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Editor's Letter The Future Is Now For Wastewater Technology "To raise new questions … to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science." — Albert Einstein E instein may as well have been speaking directly to today's wastewater professionals, because if there's one thing the industry has in spades, it's "old" problems — not only traditional, age-old problems, but also old-age problems. For many municipalities, the infrastructure is old, the technology is old, and even the workforce is… well, let's say retiring. So how do we contend with these "old" issues? Taking a cue from Einstein, we decided in this edition of Water Online The Magazine to look at them from a new angle — to embrace wastewater treatment techniques that are smarter and more efficient than their predecessors. Traditional methods may still fit the bill for some, but most municipal budgets today demand that we actually cut the bill, to do more with less. In such cases, a more forward-thinking approach should be seriously considered. There are a host of emerging technologies, for instance, to treat reclaimed water in an energy-efficient, cost-effective manner. To help you wade through the uneasiness and uncertainty of selecting an alternative technique, Carollo Engineers evaluates these technologies for effectiveness and market-readiness on page 22. While it is acknowledged that there is some risk involved in stepping away from old, "tried and true" methods, new approaches often pay big dividends. Consider the case of the Roseburg Urban Sanitary Authority (pg. 16), which utilized 340 acres of nearby ranchland to receive treated wastewater and get in compliance with U.S. EPA nutrient mandates. A far more conventional destination for wastewater is the man-made lagoon, but even this age-old technique can benefit from modern technology. Find out how on page 40. To be sure, our society's scientific and technological evolution has afforded us the ability to tackle these old problems in new ways. Our deeper understanding of microbiology, for example, has enhanced our ability to treat wastewater (pg. 10), as well as prevent corrosion to infrastructure (pg. 46). Stepping away from the microscope, there is a more patently obvious component to every wastewater system that nevertheless requires a close look — the pumps. On page 32, discover just how much outdated and inefficient pumps can cost facilities in maintenance, man-hours, and energy consumption. The monitoring and analysis of your systems is indeed essential to realize your operational efficiency, or lack thereof. Visibility facilitates optimization, cost savings, and also compliance with ever-stricter regulations. Internet-hosted SCADA, presented on page 38, provides this vital oversight for your plant, while a laboratory information management system (pg. 52) does the same in a water-testing environment. "Out with the old and in with the new" may not be a panacea, but innovation and technology is proving to be the answer for many age-old and old-age problems in the wastewater industry. And while some bemoan the loss of a rapidly retiring workforce as "brain drain" for the water community, there are plenty of inventive minds currently working on tomorrow's breakthroughs — as evidenced by the gathering wave of innovation I write about on page 8. Raising new questions, pursuing new angles, using creative imagination. Einstein would be proud of today's wastewater industry. Kevin Westerling Editor editor@wateronline.com 6 Water Online The Magazine, Wastewater Edition ■ wateronline.com 101 Gilbraltar Road, Suite 100 Horsