination of surface water from streams, rivers, and reservoirs. Groundwater is an important source of water for agricultural, industrial, and urban water users, but each of these water sources can be unpredictable, especially under climate change.

Only one potential source of water—the sea—offers the promise of completely breaking with the hydrological cycle and offering a consistent supply of fresh water, irrespective of variation in rainfall and water availability. For this reason, highly water-scarce areas have long looked to desalination technologies to supply drinking water. The first practical desalination plant was built on the island of Curacao in 1928, and the first large-scale one opened a decade later in Saudi Arabia (National Research Council, 2008). Today, global desalination capacity exceeds 86 million cubic meters per day. While this amounts to only about 1 percent of the world’s drinking water, the global desalination market grew by an average of approximately 9 percent in the 28-year period between 1990 and 2018 (Voutchkov, 2016; Ziolkowska & Reyes, 2016). Desalination capacity is overwhelmingly concentrated in water-scarce countries in the Middle East and North Africa (see Figure 1). A few countries in this region, like Israel, depend on desalinated seawater for more than half of its total water supplies (U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, 2016). Even for these highly waterstressed countries, however, desalinated water is almost entirely produced for domestic and municipal use, as it remains far too expensive for irrigation (Reif & Alhalabi, 2015).

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The Costs of Desalination Most of this rapid growth for drinking water supply has been driven by steadily declining costs for key desalination technologies, combined with the growing cost of alternative water sources, especially given more-frequent droughts. The cost of reverse osmosis (RO) technology, the most popular method for largeand medium-scale seawater desalination, has fallen especially fast. The use of RO involves forcing water across a semipermeable membrane to remove salts, and has become increasingly popular for seawater desalination because of its relatively low energy requirements compared to distillation and other means of removing salt from seawater. The total costs for RO are approximately 35 percent each for capital and energy, 12 percent for the chemicals needed to purify desalted water to meet necessary standards, 6 percent for maintenance, and 5 percent for filters and membranes, with the remainder consisting primarily of labor costs (National Research Council, 2008). Recent estimates from the International Water Association, an industry group, predict significant decreases in construction costs for seawater RO (see Figure 2). The cost of desalinated water production

remains highly variable around the globe, but one of the most advanced plants, Israel’s Sorek, sells water to utilities at $0.58 per cubic meter, as compared to a global average of approximately $0.8 (Talbot, 2015). While these trends are likely to continue to improve the economics of seawater RO desalination, it remains roughly twice as expensive as alternatives, like expanded use of groundwater (Badiuzzaman, McLaughlin, & McCauley, 2017). The primary source of this continued cost discrepancy is the large amount of energy required for seawater RO. As mentioned, RO involves forcing water through a semipermeable membrane to remove salts and there are thermodynamic limits to the efficiency of the process. Energy requirements are approximately 3 to 7 kWh/m3 for seawater desalination, and in practice, 35 to 60 percent of source water can be efficiently recovered as freshwater using current technologies. While pretreatment, energy recovery, and other techniques can push the energy efficiency of the process to 74 percent under ideal conditions, this is viewed as a ceiling. Newer membrane technologies offer some potential to realize significant energy savings. For example, biomimetic membranes, which mimic cellular membranes by selectively filtering out salt and other undesired substances, may reduce the energy requirements of existing membrane filtration. Yet, even with these new membranes, it is unlikely that revolutionary improvements in energy efficiency can be realized (National Research Council, 2008; Semiat, 2008). These high energy requirements, and accompanying costs, remain the single biggest barrier to expanded use of desalination.

No such ready technological fix exists for conventional desalination plants to reduce the high greenhouse gas emissions associated with large-scale desalination. Estimates suggest that seawater desalination generates 1.5 to 2.4 times as many greenhouse gas emissions as longdistance surface water transport, though such estimates are highly sensitive to energy intensity measures (Stokes & Horvath, 2009).1 For countries highly dependent on desalination, the associated greenhouse gas emissions can be very substantial (Kajenthira, Siddiqi, & Anadon, 2012). Desalination plants account for a third of the total emissions in

United Arab Emirates (UAE), for example, and globally, desalination plants are estimated to be responsible for 76 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, a number that is expected to grow to 218 million tons by 2040 (MENA Report, 2016; Steel, 2017). For this reason, growing attention has been paid to the idea of powering desalination with renewable energy sources. In principle, a number of unconventional energy sources can be coupled with desalination, including nuclear, wind, and geothermal. Most of these, however, face seemingly insurmountable economic Continued on page 26

Desalinated Water Produced (10^9 m3/year) 1.2 1 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0

Saudi Arabia

United Kazakhstan Arab Emirates

Algeria

United States of America

Kuwait

Egypt

Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Qatar

Australia

Figure 1. Top 10 Desalination-Producing Countries (source: U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, 2016)

Making Desalination Sustainable Apart from the direct costs of energy required for seawater desalination, associated environmental impacts remain one of the greatest concerns regarding its expanded use. Many of the direct environmental impacts of desalination plants can be mediated through design or relatively simple technological adjustments. Burying intake pipes in sand, for example, can almost eliminate the problem of ingesting fish and other marine organisms, while devices that diffuse desalination plant outflows can help ensure that brine discharge does not disrupt local habitats (National Research Council, 2008).

Cost and Productivity Trends for Reverse Osmosis Seawater Desalination

T hese estimates refer to surface water transfer in California, such as the Los Angeles Owens Valley Project.

120

100 1.5

80 60

40 0.5

0 1

140

2.5

Baseline (2016)

5-Year Estimate

Construction Cost (US$/MLD)

20-Year Estimate

Membrane Productivity (m3/membrane)

Figure 2. Improving Economics of Seawater Reverse Osmosis Desalination (Voutchkov, 2016)

Florida Water Resources Journal • March 2022

Continued from page 25 obstacles. Waste heat from nuclear power generation is already used to power smallscale (3000-cubic-meters-per-day capacity) desalination facilities in Japan. Yet capital costs for nuclear-powered desalination are estimated at being four times as high as fossil-fueled alternatives, while operation costs are estimated to be double (International Atomic Energy Agency, 2000; Stieglitz & Docksai, 2009). The technical feasibility of wind-powered desalination has been demonstrated in favorable geographies, like isolated small islands; however, costs remain extremely high, in part because of the problem of intermittency, wherein power generation capacity fluctuates considerably, as is the case, especially, for wind power (Carta, Gonzalez, & Subiela, 2003; Maleki, Pourfayaz, & Ahmadi, 2016; Loutatidou, Liosis, Pohl, Ouarda, & Arafat, 2017). While optimal siting, including offshore floating desalination plants and next-generation battery storage, may help overcome these issues, the economics are likely to continue to be unfavorable for wind-powered desalination (Steel, 2017). As a result of these limitations, among renewable power sources, solar has received by far the greatest attention from researchers. Two forms of solar power have been proposed as a power source for medium- and large-scale desalination: photo-voltaic (PV) and solarthermal. From a technical perspective, solarthermal technologies, like parabolic trough collectors and central receiver power plants, are attractive because they generate heat that can be used directly for desalination, rather than first generating heat using electricity, as with PV technologies (Fiorenza, Sharma, & Braccio, 2007; Reif & Alhalabi, 2015). Solar-thermal technologies face no significant technical obstacles to greater adoption; however, unlike PV, few commercialscale solar-thermal plants are currently in operation, and accordingly, much less is known about their economics (Desai & Bandyopadhyay, 2017). The first utility-scale solar-power seawater desalination plant, Saudi Arabia’s Al Khafji, relies on 119 hectares of PV modules to produce 45.7MW of power for the plant’s expected 60,000 cubic meters of water per day capacity. Its planned completion (in early 2017) was, however, delayed (Tarantola, 2017). Existing estimates suggest that for a medium-scale desalination plant with a daily production capacity in the 5,000-cubic-metersper-day range, either PV or solar-thermal technology could be applied at a cost of approximately $2.00 per cubic meter, roughly double the cost of conventionally powered seawater RO desalination (Fiorenza, Sharma, & Braccio, 2007). Where fuel costs are high, however, the cost differential may narrow. The

cost of diesel-powered seawater RO desalination was estimated at $1.18 to $1.56 for a smallscale plant in a remote coastal area of Egypt, for example, compared with $1.21 using PV (Souman, Sorour, & Abulnour, 2015). A major source of uncertainty in these cost estimates is that of energy and water storage. As in the case of wind, solar-powered desalination plants would have to overcome the problem of intermittency. either by relying on batteries or pumping and storing water during periods of high insolation. Both options add considerably to capital costs, but advances in battery storage could help improve the economics, as could using multiple power sources (Napoli & Rioux, 2015). One estimate suggests that combining solar and wind power with battery storage could result in desalination water production costs as low as $0.6 per cubic meter by 2030, for example, making it competitive with conventional RO technology costs (Caldera, Bogdanov, & Breyer, 2016).

Public Policy Challenges Solar-powered desalination offers the promise of simultaneously addressing two of humanity’s greatest sustainable development challenges: water scarcity and climate change. There are currently no clear commercial pathways for the development of large-scale solar-powered desalination. In the short term, small-scale niche applications may offer the greatest potential to expand the use of solarpowered desalination. Simple direct desalination using solar stills or PV-based desalination is already highly attractive for remote, off-grid areas because of the high costs of transporting water or connecting to the electricity grid. Novel nanoscale technologies, including advanced ceramics, promise to increase the efficiency of these processes to the point where it appears likely that most small communities can eventually be supplied with affordable water using direct or PV-powered desalination (Finnerty, Zhang, Sedlak, Nelson, & Mi, 2017; Dongare, et al., 2017). Solar desalination plants also hold substantial promise to increase water availability in water-scarce inland areas with brackish water deposits. Such deposits are found in many irrigated agricultural regions, where drainage water is usually too saline to reuse directly, and in many energy production areas, where it is often associated with oil- and gas-bearing geological formations. Desalination using any technology is more economical for brackish water because salt concentrations are far lower (Chaouchi, Zrelli, & Gabsi, 2007). Depending on the salinity of the source water, the energy requirements of brackish water desalination can be less than 1

26 March 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal

kWh per cubic meter, as compared to 3 to 7 for seawater, and recovery rates can be as high as 90 percent, compared with about 60 percent for seawater (National Research Council, 2008). For larger-scale coastal desalination plants, however, it seems certain that continued investment in research, development, and deployment is needed from both companies and governments. Indeed, desalination has always relied heavily on public investment. The United States government invested some $1.5 billion in desalination research during the second half of the twentieth century, which led to the development of the first commercial use of RO technologies (National Research Council, 2008). Enthusiasm for at least some government research support appears to be strong. Masdar, a company owned by the government of UAE, has invested in a small-scale, 1,500-cubic-metersper-day solar desalination pilot project that aims to reduce energy use by 40 percent, compared with existing conventional desalination plants (Harrington, 2015). In September 2017, the U.S. Department of Energy committed $15 million to fund up to 10 solar desalination demonstration projects (U.S. Department of Energy, 2017). Nonetheless, such efforts must be continued and expanded if utility-scale solar desalination is ever to become a reality. While these investments are necessary, policy reforms to improve the economics of sustainable desalination are arguably even more important to encourage its expansion. At present, desalination is generally only cost-effective if water tariffs are raised to finance its high capital and operation costs, or on extensive government subsidies. While on one hand subsidies are unsustainable for most governments, on the other hand, the political pressure to keep water prices low is considerable, and rates must typically be approved by a government regulator. One solution to these challenges is to ensure that water prices reflect the true cost of obtaining water from different sources. While desalination is extremely expensive, the full cost of exploiting surface water and groundwater resources, especially for ecosystem services, is considerable, and accounting for these externalities could improve the cost-effectiveness of desalination. China, for example, has reformed water prices in several areas to feature differential pricing for groundwater and surface water to better account for these externalities. When coupled with carbon pricing or taxation policies, these water reforms could better support the expanded use of solar-powered desalination (National Research Council, 2008). Informed by proper accounting of externalities, solar-powered desalination can be an important solution for some waterstressed urban and rural areas. Yet, whatever

the source of energy, desalination will always involve difficult trade-offs. The optimal sites for desalination plants are often either in high-landvalue waterfront areas or in environmentally sensitive coastal zones, often requiring a protracted permitting and environmental impact assessment process. For these reasons, desalination is best employed as a strategy of last resort, when all reasonable water conservation and efficiency measures have been exhausted (Zetland, 2016). As the U.S. National Academy of Science has pointed out, the value of water supply assurance is such that many utilities and municipalities will nonetheless be willing to pay the price of desalination to ensure adequate supplies of clean water in times of drought (National Research Council, 2008). It is essential that when they do so, they take steps to ensure that desalination contributes to an energy- and water-sustainable future.

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References • B adiuzzaman, P., McLaughlin, E., & McCauley, D. (2017). Substituting freshwater: Can ocean desalination and water recycling capacities substitute for groundwater depletion in California? Journal of Environmental Mangement, 203, 123-135. • Caldera, U., Bogdanov, D., & Breyer, C. (2016, May 2). Local cost of seawater RO desalination based on solar PV and wind energy: a global estimate. Desalination, 385, 207-216. • Carta, J., Gonzalez, J., & Subiela, V. (2003). Operational analysis of an innovative wind powered reverse osmosis system installed in the Canary Islands. Solar Energy, 75(2), 153168. • Chaouchi, B., Zrelli, A., & Gabsi, S. (2007, Nov. 5). Desalination of brackish water by means of a parabolic solar concentrator. Desalination, 217(1-3), 118-126. • Desai, N., & Bandyopadhyay, S. (2017, January). Line-focusing concentrating solar collector-based power plants: a review. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 19(1), 9-35. • Dongare, P., Alabastri, A., Pedersen, S., Zodrow, K., Hogan, N., Neumann, O., . . . Halas, N. (2017). Nanophotonics-enabled solar membrane distillation for off-grid water purification. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(27), 6936-6941. • Finnerty, C., Zhang, L., Sedlak, D., Nelson, K., & Mi, B. (2017). Synthetic graphene oxide leaf for solar desalination with Zero Liquid Discharge. Environmental Science and Technology, 51(20), 11701-11709. Retrieved from Environmental Science and Technology. • Fiorenza, G., Sharma, V., & Braccio, G. (2007).

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Techno-Economic Evaluation of a SolarPowered Water Desalination Plant. In L. Rizzuti, Solar Desalination for the 21st Century (pp. 33-41). Springer. Harrington, K. (2015, Dec. 11). Masdar launches solar desalination pilot program. Retrieved Dec. 4, 2017, from American Institute of Chemical Engineers: https:// www.aiche.org/chenected/2015/12/masdarlaunches-solar-desalination-pilot-program. International Atomic Energy Agency. (2000). Introduction of Nuclear Desalination: A Guidebook. Vienna: International Atomic Energy Agency. Kajenthira, A., Siddiqi, A., & Anadon, L. D. (2012). A new case for promoting wastewater reuse in Saudi Arabia: Bringing energy into the water equation. Journal of Environmental Management, 102, 184. Loutatidou, S., Liosis, N., Pohl, R., Ouarda, T., & Arafat, H. (2017, April 15). Wind-powered desalination for strategic water storage: Techno-economic assessment of concept. Desalination, 408, 36-51. Maleki, A., Pourfayaz, F., & Ahmadi, M. (2016, Dec. 1). Design of a cost-effective wind/photovoltaic/hydrogen energy system for supplying a desalination unit by a heuristic approach. Solar Energy, 139, 666. MENA Report. (2016, Aug. 4). United Arab Emirates: Tapping the Earth’s energy for zerocarbon seawater desalination. MENA Report. A Framework for Comparing the Viability of Different Desalination Approaches. Napoli, C., & Rioux, B. (2015).. Riyadh: King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center. National Research Council. (2008). Desalination: A National Perspective. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. Poseidon Water. (2010). Desalination Worldwide. Retrieved Dec. 3, 2017, from Seawater Desalination Huntington Beach Facility: http://hbfreshwater.com/ desalination-101/desalination-worldwide. Reif, J., & Alhalabi, W. (2015). Solar thermal powered desalination: Its significant challenges and potential. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Review, 48, 152-165. Semiat, R. (2008). Energy issues in desalination processes. Environmental Science and Technology, 42(22), 8193. Souman, E., Sorour, M., & Abulnour, A. (2015). Economics of Renewable Energy for Water Desalination in Developing Countries. International Journal of Economics and Management Sciences, 5(305), 1-5. Steel, W. (2017). Look to windward: the case for wind powered desalination. Retrieved Dec. 4, 2017, from Water and Wastewater International: http://www.waterworld. com/articles/wwi/print/volume-31/issue-6/

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featured-articles/look-to-windward-the-casefor-wind-powered-desalination.html. Stieglitz, R., & Docksai, R. (2009, Nov/Dec). Why the world may turn to nuclear power. The Futurist, 43(6), 16-22. Stokes, J., & Horvath, A. (2009). Energy and Air Emission Effects of Water Supply. Environmental Science & Technology, 43(8), 2680. Talbot, D. (2015, March/April). Megascale Desalination. MIT Technology Review. Retrieved from https://www. technologyreview.com/s/534996/megascaledesalination/. Tarantola, A. (2017, Oct. 27). Seawater desalination will quench the thirst of a parched planet. Retrieved Dec. 4, 2017, from Engadget: https://www.engadget.com/2017/10/27/ seawater-desalination-quench-parchedplanet//. U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. (2016). AQUASTAT. Retrieved Dec. 3, 2017, from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: http://www.fao.org/nr/ water/aquastat/main/index.stm. U.S. Department of Energy. (2017, Sept. 27). Energy Development Launches Up to $15 Million to Tackle Solar Desalination. Retrieved Dec. 4, 2017, from Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: https://energy.gov/ eere/articles/energy-department-launches15-million-tackle-solar-desalination. Voutchkov, N. (2016, Aug. 17). Desalination -- Past, Present and Future. Retrieved Dec. 3, 2017, from International Water Association: http://www.iwa-network.org/desalinationpast-present-future/. Zetland, D. (2016). Society, Politics and Desalination. In D. Zetland, A Multidisciplinary Introduction to Desalination (pp. 559-574). Aalborg, Denmark: River Publishers. Ziolkowska, J., & Reyes, R. (2016). Impact of socio-economic growth on desalination in the US. Journal of Environmental Management, 167, 15-22.

Scott Moore is a senior fellow, Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, at the University of Pennsylvania. This article (https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/ research/publications/sea-change-desalinationand-the-water-energy-nexus/) was originally published in 2018 by the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy (https://kleinmanenergy.upenn. edu/) at the University of Pennsylvania.

Florida Water Resources Journal • March 2022

Test Yourself

What Do You Know About the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions? Donna Kaluzniak

1. P er Title 40, Part 141 of the Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR 141), Subpart I, Control of Lead and Copper, the requirements of this subpart are effective on what date? a. b. c. d.

J uly 1, 2020 Dec. 16, 2021 J uly 1, 2022 Dec. 31, 2022

2. P er 40 CFR 141, Subpart I, to which water systems does this subpart apply? a. A ll water systems b. Community water systems only c. C ommunity water systems and noncommunity, nontransient water systems d. Community water systems and transient water systems 3. P er 40 CFR 141, Subpart I, when must water systems comply with the requirements of this subpart? a. b. c. d.

D ec. 31, 2022 Dec. 31, 2023 O ct. 16, 2023 Oct. 16, 2024

4. P er 40 CFR 141, Subpart I, the lead trigger level is exceeded if the 90th percentile concentration of lead is greater than a. b. c. d.

µg/L. 5 8 µg/L. 1 0 µg/L. 1 5 µg/L.

5. P er 40 CFR 141, Subpart I, the copper action level is exceeded if the 90th percentile concentration of copper is greater than a. b. c. d.

1.0 mg/L. 1.3 mg/L. 1 .8 mg/L. 2.0 mg/L.

6. P er 40 CFR 141, Subpart I, by what date must water systems develop a lead service line inventory and replacement plan? a. b. c. d.

Dec. 31, 2023 Dec. 31, 2024 O ct. 16, 2023 Oct.16, 2024

7. P er 40 CFR 141, Subpart I, all water systems with lead service lines must begin the first standard monitoring period on January 1 or July 1 in the year following a. b. c. d.

Dec. 31, 2023, whichever is sooner. Dec. 31, 2024, whichever is sooner. O ct.16, 2024, whichever is sooner. June 30, 2024, whichever is sooner.

8. P er 40 CFR 141, Subpart I, water systems that serve more than 10,000 persons whose 90th percentile lead level from tap samples is above the lead trigger level, but at or below the lead action level, must conduct a. a revised lead service line inventory. b. goal-based full lead service line replacement. c. m andatory full lead service line replacement. d. partial lead service line replacement.

28 March 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal

9. P er 40 CFR 141, Subpart I, all community water systems must conduct directed public education and lead monitoring at the schools and child care facilities they serve if those schools or child care facilities were constructed prior to the date the state adopted leadfree standards or a. b. c. d.

J an. 1, 2014. Jan. 1, 2000. J an. 1, 1996. Jan. 1, 1989.

10. P er 40 CFR 141, Subpart I, what percentage of elementary schools and child care facilities must be sampled each year until all facilities have been sampled? a. b. c. d.

percent 5 10 percent 2 0 percent 25 percent Answers on page 62

References used for this quiz: • « Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40 Part 141 (40 CFR 141) h ttps://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/ chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-141

Send Us Your Questions Readers are welcome to submit questions or exercises on water or wastewater treatment plant operations for publication in Test Yourself. Send your question (with the answer) or your exercise (with the solution) by email to: donna@h2owriting.com

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Florida Water Resources Journal • March 2022

Celebrate 2022 National Drinking Water Week! For nearly 40 years, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) has celebrated Drinking Water Week with its members. This year, it will be held May 1-7. In 1988, AWWA brought the event to the attention of the United States government and formed a coalition with the League of Women Voters, Association of State Drinking Water Administrators, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That year, Rep. Robert Roe of New Jersey and Sen. Dennis DeConcini of Arizona sponsored a resolution to name the first week of May as National Drinking Water Week, and an information kit was distributed to the media and to more than 10,000 utilities across the U.S. Willard Scott, the NBC “Today” show weatherman at the time, was featured in public service announcements that aired between May 2 and 8. The weeklong observance was declared in a joint

congressional resolution and signed by thenPresident Ronald Reagan. The following year AWWA approached several other organizations to participate. Through that effort, the National Drinking Water Alliance was formed, consisting of 15 nonprofit educational, professional, and public interest organizations. The alliance dedicated itself to public awareness and involvement in public and private drinking water issues and continued its work to organize a major annual educational campaign built around Drinking Water Week. The power of the multiorganization alliance enabled Drinking Water Week to grow into widespread and committed participation throughout the U.S. and Canada. In 1991, the alliance launched a national campaign to inform the public about America’s drinking water. The group distributed a kit containing ideas for celebrating the event, conservation facts and tip

30 March 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal

sheets, news releases, and posters. The theme was “There’s a lot more to drinking water than meets the eye.” That same year, actor Robert Redford recorded a public service announcement on behalf of Drinking Water Week. Celebrating Drinking Water Week is an easy way to educate the public, connect with the community, and promote employee morale. Too often, water utilities receive publicity only when something bad happens; Drinking Water Week celebrations give utilities an opportunity for positive communication and a way to connect with their customers.

Public Communication Communicating to the public during Drinking Water Week is integral to any successful celebration. Some options and ideas are:

A dvertise in local newspapers S end bill stuffers to customers W ork with local librarians to set up displays U se mall kiosks to reach a broad audience C oordinate distribution of AWWA news releases S P ublicize the release of water utility consumer confidence reports S S end public service announcements to local radio and television stations S S et up a Facebook page and use other social media outlets like YouTube, Instragram, and TikTok S S S S S

Community Events It’s important to be a part of the local community. Communitywide events are fun and festive ways to make sure that customers know about their drinking water—where it comes from, how they get it, and what they can do to help ensure their drinking water quality. Events could include the following: S I nvite your community members to an open house S I naugurate an adopt-a-hydrant program S P lant a tree S C onduct plant tours S H old a landmark dedication/anniversary celebration S B ury a time capsule

S P artner with local botanic gardens and environmental groups S Plan a community cleanup

Youth Focus Drinking Water Week is a perfect time to educate children and youth about their water supply in an atmosphere of fun. Here are some ideas: S Feature a children’s coloring contest or essay contest S Hold a poster contest S Have utility employees make presentations at local schools S Partner with a local school district and hold an artwork contest that encourages students to draw or color pictures showing how water is essential to their daily lives

Internal Communications and Events

S C reate a utility or company newsletter feature on Drinking Water Week S V ideo employees talking about their jobs and what they do to make the public’s water safe and post the information on social media

Plan Ahead Drinking Water Week is celebrated during the first full week of May each year. Future dates are: S 2023 – May 7-13 S 2024 – May 5-11 S 2025 – May 4-10 S 2026 – May 3-9 S 2027 – May 2-8 For questions about Drinking Water Week contact Dave Gaylinn at dgaylinn@awwa.org or 303.794.7711. S

Don’t forget your employees! Drinking Water Week can help reaffirm to employees the importance of what it is they do—provide clean, safe drinking water for the public. Consider these events: S Hold an annual employee picnic during Drinking Water Week

Florida Water Resources Journal • March 2022

FSAWWA SPEAKING OUT

Focusing on Groundwater Emilie Moore, P.E., PMP, ENV SP Chair, FSAWWA

ith approximately 90 percent of Floridians relying on aquifers as a source of drinking water (USGS, 2020), protecting Florida’s groundwater resources is vital. Since its establishment in 1999, National Groundwater Awareness Week annually highlights responsible development, management, and use of groundwater. Sponsored by the National Groundwater Association, the week also encourages yearly water testing and well maintenance. Moreover, it calls attention to promoting policies impacting groundwater quality and supply and highlights the importance of groundwater to people’s health and the environment.

This year, the 22nd National Groundwater Awareness Week will be held March 6-12. Per the National Groundwater Association, more than 44 percent of the population in the

United States depends on groundwater as a primary water source. Similar to our potable water industry, groundwater professionals are in demand, with more than 135,000 open positions in the U.S., per the American Geosciences Institute. Groundwater professionals include well contractors, hydrogeologists, groundwater policy advocates, and suppliers and manufacturers of groundwater technology.

Protecting Florida’s Groundwater Levels Florida law requires the state’s water management districts (WMDs) or the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to establish minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for surface waters and aquifers in order to identify the limit at which further withdrawals would be significantly harmful to the water resources or ecology of the area. Minimum flows are established to protect springs, streams, rivers, and estuaries; minimum levels are developed to protect aquifers, lakes, and wetlands. The MFLs are one of numerous tools use by the WMDs to review requests for water withdrawals and can be used to plan for current and future water needs. A recovery strategy is developed if an MFL is currently not met, and a prevention strategy is developed if an MFL will not be met in the next 20 years. The MFLs are defined in Section 373.042, Florida Statutes, and in Rule 62-40.473, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.).

Manatee Springs, Florida, 2021. (photo: Emilie Moore)

32 March 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal

Protecting Florida’s Groundwater Quality Per Chapter 62 of the F.A.C., 62-520.300, Section (2)(a), Florida’s groundwater quality standards “are designed to protect public health or welfare and to enhance the quality of waters of the state.” Furthermore, the standards “have been established taking into consideration the use and value of waters of the state for public water supply, agricultural, industrial, and other purposes.” The 2022 session of the Florida Legislature began on Jan. 11, 2022, and several House Bills (HB) and Senate Bills (SB) have been filed that are focused on Florida’s groundwater quality, including: S H B 1019/SB 1238, Saltwater Intrusion Vulnerability Assessments, which would require coastal counties to conduct vulnerability assessments analyzing the effects of saltwater intrusion on water supplies and preparedness to respond to threats. It would also provide cost-share funding to coastal counties. S H B 1475, Cleanup of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), and a similar bill, SB 1418, Soil and Groundwater Contamination, which would require the FDEP to adopt statewide cleanup target levels for these substances in soil and groundwater by a specified date. The SB 1418 would require the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to conduct an analysis of certain assessment and cleanup

Gilchrist Blue Springs, Florida, 2021. (photo: Emilie Moore)

programs and submit a report to the governor and the Legislature by a specified date. S S B 208, Well Stimulation, which would prohibit persons from engaging in extreme well stimulation (e.g., fracking) and prohibit the FDEP from issuing permits that authorize extreme well stimulation. S S B 7012/HB 1151 would create a PFAS task force that must meet by October 2022 to develop recommendations for the regulation of PFAS substances, including establishing a drinking water and groundwater standard, waste management methods, and methods and funding for cleanup. The 2022 session of the Florida Legislature is scheduled to conclude on March 11. In this month of March, let’s reach out to our fellow water professionals and celebrate groundwater, keep abreast of the proposed House and Senate bills impacting groundwater, and stay focused on responsibly managing the quality and quantity of this critical resource. S

Rock Springs Run, Florida, 2021. (photo: Emilie Moore)

2021 FSAWWA AWARDS Outstanding and Most Improved Water Treatment Plant Awards Class A, Class B, Class C Deadline: Friday, March 18, 2022

Outstanding Water Treatment Plant Operator Award Deadline: Friday, March 18, 2022

AWWA Operator’s Meritorious Service Award Deadline: Friday, March 18, 2022

For more information please go to our website www.fsawwa.org/WTPawards or contact Paul Kavanagh at (813) 264-3835 or kavanaghp@hillsboroughcounty.org

Florida Water Resources Journal • March 2022

FWRJ READER PROFILE

Elisa ‘Elsa’ Williams

Seminole County Board of County Commissioners, Sanford Work title and years of service. I have been the interim utilities operations division manager for two years, water operations manager for five years, and chief–regulatory compliance, water operations for three years.

Water operations manager (overview): S Direct oversight of the daily operations, supervision, maintenance, and operational budget of the five water treatment plants and six consecutive systems that Seminole County owns and operates. S Prepare, review, and submit operational and compliance reports to the regulatory agencies. S Make recommendations regarding hiring, discipline, and promotion of subordinates; authorize leaves of absence and overtime; and review employees’ performance What education and training have you had? I have a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Cebu City, Philippines, and a bachelor of science degree in environmental management from the University of Florida in Gainesville. I was a licensed civil engineer in the Philippines and immigrated to Minnesota in 1995. The sad part is that I was not part of the

What does your job entail? Interim utilities operations division manager (overview): S Direct oversight of overall accountability for the daily operations of the water, wastewater, surface water, and reuse systems. S D evelop annual budget requests for all operational needs and monitor the budget over the fiscal year, as well as develop written plans and procedures for emergency response, regulatory reporting, and public notifications. S O versee investigations of all utility-related customer inquiries and complaints and initiate corrective action as appropriate. S M ake recommendations regarding hiring, discipline, and promotion of subordinates; authorize leaves of absence and overtime; and review employees’ performance.

Island hopping and trekking on one of the islands in El Nido, Palawan, Philippines.

34 March 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal

regular workforce until 2003, so I had to reset my work mindset to catch up and get current. I stumbled into utility work as a meter reader when I moved to Florida in 2003. The water and wastewater industry fascinated me at that time, so I decided to continue to start from the ground up to capture all the different sections and aspect of the water, wastewater, and reclaim utility industry. I received my second degree in environmental management at 50 years old while working full time. After 19 years of working in the water and wastewater field, the industry still fascinates me with all the new technology and new efficient ways to conserve limited water resources, and treat and reclaim wastewater. What do you like best about your job? My water and utilities operations team. I also like the day-to-day challenges that, for some reason, always present themselves. What professional organizations do you belong to? I belong to FSAWWA, FWPCOA, FWEA, and Florida Rural Water Association (FRWA). How have the organizations helped your career? The FSAWWA was the first organization I signed up for as a volunteer for work-related events. My first awareness of FSAWWA was when I started working for Seminole County Environmental Services–Utilities Operations as the chief for regulatory compliance. I needed some last-minute additional continuing education credits for the water operations staff, so I was looking for quick classes. I came upon the FSAWWA website, started reading the site At the AWWA State Drinking Water Taste Test Contest. The Best Tasting Drinking Water title for Region III was won by Seminole County!

Swimming with the whale sharks in Oslob, Cebu, Philippines.

At the Grand Canyon (West Rim) in Arizona.

contents, and was so engaged I reached out to be a volunteer! I was also able to sign up almost all of my utilities operations staff to be members so they would have the same access to information, training, etc. The staff has been members of FSAWWA ever since. We always make sure it’s part of our annual budget request for training. These organizations have helped me tremendously with the following: S Professional development through seminars,

Seminole County Environmental Services (ES) water operations team with ES director, Dr. Terrence McCue, Ph.D. (farthest right wearing long-sleeve shirt).

educational content, certifications, and networking to stay current and “in the know.” S Jobs catering to a relevant/specific audience, whether advertising, posting, or looking for comparable jobs through the classified ads. S Huge pool of vendors catered to the industry. What do you like best about the industry? I like the variety of learning content and the huge pool of experts that I can learn from and network with.

What do you do when you’re not working? My husband and I do some volunteer work and belong to other clubs together. We also consider ourselves small-time adventurers in the sense that we like to travel when we can to see other sites and cultures, try out different types of food, jump out of a perfectly good airplane, etc. During my quiet times though, I like to read and binge-watch good action movies and funny television series. S

Hybrid #AWWAACE Learn more at awwa.org/ace

Registration is Open San Antonio, Texas, USA June 12—15, 2022

Florida Water Resources Journal • March 2022

Water Authority Hosts Unique Preserve Hike and Creek Viewing On Nov, 21, 2021, the Lake County Water Authority (LCWA) hosted a hike and creek viewing at Wolf Branch Sink Preserve. Over 200 members of the public came to visit and hike during the four-hour opening, while five members of the LCWA staff and volunteers provided historical, hydrological, and environmental information. The one-mile hike takes visitors around the property. The creek flows only during periods of

extended rainfall. The hike was planned weeks in advance to give the public notice of the event. Fortunately, there were several inches of rain that provided ample flow to highlight the waterfall and creek as it flows directly into the Upper Floridan aquifer by way of a sinkhole. This preserve provides a quiet natural oasis in the middle of rampant development around the new expressway terminus in Mount Dora. There are examples of collapsed sinkholes,

and the Wolf Branch Sink active sinkhole directly recharges the Florida aquifer. The creek drops over a small but rare waterfall before disappearing into the sinkhole. The branch creek, sinkholes, and trail are surrounded by oldgrowth oak and reintroduced native longleaf pine trees. The LCWA provides environmental and biological management, limiting invasive species and creating opportunities for native vegetation to thrive. This has included planned burns, tree removal in specific areas, and replanting of native species. This preserve is only open to the public one or two times a year for these LCWA-sponsored occasions due to environmental sensitivity. The 154-acre preserve was purchased by LCWA from 1992 to 1999. Located east of Mount Dora, the property surrounds one of only two creeks in the sinkhole hydrologic systems in Lake County and is within a high aquifer recharge area. This large native area provides a protective buffer that reduces the chance of pollutants directly and indirectly reaching the aquifer. Significant stormwater improvements have been made along the SR46 corridor during construction, also limiting the impact of the vehicles and roadway on the surface water. The LCWA was established in 1953 by the Florida Legislature specifically to: S C ontrol, conserve, protect, and improve the freshwater resources in Lake County. S F oster improvements to streams, lakes, and canals. S I mprove the fish and aquatic wildlife in the county by improving the streams, lakes, and canals. S P rotect the freshwater resources of Lake County through assisting local governments in the treatment of stormwater runoff. The LCWA owns and manages nearly 7,000 acres of property to protect unique water features, and owns and operates a 65-acre active recreation facility at Hickory Point. For more information, visit the LCWA website at www.lcwa.org or call 352-324-4161. S

36 March 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal

Operators: Take the CEU Challenge! Members of the Florida Water and Pollution Control Operators Association (FWPCOA) may earn continuing education units through the CEU Challenge! Answer the questions published on this page, based on the technical articles in this month’s issue. Circle the letter of each correct answer. There is only one correct answer to each question! Answer 80 percent of the questions on any article correctly to earn 0.1 CEU for your license. Retests are available. This month’s editorial theme is Energy Efficiency and Environmental Stewardship. Look above each set of questions to see if it is for water operators (DW), distribution system operators (DS), or wastewater operators (WW). Mail the completed page (or a photocopy) to: Florida Environmental Professionals Training, P.O. Box 33119, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. 33420-3119. Enclose $15 for each set of questions you choose to answer (make checks payable to FWPCOA). You MUST be an FWPCOA member before you can submit your answers!

EARN CEUS BY ANSWERING QUESTIONS FROM PREVIOUS JOURNAL ISSUES!

Srikanth S. Pathapati, Chris Schulz, John Healy, Brad Jewell, Eric Jones, Robert Sumpter Quyen Newell, and Thomas Steinke (Article 1: CEU = 0.1 DW/DS02015398)

1. The _______________, also known as the concentration variance, is used to evaluate the stability of ozone residual. a. correlation coefficient b. Ryznar index c. coefficient of variation d. Saturation index 2. The highest operating and maintenance cost associated with fine bubble diffuser systems is a. gasket replacement cost. b. diffuser decalcification. c. energy cost. d. contactor nozzle inspection. 3. ___________ monitoring assists the operator in evaluating the level of hydrogen sulfide oxidation that is occurring. a. Oxygen b. Threshold odor c. Oxygen reduction potential (ORP) d. Sulfate 4. _____________ demonstrate the significant increase in mixing energy when the plants were upgraded from fine bubble diffusion to sidestream injection. a. Reactor volumes b. Reaction times c. Ozone residual measurements d. Velocity gradients

SUBSCRIBER NAME (please print)

Article 1 ____________________________________ LICENSE NUMBER for Which CEUs Should Be Awarded

Article 2 ____________________________________ LICENSE NUMBER for Which CEUs Should Be Awarded

If paying by credit card, fax to (561) 625-4858 providing the following information: ___________________________________ (Credit Card Number)

Contact FWPCOA at membership@fwpcoa.org or at 561-840-0340. Articles from past issues can be viewed on the Journal website, www.fwrj.com.

Evaluation of Mixing, Mass Transfer, Operation and Maintenance, Energy, and Material Requirements for Hydrogen Sulfide Oxidation at the Orlando Utilities Commission Water Treatment Plants

___________________________________

___________________________________ (Expiration Date)

Sea Change: Desalination and the Water–Energy Nexus Scott Moore

(Article 2: CEU = 0.1 DW/DS02015399) 1. O f the top 10 desalinated water producing countries, the United States ranks a. first. b. third. c. fifth. d. tenth. 2. ____________ membranes mimic cellular membranes by selectively filtering out salt and other undesired substances. a. Selector b. Spiral wound c. Biometric d. Cellulose acetate 3. P retreatment, energy recovery, and other techniques can push the energy efficiency of reverse osmosis (RO) to _____ percent under ideal conditions. a. 60 b. 68 c. 74 d. 80 4. Which of the following is typically the least-cost item for RO treatment? a. Filters and membranes b. Chemicals c. Capital d. Maintenance 5. Globally, desalination plants are estimated to be responsible for a. 80 percent of potable water production. b. extensive loss of habitat due to brine waste discharge. c. 76 million tons of carbon dioxide emission annually. d. 50 percent of fresh water conserved over the past decade.

5. Which of the following does not enhance ozone gas to water transfer? a. Venturi b. Deeper water column c. Nozzles d. Greater overall tank volume

Florida Water Resources Journal • March 2022

Aging Well- Protecting Our Infrastructure

Exhibitor Registration Starts June 1!

Attendee Registration Starts August 1!

Aging Well - Protecting Our Infrastructure

November 27 to December 1, 2022 Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress

fsawwa.org

Abstract Submittal Aging Well- Protecting Our Infrastructure

Abstracts will be accepted in WORD ONLY via email to:

Call for Papers

Frederick Bloetscher, Ph.D., P.E., Technical Program Chair at h2o_man@bellsouth.net

Abstracts must be submitted by: Thursday, June 30, 2022 To participate in an FSAWWA conference, the first step is submitting an abstract to be considered for a presentation at the conference. There is no guarantee that the paper you submit will be chosen, but if your paper is well thought-out and pertinent to the subject matter of the conference, then your chances of being selected go up. FSAWWA wishes to invite authors and experts in the field to submit abstracts on a variety of sustainability topics, including:

Potential Session Categories 01 02 03 04 05 06 07

Cybersecurity Asset Management and GIS Sanitary Sewer Systems Potable Reuse PFAS/PFOS Emerging Water Quality Issues (UCMR 5 Testing, LCRR, etc.) Alternative Water Solutions – No-Surface - Discharge Rule, I Need More Water!

Please attach a cover page to the abstract which includes the following information: a) Suggested Session Category b) Paper Title c) Names of Authors d) Name of Presenter(s) e) Main contact including name, title, affiliation, address, phone, fax, and email

“Best Paper” Competition Each year awards are presented to the best papers during the Fall Conference Business Luncheon.

08 Solutions for Water Treatment Challenges 09 Hydraulic Modeling – Solutions to Increase Knowledge and Address Challenges 10 Funding the Utility System 11 Workforce Planning – Is It Us?

Questions? Call 239-250-2423

12 Water Conservation

Aging Well - Protecting Our Infrastructure Looking forward to seeing you at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress on November 27 to December 1, 2022.

Thank you for your interest in the FSAWWA.

F W R J

Evaluation of Mixing, Mass Transfer, Operation and Maintenance, Energy, and Material Requirements for Hydrogen Sulfide Oxidation at the Orlando Utilities Commission Water Treatment Plants Srikanth S. Pathapati, Chris Schulz, John Healy, Brad Jewell, Eric Jones, Robert Sumpter, Quyen Newell, and Thomas Steinke

zonation is an efficient and fast method for odor control and removal of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from well water. The Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) is the second largest municipal utility in Florida and 14th largest in the United States. Starting in the late 1990s, the OUC installed air-fed and liquid oxygen (LOX)fed ozonation systems using fine bubble diffusers (FBD) for gas dissolution, followed by over-and-under contacting basins for mixing, disinfection, and completing oxidation reactions and blending at eight water treatment plants for mitigation of H2S from well water. The OUC continually takes advantage of technological changes, such as advances in ozone generation and dissolution to improve its treatment processes. It has also been upgrading older ozonation systems with newer oxygen-fed ozone generators, coupled with sidestream venturi injection and pipeline contacting designed with advanced modeling techniques. This article presents data from retrofit projects at the OUC Southwest Water Treatment Plant (WTP), Conway WTP, and

Pine Hills WTP, which involved replacement of FBD with sidestream venturi injection ozone dissolution technologies. The two technologies are compared based on mixing and mass transfer efficiency, operation and maintenance (O&M), specific energy, materials, and required physical footprint per unit mass of ozone transferred. With respect to mixing efficiency, a statistical analysis was performed to compare the coefficient of variation of ozone residual for both technologies and the impacts on control schemes for H2S oxidation.

Background The OUC draws water from the Lower Floridan aquifer from a system of 31 deep wells that contain varying amounts of naturally occurring H2S. The H2S is oxidized rapidly with ozone to form sulfate, which eliminates H2S-related taste and odor and reduces the amount of chlorine required for residual disinfection. In 1997, OUC installed an air-fed ozone system using FBD and over-under contacting for the reduction of H2S. Eventually, all OUC

Table 1. Summary of Previous and Current Designs

40 March 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal

Srikanth S. Pathapati, Ph.D., is director of research and development, and Thomas Steinke is director of municipal sales, with Mazzei Injector Co. LLC, in Bakersfield, Calif. Chris Schulz, P.E., is senior vice president with CDM Smith in Denver. John Healy, P.E., is senior engineer with CDM Smith in Maitland. Brad Jewell is director of water production; Eric Jones is supervisor of maintenance, water production; Robert Sumpter is supervisor of operations, water production; and Quyen Newell, P.E., is senior engineer, water production, with Orlando Utilities Commission.

WTPs implemented ozone for treatment of sulfide-containing wells (Rakness, 2011). Almost a decade ago, OUC began the process of upgrading all water treatment facilities from FBD to sidestream injection (SSI) and from air-fed ozone generators to LOX-fed ozone generators. Each plant has a minimum of two ozone contactor basins. Currently, the three plants (Southwest, Conway, and Pine Hills) have been retrofitted from FBD to SSI, which are the two main methods of ozone dissolution. The ideal ozone contacting system would have homogenous gas-liquid mixing in the dissolution zone, followed by near plug flow in the contacting/reaction zone. Ozone contacting for municipal water treatment is conducted in baffled basins, either vertical (over-under) or horizontal (side to side). The design of FBD systems is similar to aerated bubble columns, with guidelines for maximum gas loading rate, floor area coverage, contact time, and water column depth. Separate dissolution chambers and

contact chambers are required and the number of chambers depends on the size of the applied dose and type of application. The FBD is known to be generally less energyintensive due to its passive mixing imparted by ozone bubbles rising through the water column. The FBD has also been shown to have higher O&M costs due to plant shutdowns and confined space entry for maintenance and replacement of the diffuser gaskets and diffusers (Snider, 2020; Smith et al., 2017). With SSI dissolution systems, a sidestream is pulled from the bulk flow and ozone gas is injected via venturi injectors. The ozonated sidestream is then remixed into the bulk flow with jet nozzles, downflow tubes, or static mixers, or a combination thereof. The process of rapid ozone dissolution starts in the venturi injector and pressurized sidestream piping, continuing in the main pipeline or over-under contactor. The mixing zone can have a smaller footprint when compared to diffusers, especially at high applied doses. This approach avoids confined space entry into the contactor and typically requires less maintenance, but needs careful design to maximize the active mixing and minimize sidestream pump energy use. The SSI can be applied both to pipeline contactors and traditional contact basins; pipeline contacting offers better control and near plug-flow conditions. The sidestream systems, pipeline, and traditional contact basins provide the flexibility of turndown as flow rates and doses change. The engineering solution to this has been to utilize tracer studies (when available) to identify and reduce dispersion in contactors. The solution can add significant increases to overall costs due to structural modifications. These modifications can include adding more baffles and/or inlet flow energy dissipation methods; however, engineers often do not have access to tracer studies and actual flow rates may vary from tracer runs. The volumetric efficiency of the contactor can have a direct impact on ozone generation costs, due to poor mixing efficiency. In recent years, computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modeling has been successfully applied to improve contactor design for reducing short-circuiting and improving basin hydraulics. Due to the passive mixing of FBD basins, they require deeper water columns (20 to 25 ft) to increase static pressure over the diffusers, thereby minimizing the size of bubbles released from the diffusers and improving ozone gas transfer into water. The two-stage, active mixing imparted with

Figure 1. (a) Mazzei pipeline flash reactor, (b) Conway Water Treatment Plant ozone sidestream injection into bulk flow, and (c) Conway Water Treatment Plant pipeline flash reactor, venturi injectors, and ozone gas lines.

venturis and nozzles, however, creates a constant shearing of bubbles, resulting in improved transfer due to the rapid renewal of the gas-liquid interface; therefore, the higher mixing energy of SSI systems can be used to decrease the contact basin water column depth (typically less than 16 ft).

Previous Work This article builds on a peer-reviewed paper by Schulz and Bellamy (2000) on the role of mixing in ozone systems. Key results from that study include SSI-based ozone contactors that were shown to: S Improve mixing, with velocity gradient values ranging from 600 to 900 per second, three to eight times higher than FBD. S Improve mixing, indicated by coefficients of variation ranging from 5 to 10 percent, compared to 20 to 45 percent with FBD systems. S Control ozone dosage, which is not instantaneous with FBD, and control changes need to account for this built-in detention time requirement. S Optimize design of the pipeline contactor, which is critical for achieving homogenous mixing. The objective of this study is to compare the performance of FBD and SSI systems for H2S oxidation with ozone with respect to the following performance metrics: S Mass transfer efficiency S Total specific energy (mass transferred per unit energy consumed) S Total pumping energy S Mixing efficiency S O&M differences

Methodology Description of Facilities Southwest Water Treatment Plant The Southwest WTP includes three parallel ozone contactor trains and has a design capacity of 40 mil gal per day (mgd). In early 2010, the ozone system was upgraded with new ozone generation equipment and the existing FBD dissolution system was replaced with a new SSI system. The ozone improvements project was completed in late 2014 and early 2015. The design replaced four air-fed generators with three 1,260 pounds per day (ppd) oxygen-fed generators to deliver an applied ozone dosage of 7.4 to 9.84 mg/l at ozone gas concentrations of 8 to 12 percent wt. The contact basins at Southwest had 1,656 diffusion stones that were replaced by five, small venturi gas injectors. The injectors discharge into a common pipeline flash reactor (PFR) located directly upstream of the ozone contact basins. This design modification allowed the existing dissolution chambers in the contactor to now function as reaction chambers. The design team used multiple small injectors to provide turn down that would allow the plant to minimize pump energy costs by reducing the number of ozone injectors required at low to average ozone production rates. Details of the SSI-PFR design for the Southwest plant are available elsewhere (Pathapati et al., 2016) and are not reproduced here. Conway Water Treatment Plant The upgraded Conway WTP includes two parallel contactor trains and has a design capacity of 26.75 mgd, with a maximum Continued on page 42

Florida Water Resources Journal • March 2022

Continued from page 41 consumptive use permit (CUP) allocation of 30.9 mgd. The redesigned ozone dissolution system uses sidestream ozonated water, which is mixed with bulk water in the pipeline via one PFR, as shown in Figures 1A, 1B, and 1C. The PFR consists of five nozzle manifolds (NM), each connected to one venturi injector (five injectors total) and each equipped with two discharge nozzles (10 nozzles total). The NM on the PFR are labeled as NM-1, NM-2, NM-3, NM-4, and NM-5, with NM-1 located the furthest upstream and NM-5 located furthest downstream. A Westfall Static Mixer (model 2800) is included in the SSI system. A summary of previous and upgraded designs is provided in Table 1.

Conway Water Treatment Plant Design With Computational Fluid Dynamic The CFD modeling was used to design the ozone dissolution and mixing system with the pipeline contactor. The geometry and the mesh are shown in Figure 2. The geometry was meshed with approximately 5.7 mil locally refined hybrid cells. All piping was assumed to be constructed of Schedule 40 stainless steel. For all cases, the primary phase is the untreated water entering through the main pipeline and the secondary phase is the sidestream gas; the water temperature is assumed to be 20°C. Input data for CFD modeling is listed in Table 2. All analyses are steady-state and steady-flow. Flow rates other than those specified and start-up/ramp-up conditions are not part of the scope of this study. In

addition, any effects of undefined upstream plumbing and hydraulics, as well as the presence of gas slugs, pulsating flows, etc., are not modeled here. The vent branch downstream of the air dam is assumed to be closed in the model, and CFD modeling was performed with ANSYS Fluent (v19.2). Mixing Energy Calculations The following equations were utilized for mixing energy calculations: Hydraulic HP = head (ft) x flow rate (gal per min [gpm]) x (specific gravity)/3956 (1) Brake HP = Hydraulic HP/pump efficiency

(2)

Power input for diffusers = P = 35.28 Q in [(h+ 33.9)/33.9]

(3)

Where “h” is the depth of the gas diffuser below the water surface (ft) Power input for SSI = Injector inlet pressure (ft of water) x flow rate (gpm)/3956 (4) Velocity gradient, G =

Figure 2. Pipeline flash reactor geometry and mesh for computational fluid dynamic model at Conway Water Treatment Plant.

Table 2. Inputs to Computational Fluid Dynamic Model for Sidestream Injection Pipeline Contactor Design

(5)

Where “P” is power dissipated in ft-lb/s, ‘µ” is the viscosity of the water in Ib-s/ft2, and “V” is the volume in ft3 of the mixing reactor. Power/Volume = total energy input in HP/(volume in gal) (6) Operation and Maintenance Considerations Automation and Overfeed The goal of achieving target mass transfer efficiency is important, as well as maintaining the stability of ozone residual. The coefficient of variation (COV) of dissolved ozone residual downstream of the ozone dissolution process can be used to evaluate the stability of the ozone residual. As plants move toward automation, where the applied ozone dose is adjusted based on measured residual readings, stable ozone residuals are required to provide this level of automation. Tighter control of the ozone dose in response to plant flow or water quality changes will meet treatment performance targets (i.e., complete sulfide oxidation) at the least cost. The COV, also known as concentration variance, is expressed as follows: Continued on page 44

42 March 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal

FWPCOA TRAINING CALENDAR SCHEDULE YOUR CLASS TODAY! Please go to the FWPCOA website

www.fwpcoa.org

for the latest updates on classes March

14-18..... SPRING STATE SHORT SCHOOL...................................Ft. Pierce 28- 30..... Backflow Repair..............................................................St/ Petersburg..... $375/405 30..... Backflow Tester recertification......................................St. Petersburg..... $85/115

April

4-7..... Wastewater Collection C................................................Deltona............... $325 11-14..... Backflow Tester...............................................................Deltona............... $375/405 15..... Backflow Tester recertification......................................Deltona............... $85/115 18-22..... Reclaimed Water Field Site Insp....................................Jacksonville........ $350/380 15-29..... Reclaimed Water Field Site Insp....................................Winter Garden..... $350/380

May

2-6..... Reclaimed Water Field Site Insp....................................Deltona............... $350/380 9..... Reclaimed Water Distribution C abbreviated 1-day.........Deltona............... $125/155 10-12..... Water Distribution Level II...............................................Deltona............... $325 19..... Backflow Tester recertification......................................Deltona............... $85/115 16-19..... Backflow Tester...............................................................St. Petersburg..... $375/405 19..... Backflow Tester recertification......................................St. Petersburg..... $85/115 20..... Reclaimed Water Distribution B abbreviated 1-day.........Deltona............... $125/155

Course registration forms are available at http://www.fwpcoa.org/forms.asp. For additional information on these courses or other training programs offered by the FWPCOA, pleasecontact the FW&PCOA Training Office at (321) 383-9690 or training@fwpcoa.org. * Backflow recertification is also available the last day of Backflow Tester or Backflow Repair Classes with the exception of Deltona ** Evening classes *** any retest given also

You are required to have your own calculator at state short schools and most other courses. Florida Water Resources Journal • March 2022

Table 3. Comparison of Fine Bubble Diffuser System to Sidestream Injection for Ozone Contacting at Mannheim Water Treatment Plant, Kitchener, Ont. (Snider, 2020; Smith et al., 2017).

Continued from page 42 CoV=

(7)

Where “Ci“ is the single-point measurement of instantaneous concentration, “Cmean” is the time-averaged mean dissolved ozone concentration and “N” is the number of samples. For ensuring satisfactory mixing in ozone contactors, Schulz and Bellamy (2000) recommended a COV target of 5 percent or lower to achieve homogenous mixing and lower than 10 percent for closed-loop monitoring and control of real-time data, such as online residual measurements. A high dissolved ozone residual COV can result in overproduction of ozone, thus resulting in significant material costs.

Table 4. Summary of Computational Fluid Dynamic Results for Conway Ozone Pipeline Contactor Design

Maintenance The FBD systems require plant shutdown and confined space entry for regular diffuser and gasket replacements. A recent comparison of SSI and FBD systems for ozone contacting for a 14-mgd plant in Kitchener, Ont., is shown in Table 3.

Results and Discussion Evaluation of Mixing With Computational Fluid Dynamic for Conway Water Treatment Plant Mazzei Injector Co. performed multiphase CFD analysis for the Conway plant. In order to quantitatively define the extent of mixing, a uniformity index (UI) is used to evaluate results of the CFD model.

Figure 3. Contours of volume fraction of gas across representative cross sectional planes, Case 4, isometric view, and global scale.

44 March 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal

Figure 4. Contours of volume fraction of gas across representative cross sectional planes, Case 4, isometric view, and local scale.

Table 5. Conway Water Treatment Plant Ozone Injection Performance Test Data

The UI is defined as the normalized root mean square (RMS) of the difference between the local gas fraction and the spatial mean of the gas fraction integrated over the area of a representative cross sectional plane. A UI of 1 indicates complete homogeneity of mixing. The area-weighted UI of the gas phase is calculated using the following equation:

(8)

Where i is the facet index of a cross sectional plane with facets (mesh elements), – _ ϕ a is the average value of the gas phase volume fraction over the outlet boundary, given as follows:

(9)

Overall results indicate a high level of uniformity of mixing and dispersion (UI>0.95) of sidestream gas with bulk flow at the sampling planes, as shown in Table 4. Figure 3 and Figure 4 depict contours of volume fraction of gas across representative cut planes for Case 4. Model results show rapid mixing and dispersion of ozone gas in the pipeline downstream of the pipeline contactor. Performance Testing Orlando Utilities Commission Conway: Ozone transfer efficiency was analyzed for design flows of 8.3, 13.4, 21, and 26.1

mgd and results are summarized in Table 5. Figure 3 and Figure 4 depict the pipeline contactor with five NM, one for each of the five wells. Well water is pumped through the venturi injector, and then directed thorough the nozzles into the pipeline contactor. The plant process was allowed to stabilize for approximately 30 minutes at the design flow before data was collected. The performance test demonstrated the SSI ozone dissolution system’s ability to meet the specified ozone transfer efficiency of 96 percent. Results from AIT Analyzer No.1 and No. 2 showed the test point weight, 96.9 and 97.2 percent, respectively, for the Case 4 design flows, shown in Table 5. Mixing Energy The mixing energy provided by FBD and SSI dissolution systems is significantly different. Table 6 shows a comparison of these technologies for the Southwest and Conway plants. The velocity gradients (G) for the FBD systems range from 108 to 232 sec^-1, whereas the SSI system range from 4800 to 7000 sec^-1. This demonstrates the significant increase in mixing energy when the Southwest and Conway plants upgraded from FBD to SSI. This greater mixing energy also explains the lower COV measured with the SSI system when compared to the FBD system. The total reactor volume required for the ozone dissolution process is much larger if FBD is used, due to the upper limit of the amount of gas that can be effectively added per sq ft of the tank area. This effectively

leads to an upper limit to the maximumapplied ozone dose that can be transferred per contactor chamber; higher doses and/ or lower instantaneous demand will result in much higher capital costs.

Discussion Comparison of Fine Bubble Diffusers and Sidestream Injection Systems As the OUC plants upgrade from FBD systems to SSI systems, O&M personnel have noted several advantages. Summary of Observations for Fine Bubble Diffusers S Th e FBD requires an operator to closely monitor and adjust ozone dosages at each plant. Depending on the well or combination of wells supplying the plant during operation, the operator has to adjust the ozone dosage, allow time for change to take place, monitor ozone residual in the water, and evaluate whether to increase or decrease ozone dosage. S Th e oxygen reduction potential (ORP) monitoring had been implemented at the FBD plants many years ago, but was discontinued due to wide-ranging readings from the instruments. The instability of the readings was due to the same phenomena that produces wideranging readings in the ozone residual: incomplete mixing. Continued on page 46

Florida Water Resources Journal • March 2022

Continued from page 45 S The ORP monitoring assists the operator in evaluating the level of H2S oxidation that is occurring, which is not an issue when the plant is operating in the proper ozone residual set point. This parameter becomes critical when ozone is being underfed and the ozone residual is zero. For these conditions, the ORP can provide an indication as to the level that ozone is being underfed, which eliminates the guess work in determining a recovery ozone dosage and allowing the plant to move back into proper dosages in a minimum amount of time. S Th e FBD systems can see a large variation in the amount of ozone dose required. Because the ozone residual varies widely, operations must feed a greater amount of ozone to ensure that low ozone residual

periods still provide sufficient oxidation of H2S. This means that when the ozone residuals increase, the plant is in an overfeed situation. S B ecause ozone dissolution occurs in the ozone dissolution basin, ozone residual sampling must be taken from the contact chamber downstream of the dissolution chamber. This added contact time requirement delays time between control actions. In addition, it makes the plant control actions subject to the current plant flows, because at high plant flows, the response times will be shorter, while at low flows, the response times will be lengthened. S The FBD operation requires monitoring of the ozone off-gas to determine when the diffuser stones require inspection for possible replacement.

Table 6. Comparison of Mixing Energy Requirements

Figure 5. Comparison of 30-day liquid oxygen consumption (May 2020 with fine bubble diffusers compared to May 2021 with sidestream injection) for per mil gal of treated water for Conway Water Treatment Plant before and after upgrade to sidestream injection from fine bubble diffusers.

46 March 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal

S Th e procedure for inspection of diffuser stones includes: • C onfined space procedure (lockout/ tagout) • Contactor valved out of service • C ontactor drains overnight • Air or oxygen depending on what is available at the plant for bubble testing • R equires four technicians for two days to test and conduct inspection for a total of 64 labor hours per contact basin • Additional labor hours and material costs are added if diffuser stones require replacement or repair Summary of Observations for Sidestream Injection S The SSI ozone dosage control is made through the programmable logic controller (PLC). The stability of the ozone residual has allowed the utility to establish an ozone dosage requirement for each well. The PLC accounts for the wells that are operational and then determines the appropriate ozone dosage for that well combination. Once that ozone dosage is set, the PLC monitors the ozone residual and makes adjustments to the ozone dosage. S The increased stability of the ozone residual has allowed the utility to bring back ORP monitoring to provide additional insight on complete oxidation of H2S. S B ecause ozone dissolution occurs in the PFR that is feeding the ozone contact chamber, ozone residual sampling is taken from the pipeline feeding the ozone contactor. This significantly reduces the delay in response times experienced with FBD systems; in fact, the response times to ozone dosage changes are essentially instantaneous. In addition, as the flow increases or decreases in the plant the corresponding change in response time is only incrementally affected. S Upon conversion to SSI, resulting in a dramatically improved consistency in ozone residual due to the improved COV, the OUC was able to generate data that defined the ozone demand (due to H2S) from each well. With this gained knowledge on each well, OUC was able to program the PLC to predict the required ozone dosage based on a weighted analysis of the specific wells that are on. This analysis incorporates the flow from each well as a percent of the total flow and the well’s corresponding ozone demand; therefore, while data

sets are collected a year apart, the consistency of the wells ozone demand/ H2S concentration allow this comparison. Ozone production and dosage have decreased at each plant that has been converted from FBD to SSI. Reliable monitoring and instantaneous dissolution of ozone in the pipeline with SSI systems and PFR permits mean much more precise, and economical, management of ozone in the upgraded installation, permitting a significant reduction in ozone production, as shown in Figure 5 and Figure 6. Further analysis is part of the continuing study of this installation. Table 7 shows a comparison for ozone production for treating water from the same wells at similar flow rates. Results indicate that a well-designed SSI system can have a significant impact on reducing material costs.

Conclusions The OUC upgraded its ozone facilities from fine bubble diffusion to SSI with pipeline contacting at three locations: Southwest WTP, Conway WTP, and Pine Hills WTP. Upgrades resulted in the following: S Improved operational control, resulting in tighter ozone dose control and potential for material savings. S Tighter ozone residual control resulting in improvement to automated dosing systems. S Significantly reduced maintenance and improved safety due to no-confinedentry requirements. S Odor control and ozone residual targets continue to be successfully met.

Figure 6. Comparison of monthly ozone production per mil gal of treated water for Conway Water Treatment Plant before and after upgrade to sidestream injection from fine bubble diffusers. Table 7. Comparison of Mixing Energy Requirements

Acknowledgments The authors would like to express their gratitude to Lee Marshall (retired) of Orlando Utilities Commission, Bobby Archer of Garney Construction, and Maribel Morales of Mazzei Injector Co., for their help with this study.

References • K natz, C., and Pathapati, S. (2021). Application of Computational Fluid Dynamics to Improve Mixing and Disinfection for Ozone Contactors. ASCE Technical Webinar. • Noibi, M., Hooper, J., Bell, K., & Funk, D. (2020). Direct Potable Reuse Using

Full Advanced Treatment Versus Ozone Biofiltration: A Cost Comparison. AWWA Water Science, 2(6), e1210. • Pathapati, S. S., Mazzei, A. L., Jackson, J. R., Overbeck, P. K., Bennett, J. P., & Cobar, C. M. (2016). Optimization of Mixing and Mass Transfer in In-Line Multi-Jet Ozone Contactors Using Computational Fluid Dynamics. Ozone: Science & Engineering, 38(4), 245-252. • Schulz, C. R., & Bellamy, W. D. (2000).

The Role of Mixing in Ozone Dissolution Systems. Ozone: Science & Engineering, 22(4), 329-350. • Snider, R. (2020) 30 Years of Ozone at the Mannheim Water Treatment Plant: Lessons Learned and Next Steps. Ontario Water Works Association Webinar. • Smith, F., Walton, T., and Snider, R. (2017). Performance Improvement Through S Capital Upgrades. AWWA ACE17.

Florida Water Resources Journal • March 2022

L ET’ S TA LK S A FE TY This column addresses safety issues of interest to water and wastewater personnel, and will appear monthly in the magazine. The Journal is also interested in receiving any articles on the subject of safety that it can share with readers in the “Spotlight on Safety” column.

Energized Electric Equipment and Overhead Power Lines Can Be Deadly

tility workers often encounter situations in which they are required to work with energized electric tools or equipment. The most important thing to remember in these situations is to always consider the electric circuits, apparatus, and tools to be energized and potentially deadly. On average, a construction worker is electrocuted and killed once a day somewhere in the United States and more than 3,000 field workers are severely burned or injured every year by electrical mishaps on the jobsite. Electricity can hurt, burn, and kill you— even at low voltages. Always keep in mind that electricity travels at the speed of light and that it’s trying to find the path of least resistance to get to ground. Your body is mostly made up of water and therefore is an excellent conductor of electricity. The effects of an electrical current passing through the body range from a mild tingling sensation to severe pain, muscular contractions, and even death. As the current passes through a body, it will burn from the inside out at about 6,000°F.

guy wires. Look for lines that may be hidden by trees or buildings. Conditions change, so check daily. Also do the following: S Point out power lines at all daily work briefings. S Assume all overhead lines are energized and potentially dangerous, including service drops that run from utility poles to buildings. S Remember the 10-foot rule: Keep vehicles, equipment, tools, scaffolding, and people at least 10 feet away from overhead power lines. S If you must work closer than 10 feet, contact your local electric utility in advance to make safety arrangements. S Higher-voltage power lines require greater clearance. Contact your local electric utility for specific clearances. S Clearly mark boundaries to keep workers and equipment at a safe distance from overhead lines. S Use a spotter. Equipment operators need a designated spotter who can help keep them clear of power lines and other safety hazards.

Beware of Overhead Power Lines

Avoiding Electrical Accidents and Shock

Before you begin your work survey the jobsite to find overhead power lines, poles, and

The easiest way to avoid electrical accidents

is simply to avoid contact with energized components. Always assume that an electrical circuit is energized and dangerous until you are certain that it’s not. Before working on a circuit, use a voltage meter to determine if the circuit is energized. Before you work on electrical equipment, turn off the power to it. Use the standard lockout/ tagout procedures before you begin working anywhere near the energized equipment. To be safe, all electrical equipment and apparatuses must be double-insulated or grounded. If possible, avoid the use of extension cords. When extension devices (an enclosure with multiple sockets) must be temporarily used, the wire gauge of the device must be equal to or larger than the cord on the item being operated. Never attach extension devices to building surfaces using staples, nails, or similar attachments. Extension devices equipped with surge protectors can be permanently used with equipment that contains microprocessors, such as computers, but surge protectors should not be used in areas subject to moisture, physical or chemical damage, or flammable vapors. Continued on page 50

Let’s Talk Safety is available from AWWA; visit www.awwa.org or call 800.926.7337. Get 40 percent off the list price or 10 percent off the member price by using promo code SAFETY21. The code is good for the Let’s Talk Safety book, dual disc set, and book + CD set.

48 March 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal

Florida Section AWWA “Last Splash” Campaign contributes to AWWA Water Equation STEAM program awards! Congrats to: Florida: Pinellas County Utilities’ South Cross Bayou (SCB) Education Program, Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Seminole High School STEAM

$5250 awarded in 2021 to Florida STEAM programs!

Continued from page 48 Follow these simple safeguards to avoid electric shock: S Check your work area for water or wet surfaces near energized circuits. Water acts as a conductor and increases the potential for electrical shock. S Check for metal pipes and posts that could become the path to ground if they are touched. S Do not wear rings, watches, or other metal jewelry when performing work on or near electrical circuits. They are excellent conductors of electricity. S Leather gloves will not protect you from

electrical shock. They are cowhide, typically, and have inherent moisture in them. S Never use metal ladders or uninsulated metal tools on or near energized circuits. S Make it a daily habit to examine your electrical tools and equipment for signs of damage or deterioration. Do not use them if the electrical wires are damaged or if they are not insulated or grounded. Defective cords and plugs should be thrown away immediately and replaced.

Digging Can be Dangerous Call your local dig alert service at 811

50 March 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal

at least two working days before any job that involves digging. If you don’t call and you hit an underground line, you could be hurt or killed. You may also be liable for costly damages. Some electrical utilities use underground marking tape near electrical lines to alert workers to stop digging, but it’s always safer to call first.

Resources Your local electric utility can provide you with specific safety information. Another source is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration website at www.osha.gov/electrical. S

Scholarships valued up to $7,000 will be awarded in both undergraduate and graduate categories by the Florida Section American Water Works Association.

Eligibility:

• Must be a student enrolled (not online) in a Florida university and living in Florida Must be a full-time student or part-time student enrolled and completing a • minimum of 6 credits during the current semester. Student must remain registered for 6 credits and pass them successfully.

Must be a student within 60 credits of graduation with a bachelor’s degree. • Note: Seniors who are pursuing a graduate degree may apply and use the

scholarship for their graduate studies, but must provide proof of acceptance to their graduate degree program

Maintain good standing in academic status with a GPA of 3.0 or higher based • on a 4.0 system Must intend on pursuing a career in the water/wastewater field with a plan to • remain in Florida to pursue their career (outlined by the applicant in the application) Or enrolled in one of the CIP educational codes (for a list visit fsawwa.org/2022Likins) • and have indicated an interest in pursuing a career in the water/wastewater field

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fsawwa.org/2022likins Florida Water Resources Journal • March 2022

FWEA FOCUS

The Drivers for Septic to Centralized Sewer Ronald R. Cavalieri, P.E., BCEE President, FWEA

locations and density in or near biologically or geographically sensitive areas, such as spring sheds, wetlands, and other protected water bodies or groundwater recharge areas. Figure 1 shows known or likely septic system locations in Florida.

Senate Bill 712 Onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems (OSTDS), or septic systems, are currently used for wastewater disposal by approximately 30 percent of Florida’s population. With an estimated 2.6 million systems in operation (and growing), Florida represents 12 percent of the total number of septic systems within the United States. The Florida Water Management Inventory (FLWMI), which was initially completed in November 2016 and updated in 2017, identifies and maps the location of known OSTDS in the state of Florida. The FLWMI provides geographic information system (GIS) data and maps, which facilitate statistical analyses necessary for the evaluation of nonpoint source pollutant loads. Some examples include OSTDS regional density; known OSTDS locations within established sewer service area boundaries; and OSTDS

In 2020, the Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill 712, also known as the Clean Waterways Act (CWA), now Chapter 2020-150, Laws of Florida. This legislation included a wide range of water quality protection provisions aimed at minimizing the impact of known sources of nutrient pollution and strengthening regulatory requirements. The OSTDS were one of the sources addressed by the legislation. With respect to the OSTDS, the CWA included two important provisions: S Transfers the onsite sewage program from the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), which started in June 2021. The bill also created an OSTDS Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) that was charged with developing and providing

Figure 1. Map showing method of domestic wastewater disposal.

52 March 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal

recommendations to the governor and Legislature by Jan. 1, 2022. S Requires local governments to create septic remediation plans for certain basin management action plans (BMAPs). Provisions in the bill require that if FDEP identifies OSTDS as contributors of at least 20 percent of point source or nonpoint source nutrient pollution, or if FDEP determines remediation is necessary to achieve a total maximum daily load (TMDL), the BMAP for a nutrient TMDL must include an OSTDS remediation plan developed by the local governments, in cooperation with the FDEP.

Basin Management Action Plans A BMAP is a framework for water quality restoration that contains local and state commitments to reduce pollutant loading through current and future projects and strategies. The BMAPs contain a comprehensive set of solutions, such as permit limits on wastewater facilities, urban and agricultural best management practices, and conservation programs designed to achieve pollutant reductions established by a Continued on page 54

Figure 2. The map shows areas with adopted basin management action plans highlighted in green, and waters not attaining standards (WNAS) in grey.

FWPCOA REGION IV IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE OUR JUNE 2022 SHORT SCHOOL WILL BE OFFERING CERTIFICATION AND CEU COURSES COURSE Utilities Maintenance Level 3 SUPERVISION and Stormwater A Water Distribution Level 1 Wastewater Collection A Water Distribution Level 3 Water Distribution Level 2 Reclaimed Water B Reclaimed Water C Utility Maintenance level 2 Stormwater C Stormwater B *Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators Wastewater Collection C Wastewater Collection B

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*CEU’s only All courses will be given at: Pinellas Technical College, St. Petersburg Campus 901 34th Street St. Petersburg, FL 33711 Water Distribution 1,2,3, Water Treatment Plant Operators /Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators Utilities Maintenance 2, 3, Wastewater Collection A/B/C, Stormwater A/B/C Full Courses $325/$355/$80 Members/Nonmembers/Exam Only (if applicable) Abbreviated Courses $125/155 Members/Nonmembers Monday-Thursday 7:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M Exam 6/10/2022 - Friday 8:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M. at Pinellas Technical College. St. Petersburg Campus Exam 6/17/2022 - Friday 8:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M. at Pinellas Technical College. St. Petersburg Campus

CREDIT CARD payment available. Click Here For Credit Card Authorization Form For questions please contact Ray Bordner 727-798-3969 / h2oboy2@juno.com Florida Water Resources Journal • March 2022

Continued from page 52 TMDL. These broad-based plans are developed with local stakeholders and rely on local input and commitment for development and successful implementation. The FDEP, through development of TMDLs and the BMAP process, has identified several areas (watersheds) in the state where the nutrient loading from septic tanks is significant. The TMDLs are water quality targets based on state water quality standards for specific pollutants, such as excessive nitrate. The TMDLs have been developed for waterbodies that are verified as impaired, which means that they do not meet their designated uses. A TMDL is the amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still maintain its designated uses. The TMDLs are achieved through BMAPs, which include strategies to reduce and prevent pollutant discharges through various cost-effective means. The FDEP and the affected stakeholders in the various basins jointly develop BMAPs or other implementation approaches. Figure 2 illustrates the areas in Florida with adopted BMAPs. To date, FDEP has adopted or has pending 38 BMAPs for watersheds throughout the state.

Several of these watersheds have identified OSTDS as a significant source of nutrient loading and are included in an established BMAP. Consequently, many communities are considering a septic-to-centralized-sewer conversion program in priority areas to achieve the recommended nutrient reductions and compliance with the local BMAP.

Retrofit to a Centralized Sewer System The cost of retrofitting an OSTDS to a centralized sewer system can be significant. There are several design options, including traditional gravity sewerage systems, low-pressure sewerage systems, and vacuum sewerage systems. Each has benefits and challenges, and one type of system may be a better fit than the others for a specific installation. A key objective is to achieve the least possible sewer assessment cost that will be paid by a utility’s sewer-use customers. The implementation of septic-to-centralizedsewer projects will bring with it several challenges, including the identification of potential funding sources, development of a detailed public outreach component, and gaining the necessary political

54 March 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal

support for a costly and sometimes controversial public works project. In my January column I highlighted the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which will provide an influx of capital for water infrastructure projects, including the development and implementation of septic-tocentralized-sewer projects. Access to funding will aid communities in compliance with the provisions of the CWA and BMAPs.

References • F DEP Basin Management Action Plan Website: https://floridadep.gov/dear/water-qualityrestoration/content/basin-management-actionplans-bmaps. • Florida Health, Florida Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal Systems Inventory, Final Project Report. S

Securing Your Water Storage Tank Erin Schmitt Storage tanks are prime targets for vandals and mischief-makers. These large, ubiquitous structures are also attractive canvasses for graffiti artists. Think of how many times you’ve seen something like “Nick loves Jessica” scrawled on a tank, or perhaps some other less-wholesome, more-profane message. The taller elevated structures also present a challenge to adventurous types. Can they scale to the top? Why, yes, it’s possible if the tank is not secured. That was the case when Alabama firefighters rescued a woman swimming in an elevated water tank in August of last year. According to news reports, the woman broke through a fence surrounding the tank, climbed a ladder to the top of the 350,000-gallon tank, entered it, and started swimming. A local official said it appeared a contractor had failed to lock the tower’s roof hatch after repainting the tank the week before the incident. A retired police officer happened to spot the woman and called authorities, who captured her with a harness.

Use Fencing and Signage for Safety and Security The first line of defense to secure a tank is a good, sturdy fence. Potable water towers should always be surrounded by fencing to deter trespassers, with signs such as “No Trespassing” and “Warning, Tampering With This Facility is a Federal Offense.” According to 42 U.S. Code 300i-1, tampering means either introducing a contaminant into a public water system with the intention of harming people or otherwise interfering with the operation of a public water system with the intent to harm people. Under this law, any person who tampers with a public water system shall be imprisoned for not more than 20 years, or fined per Title 18, or both. Anyone who attempts or threatens to tamper with a system should be imprisoned for not more than 10 years, fined, or both. Civil actions may also be brought against anyone accused of tampering in the appropriate U.S. district court. Civil penalties can be up to $1 million for tampering and no more than $100,000 for attempting or threatening to tamper with a water supply.

Restrict Ladder Access Water tank ladders are necessary for workers to do repairs and routine maintenance, but they shouldn’t be easily accessible to the public. It’s easy for trespassers to climb a ladder that begins near ground level, so if the ladder is higher up, it means they would need another ladder to get on the ladder that leads to a tank’s roof. That’s why exterior ladders should terminate at least 8 feet above grade, according to American Water Works Association (AWWA) Manual M42, Steel Water Storage Tanks (2013). Ladders should also have locks installed on ladder guards, or cage guards to prevent people from climbing the ladder. Take any preventative measures you can to prevent someone from unlawfully climbing the ladder. If an unauthorized person climbs the ladder, that puts them in danger. If someone is climbing more than 6 feet, they should be tied off. Someone illegally scaling a tank or tower won’t likely do that, so they are at greater risk of falling. There’s also a better chance that the trespasser is intoxicated, which would affect their balance. Continued on page 56

Florida Water Resources Journal • March 2022

Continued from page 55

Secure Roof Openings, Doors, and Drains Make sure to secure access doors in dry risers and access tubes to prevent unauthorized entry. Roof hatches should be equipped with locks to halt unlawful access into tanks. Long story short, lock up or secure any points of access on or around your storage tank, especially if it’s a potable tank. Roof openings on a tank require any hatch or roof manway to be locked to comply with AWWA D100-11; 7.4.3 Roof Openings. A sign reading: DANGER – PERMIT-REQUIRED CONFINED

SPACE, DO NOT ENTER, or similar language, must be posted on any roof opening to comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 1910.146(c)(2), Confined Spaces. Drains should be equipped with locking devices to prevent anyone from draining the tank. Water scarcity is a growing issue in the world, so it wouldn’t be unthinkable for people to start siphoning off the water. In places with droughts and water shortages, a storage tank full of water is an inviting target for thieves. It’s best practice to drain a water tank if there’s even the hint that a tank was tampered with as a precaution. Draining a tank costs money, and any water loss also costs money, but it’s the only safe way to proceed.

Officials in a city in Utah asked residents to boil their water for 48 hours after three teenagers trespassed near a water storage tank, according to news reports. There was ultimately nothing wrong with the tank, but it was emptied as a precaution. Preventing physical access to a storage tank is relatively cheap in comparison to draining a tank. A few locks, posted signs, and fencing are worth it to provide a little more peace of mind and safety to the public. Erin Schmitt is a technical writer/media director for Pittsburg Tank & Tower Group in Henderson, S Ky.

NEW PRODUCTS PPG Protective & Marine Coatings recently announced an expansion of its coatings offerings specifically geared toward water and wastewater treatment facilities, including collections systems, primary and secondary treatment, biosolids handling, and disinfection. Customers can choose from a comprehensive range of coatings that provide corrosion and chemical resistance based on the environment, the substrate being protected (concrete or steel), and specific performance requirements. Due to PPG’s recent acquisition of RAVEN Lining Systems, the expanded portfolio is able to combine PPG RAVEN and PPG AQUATAFLEX coating systems for aggressive underwater concrete applications with a variety of coating solutions for exterior and interior steel tanks, basins, and facility infrastructure. While all PPG coatings are designed to resist aggressive corrosion and provide long-lasting performance, each is optimized for specific enduse requirements. These include: PPG RAVEN 405 high-build epoxy that provides protection and broad chemical resistance, especially to hydrogen sulfide, for concrete immersion applications like wet wells, digesters, and manholes; PPG AQUATAFLEX tri-hybrid series that combines the chemical resistance of an epoxy, flexibility of a polyurethane, and fast cure of a polyurea for concrete substrates that are subject to structural movement or that require quick return to service such as filter basins, clarifiers, and tanks; PPG RAVEN 755 cementitious resurfacer that rehabilitates deteriorated concrete as a first coat in a system with PPG RAVEN 405 or PPG AQUATAFLEX series coatings for manholes, wet wells, filter basins, and headworks; PPG SIGMASHIELD that provides high abrasion and impact resistance for steel-immersion applications due to its ultra-high film build with broad application thicknesses; PPG NOVAGUARD 890

novolac epoxy lining that offers resistance to a wide range of chemicals and solvents, including H2S, for direct-to-metal applications; and PPG AMERCOAT interior and PPG AMERLOCK exterior epoxy coatings that provide versatile, surface-tolerant coatings for atmospheric steel applications in tanks and basins. (www.ppgpmc. com)

BinMaster now offers BinView, an internetbased application for remote inventory monitoring of solids or liquids contained in tanks, bins, or silos. BinView is compatible with many of BinMaster’s sensors, as well as other sensors that have a 4-20 mA analog output or Modbus RTU. It can be used to manage multiple vessels at multiple locations. Real-time inventory management and automated alerts can be accessed onsite or remotely from a smartphone, tablet, or PC with a connection to the internet. This allows it to offer both security and control for assets and users of the application. Automation brings centralized digital control, minimal human intervention, and faster and timelier responses, which means less time on the phone, less management of spreadsheets, fewer trips to the control room, and less time doing routine or redundant tasks. Administrative users have the ability to set up and manage locations, gateways, and vessels, while other users may have view-only or receive alerts-only privileges. The system can also be set up so that some users have access to all sites, while others may only be able to access data for a single location. (www.binmaster.com)

The OverWatch Direct In-Line Pump System from Industrial Flow Solutions tackles

56 March 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal

the many challenges in wastewater pumping lift station management. The system lifts influent at the point of entry, eliminating the need for a wet well. Effluent is contained, eliminating odors and reducing maintenance. The stainless steel body is designed to withstand the effects of corrosion from harsh materials and solutions, making OverWatch a solution for municipal and industrial headworks applications. Many traditional wet well systems retain water and are plagued with odors and dangerous hydrogen sulfide gases, posing health hazards for people and causing concrete walls to erode over time. OverWatch converts an existing wet well into a dry and odorless machine room, providing a safe environment for wastewater professionals to interact with the pumping system. Influent is contained in the pipeworks, never becoming atmospheric, and hydrogen sulfide is eliminated. The system performs all the functionality of a traditional lifting station without the need for additional equipment. Specifically designed to absorb the air/fluid mix flowing in from the gravity lines, it operates by variable-speed drives, using a sensor at the inlet combined with control panel logic to adjust in line with the incoming flow. This eliminates hydraulic surges, while automatically adapting to constantly changing flow rates. The operating mode enables materials to move through the system without causing blockages and provides a long-term durable solution, with minimal need to replace, repair, or maintain the wastewater system. An intelligent controls algorithm makes OverWatch suitable for applications where process pumping could change drastically. Utilizing a liquid level transducer to understand the incoming flow rate, the system adjusts its performance in real time. The system has been installed in over 2,000 facilities around the world. (www.flowsolutions. com) S

Pharmaceuticals Found in Florida Fish A three-year study by Florida International University (FIU) and Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) has discovered pharmaceutical contaminants in the blood and other tissues of bonefish in Biscayne Bay and the Florida Keys. “Coastal fisheries face increasing threats associated with human-based contaminants,” said Jim McDuffie, BTT president and chief executive officer. “Pharmaceuticals are an often-overlooked dimension of water quality and their presence in south Florida bonefish is cause for concern. These contaminants pose a significant threat to the flats fishery, an important part of Florida’s recreational saltwater industry, which has an annual economic impact of $9.2 billion and directly support over 88,500 jobs.” The study began in 2018, and FIU scientists and BTT research associates, in partnership with Sweden’s Umeå University and the University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), have sampled 93 fish in south Florida, finding an average of seven pharmaceuticals per bonefish, and 17 pharmaceuticals in a single fish. The list includes: S Blood pressure medications S Antidepressants S Prostate-treatment medications S Antibiotics S Pain relievers Researchers also found pharmaceuticals in bonefish prey, such as crabs, shrimp, and fish, suggesting that many of Florida’s valuable fisheries are exposed, not only bonefish. Lead researcher Jennifer Rehage, a coastal and fish ecologist and associate professor at

the FIU Institute of Environment, presented the study’s findings at a BTT panel event in Tallahassee. “These findings are truly alarming,” Rehage said. “Pharmaceuticals are an invisible threat, unlike algal blooms or turbid waters. These results tell us that they are a formidable threat to our fisheries, and highlight the pressing need to address our longstanding wastewater infrastructure issues.” Approximately 5 billion prescriptions are filled each year in the United States, yet there are no environmental regulations for the disposal of pharmaceuticals, either in the U.S. or worldwide. Pharmaceutical contaminants originate most often from human wastewater and are not sufficiently removed by conventional water treatment. They remain active at low doses, can be released constantly, and exposure can affect all aspects of fish behavior, with negative consequences for their reproduction and survival. Pharmaceutical contaminants

have been shown to affect many aspects of the life of fish, including their feeding, activity, sociability, and migratory behavior. “These troubling findings underscore the urgent need for Florida to expand and modernize wastewater treatment facilities and sewage infrastructure statewide,” said McDuffie. “The leadership of Gov. Ron DeSantis, and the historic funding provided for water quality improvements, along with legislative support and funding, has set us on the right path. Now we must expedite these efforts, increase investment over the long term, and pursue innovative solutions. We must accelerate septic-to-sewer conversion, and in those places where sewage disposal is not available, require the use of advanced septic technology. The health of our citizens and the coastal resources that support Florida’s economy depend on it.” Over the past three years, the state has passed major legislation to modernize its water policy and provided funding of more than $2 billion for water quality issues. Florida Rep. Bobby Payne (R-19) has addressed the state’s extensive efforts to address the issue, saying, “Water quality is vital to our state’s identity and economy. That’s why I’ve made water issues one of my priorities and why I sponsored the Clean Waterways Act to address wastewater, septic issues, stormwater management, nutrient reduction, and new standards for biosolid applications, to mention a few. This historic legislation is a great step and is continuing to make a real difference for Florida’s natural resources.” S

Florida Water Resources Journal • March 2022

CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES - Classified ads are $20 per line for a 60 character line (including spaces and punctuation), $60 minimum. The price includes publication in both the magazine and our Web site. Short positions wanted ads are run one time for no charge and are subject to editing. ads@fwrj.com

POSITIONS AVAILABLE CITY OF WINTER GARDEN – POSITIONS AVAILABLE The City of Winter Garden is currently accepting applications for the following positions: EXPERIENCED & TRAINEES/LABORERS - Collection Field Tech – I, II, & III - Distribution Field Tech – I, II, & III - Public Service Worker II – Stormwater - Superintendent – Collections, Wastewater, & Stormwater - Wastewater Plant Operator – Class C Please visit our website at www.cwgdn.com for complete job descriptions and to apply. Applications may be submitted online, in person or faxed to 407-877-2795.

City of Titusville - Multiple Positions Available

Utility Asset Program Manager, Water Quality Coordinator, Electronics Technician, Industrial Electrician, Maintenance Mechanic, Crew Leader, Equip Operator, Service Worker, Plant Operator, Laboratory Assistant. Apply at www.titusville.com

SYSTEMS ANALYST – SCADA SYSTEMS WATER AND WASTEWATER OPERATIONS is seeking highly qualified candidates for: FULL-TIME Systems Analyst – SCADA Systems Closing Date/Time: Continuous Salary: $65,633.98 - $104,750.88 Annually Job Type: Full-time Location: Water and Wastewater Operations Division, 2555 W. Copans Road, Pompano Beach, FL 33069 Department: Public Works To view and apply for this position, please visit: www.broward.org/careers

58 March 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal

Project Manager: $70,835.55 - $113,336.89/annually Public Utilities Manager (Underground Utilities): $81,353.07 $130,164.91/annually Senior Project Manager: $76,030.91 - $121,649.46/annually Utilities Instrumentation and Control Systems Specialist: $56,114.71 - $85,294.61/annually For More Info and to Apply go to: http://agency.governmentjobs.com/hollywoodfl/default.cfm EOE M/F/D/V

Laboratory Manager $70,873 - $109,699/yr. Utilities Instrumentation Tech $60,606 - $85,278/yr. Utilities Treatment Plant Operator or Trainee $52,353 - $73,665 or $47,486 - $66,816/yr. Apply Online At: http://pompanobeachfl.gov Open until filled.

The City of Marco Island seeks Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators I, II, III or Trainee

Accepting applications for Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator I, II, III or Trainee. Excellent Pay and Benefits. $20.00 - $34.00 per hour, hourly rate is dependent upon level of license held by the applicant. For more information and to apply for this position, please visit our website: Wastewater Plant Operator I, II, or III, or Trainee | Job Details tab | Career Pages (governmentjobs.com) EOE/AA/ADA/VET Employer

The Coral Springs Improvement District – A GREAT place to further your career and enhance your life! Lead Water Plant Operator Plant Maintenance Technician

Salary DOQ and highly competitive. Position requires a high school diploma/GED equivalency, a valid driver’s license and background check. Excellent benefit package. Apply at www.barroncollier.com or send resume to HR@barroncollier.com EOE/DFWP

Water Treatment Plant Operator

Location: Florida City, FL Salary Range: $52,646 - $80,612 The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority is hiring a WTP Operator. Minimum Requirements: Must have a Florida Class “C” WTPO license or higher. Responsibilities include performing skilled/technical work involving the operation and maintenance of a water treatment plant according to local, state, and federal regulations and laws. An employee in this classification must have the technical knowledge and independent judgment to make treatment process adjustments and perform maintenance to plant equipment, machinery, and related control apparatus in accordance with established standards and procedures. Salary is commensurate with experience and license classification. Benefit package is extremely competitive! Must complete on-line application at http://www.fkaa.com/employment.htm EEO, VPE, ADA

CSID offers: Salary levels are at the top of the industry Health Insurance that is unmatched when compared to like sized Districts The Coral Springs Improvement District is currently accepting applications for the position of Lead Water Treatment Plant operator. Applicants must have a valid Class A Drinking water license and experience in Reverse Osmosis/Nano Filtration treatment processes preferred however not required. Position requirements include knowledge of methods, tools, and materials used in the controlling, servicing, and minor repairs of all related R.O. water treatment facilities machinery and equipment. Must have a valid Florida drivers license, satisfactory background check, be COVID-19 vaccinated and pass a pre-employment drug screening test. The minimum starting salary for this position is $70,720.Salaries to commensurate relative to level of license and years of experience in the field. The District has excellent company paid benefits including a 6% non-contributory investment money purchase pension plan, and voluntary 457 plan with match up to 6%. EOE. Applications may be obtained by visiting our website at www.csidfl.org/resources/employment.html and fax resume to 954-753-6328, attention Jan Zilmer, Director of Human Resources.

“Information Technology Specialist”

WATER AND WASTEWATER OPERATIONS FULL-TIME is seeking highly qualified candidates for: Information Technology Specialist – SCADA section of the Water and Wastewater Operations Division) Closing Date/Time: Continuous Salary: $81,536.42 - $130.132.29 Annually

Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator “C” Salary Range: $52,645.98 - $84,011.20

The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority’s WASTEWATER DIVISION IS GROWING, and we need (2) WWTP Operators with a Florida “C” license or higher. You will perform skilled/technical work involving the operation and maintenance of a wastewater treatment plant. This requires technical knowledge and independent judgment to make treatment process adjustments and perform maintenance on plant equipment, machinery, and related control apparatus in accordance with established standards and procedures. Benefit package is extremely competitive! Location: Big Coppitt Key and Duck Key, FL. Must complete on-line application at www.fkaa.com EEO, VPE, ADA

Job Type: Full-time Location: Water and Wastewater Operations Division, 2555 W. Copans Road, Pompano Beach, FL 33069 Department: Public Works To view and apply for this position, please visit: www.broward.org/careers

Florida Water Resources Journal • March 2022

Project Manager Water and Wastewater Utilities - Tavares, FL Halff Associates, Inc. has an immediate opening for a Water and Wastewater Utilities Project Manager in our Tavares, FL office.

Project Engineer Water and Wastewater Utilities - Tampa, FL Halff Associates, Inc. has an immediate opening for a Water and Wastewater Utilities Project Engineer in our Tampa, FL office.

Qualifications: • B achelors or Masters degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering • 5 + years of experience to support Water/Wastewater Utility projects including pipeline and facility planning and design • L icensed PE, preferably in Florida or can obtain within 6 months • Water/Wastewater treatment plant experience required • P ump station, water storage and large diameter pipeline design experience desired • Ability to manage projects, clients, and support staff • E xperience with AutoCAD, WaterCAD, SewerCAD preferred

Qualifications: • Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering • Licensed PE, preferably in Florida or can obtain within 6 months • 4+ years of experience designing Water/Wastewater utility projects including pipeline and facility planning and design • Pump station, water storage and large diameter pipeline design experience required • Water/Wastewater treatment plant experience desired • Ability to engage in plans production, coordinate project deliverables production, and support EI staff • Experience with AutoCAD, WaterCAD, SewerCAD preferred

To apply: https://www.halff.com/join-our-team/

Halff Associates is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status.

LOOKING FOR A JOB

American Water - Acciona Agua operates and maintains the Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination Facility. We’re hiring! $18 hourly rate, plus paid training. For more information and to apply, visit: amwater.com/careers & search Requisition ID: 100903 60 March 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal

The FWPCOA Job Placement Committee Can Help! Contact Joan E. Stokes at 407-293-9465 or fax 407-293-9943 for more information.

NEWS BEAT CADD Technician–Water Wastewater–Tavares, Florida Halff Associates, Inc. has an immediate opening for a Computer Aided Design Drafter (CADD) Technician in our Tavares, FL office to perform drafting, plans preparation and to work with design professionals on our Water/Wastewater team. Responsibilities: - Prepare drawings for utility projects, including utility lines, plants, pump stations and associated infrastructure utilizing CAD software - Actively participate in implementing and monitoring continuous improvement initiatives to improve project quality - Support multiple projects when needed and help ensure timely completion of assignments Requirements: • 3+ years of working experience in the Civil Engineering industry, water and wastewater utilities preferred but not required • Experience in AutoCAD • Drafting Certificate or Associates Drafting Degree a plus To apply: https://www.halff.com/join-our-team/

Halff Associates is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status.

NOW HIRING Treatment Plant Operators and Field Personnel

Brevard County Utilities is seeking Treatment Plant Operators and field personnel to work in various locations throughout Brevard County, Florida. These positions are for a County-owned public water and sewer Utility. For more information and to apply, go to the employment website of the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners at https://career8.successfactors.com/career?company=brevardcou Brevard County is an Equal Opportunity/Veterans Preference Employer

City of Sanibel Utility Maintenance Technician I Position Available

Install, repair and maintain the City’s wastewater treatment, collection, and reuse facilities. Preferred candidate will have at least one year experience in Utilities maintenance and repair with maintenance of pumps and valves. Pay range is $37,440 to $56,992 annual (negotiable) based on experience. Complete job descriptions for advertised position available online. Interested candidates can apply https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/sanibel. EOE/ADA/M/F/VP

Raftelis acquired Westin Technology Solutions on Nov. 1, 2021, to enhance its consulting focus on the effective use of business technologies, including utility billing and work and asset management optimization. “Adding Westin’s expertise in utility asset and customer management technologies complements what we already do and allows us to provide new services to our utility clients in a particularly difficult area— managing the planning, selection, and implementation of modern utility billing and maintenance management solutions to replace outdated, suboptimal systems,” said Peiffer Brandt, Raftelis president and chief executive officer. “Together we can better serve water and wastewater utilities that need to evaluate, upgrade, replace, or optimize their customer information system or computerized maintenance management system solutions.” Raftelis helps local governments and utilities thrive by providing management consulting expertise to help the leaders of these organizations create the change they seek; it's helped more than 600 organizations in the last year alone. Raftelis works in all areas of management consulting, including finance, assessment, communications, technology, executive recruitment, and strategic planning. The Raftelis team includes leading local government and utility consultants, many of whom are former local government managers, utility directors, and public-sector employees. Raftelis consultants are located throughout the United States and focus on public-sector work in North America and beyond.

is at

Two of Florida’s largest cities have ended their water emergencies now that COVID-19 hospitalizations have declined drastically in the state. In August of last year, the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) asked residents to stop watering their lawns or washing their cars because liquid oxygen that’s used for treating the city’s water was being diverted to hospitals for patients suffering from the virus. The utility made the decision as it faced the prospect of getting only half of its usual shipment of liquid oxygen used for water treatment. Since the 1990s, OUC has used liquid oxygen to remove the slight discoloration and rotten-egg smell that is found naturally in Florida’s water supply. The Tampa Water Department also started using chlorine instead of its usual liquid oxygen method to disinfect its water of viruses and bacteria because liquid oxygen was being diverted to local hospitals. On Oct. 12, 2021, OUC officials said that residents can resume their normal water use, including irrigating their lawns and washing their cars. In Tampa, officials at the water department said they were going back to treating the 82 million gallons of drinking water produced each day with liquid oxygen. “We were fortunate that we were able to quickly switch over to using chlorine as our primary way to disinfect the water. Not every water treatment plant affected by the shortage of liquid oxygen had that flexibility,” said Chuck Weber, director of the Tampa Water Department. “The resumption of regular liquid oxygen deliveries lets us return to our normal operations.” About 40 percent of the potable water in Orlando is used for irrigation, but Orlando users only cut back water consumption by 16 percent, hitting a low of 76 million gallons, indicating the restriction wasn’t universally embraced. Nevertheless, OUC officials said they were able to get through the crunch and averted the need for a boil-water alert. “With our community’s help in reducing the demand on our system, we were able to get through this difficult time together,” said Clint S Bullock, OUC general manager and chief executive officer.

Florida Water Resources Journal • March 2022

SERVING FLORIDA’S WATER AND WASTEWATER INDUSTRY SINCE 1949

Test Yourself Answer Key From page 28 January 2016

Editorial Calendar

January.............. Wastewater Treatment February............ Water Supply; Alternative Sources March................. Energy Efficiency; Environmental Stewardship April................... Conservation and Reuse May .................... Operations and Utilities Management June................... Biosolids Management and Bioenergy Production July .................... Stormwater Management; Emerging Technologies August............... Disinfection; Water Quality September......... Emerging Issues; Water Resources Management October.............. New Facilities, Expansions, and Upgrades November.......... Water Treatment December.......... Distribution and Collection Technical articles are usually scheduled several months in advance and are due 60 days before the issue month (for example, January 1 for the March issue). The closing date for display ad and directory card reservations, notices, announcements, upcoming events, and everything else including classified ads, is 30 days before the issue month (for example, September 1 for the October issue). For further information on submittal requirements, guidelines for writers, advertising rates and conditions, and ad dimensions, as well as the most recent notices, announcements, and classified advertisements, go to www.fwrj.com or call 352-241-6006.

Display Advertiser Index 2021 FSAWWA Awards �� 33 American Water �� 60 AWWA ACE22 �� 35 Blue Planet Environmental Systems �� 63 CEU Challenge �� 37 Data Flow �� 50 FSAWWA 2022 Fall Conference Exhibitor Registration �� 38 FSAWWA 2022 Fall Conference Call for Papers �� 39 FSAWWA Roy Likins Scholarship Fund �� 51 FSAWWA "Last Splash" Campaign �� 49 FWPCOA Region IV Short School �� 53 FWPCOA Training Calendar �� 43 Florida Water Resources Conference ��10-19 Gerber Pumps �� 9 Heyward �� 2 Hudson Pump & Equipment �� 29 Hydro International �� 5 Lakeside Equipment Corporation �� 7 Poly Processing �� 54 UF TREEO Center Training �� 23 Xylem �� 64

62 March 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal

1. B ) Dec. 16, 2021

Per 40 CFR 141.80(a)(2), General Requirements, “The requirements of this subpart are effective as of Dec. 16, 2021.”

2. C ) Community water systems and noncommunity, nontransient water systems Per 40 CFR 141.80(a)(1), General Requirements, “The provisions of this subpart apply to community water systems and nontransient, noncommunity water systems (in this subpart referred to as ‘water systems’ or ‘systems’).”

3. D ) Oct. 16, 2024

Per 40 CFR 141.80(a)(3), General Requirements, “. . . water systems must comply with the requirements of this subpart no later than Oct. 16, 2024, except where otherwise specified. . .”

4. C ) 10 µg/L.

Per 40 CFR 141.80(c)(2), General Requirements, “The lead trigger level is exceeded if the 90th percentile concentration of lead as specified in paragraph (c)(4) of this section is greater than 10 µg/L.”

5. B) 1.3 mg/L.

Per 40 CFR 141.80(c)(3), General Requirements, “The copper action level is exceeded if the 90th percentile concentration of copper as specified in paragraph (c)(4) of this section is greater than 1.3 mg/L.”

6. D ) Oct. 16, 2024

Per 40 CFR 141.84(a)(1) and (b) Lead service line replacement requirements. “All water systems must develop an initial inventory by Oct. 16, 2024, and submit it to the primacy agency. . . All water systems with one or more lead, galvanized, requiring replacement, or lead, status unknown, service lines in their distribution system must, by Oct. 16, 2024, submit a lead service line replacement plan to the state in accordance with § 141.90(e).”

7. C ) Oct. 16, 2024, whichever is sooner.

Per 40 CFR 141.86(d)(1)(i), Monitoring requirements for lead and copper in tap water, “All water

systems with lead service lines, including those deemed optimized under § 141.81(b)(3), and systems that did not conduct monitoring that meets all requirements of this section (e.g., sites selected in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section, samples collected in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section, etc.) between Jan. 15, 2021, and Oct. 16, 2024, must begin the first standard monitoring period on January 1 or July 1 in the year following Oct. 16, 2024, whichever is sooner.”

8. B ) goal-based full lead service line replacement.

Per 40 CFR 141.84(f), Lead service line replacement requirements, “Water systems that serve more than 10,000 persons whose 90th percentile lead level from tap samples. . . is above the lead trigger level but at or below the lead action level must conduct goal-based full lead service line replacement at a rate approved by the state.”

9. A ) Jan. 1, 2014.

Per 40 CFR 141.92, Monitoring for lead in schools and child care facilities, “All community water systems must conduct directed public education and lead monitoring at the schools and child care facilities they serve if those schools or child care facilities were constructed prior to Jan. 1, 2014, or the date the state adopted standards that meet the definition of lead free in accordance with Section 1417 of the Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended by the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act, whichever is earlier.”

10. C) 20 percent

Per 40 CFR 141.92(c)(1), Frequency of sampling at elementary schools and child care facilities, “Water systems shall collect samples from at least 20 percent of elementary schools served by the system and 20 percent of child care facilities served by the system per year, or according to a schedule approved by the state, until all schools and child care facilities. . . have been sampled or have declined to participate. For the purposes of this section, a water system may count a refusal or nonresponse from an elementary school or child care facility as part of the minimum 20 percent per year.”

Florida Water Resources Journal - March 2022

Articles inside

News Beat

Pharmaceuticals Found in Florida Fish

Securing Your Water Storage Tank—Erin

New Products

FWPCOA Region IV Short School

FWEA Focus—Ronald R. Cavalieri

FSAWWA "Last Splash" Campaign

Evaluation of Mixing, Mass Transfer Operation and Maintenance, Energy, and Material Requirements for Hydrogen

Let’s Talk Safety: Energized Electric Equipment and Overhead Power Lines Can Be Deadly

FSAWWA Fall Conference Call for Papers

CEU Challenge

Water Authority Hosts Unique Preserve Hike and Creek Viewing

AWWA ACE22

2021 FSAWWA Awards

Reader Profile—Elisa 'Elsa' Williams

Celebrate 2022 National Drinking Water Week!

C Factor—Patrick “Murf” Murphy

It’s Coming: Water Conservation Month and Water Conservation Awards for Excellence

Test Yourself—Donna Kaluzniak

Host Site Established for OSHA Training Institute Education Center

Sea Change: Desalination and the Water Energy Nexus—Scott Moore

Florida Utility, High School, and Marine Center Among Award Recipients for AWWA Water Equation Youth STEAM Programs

FSAWWA Speaking Out—Emilie Moore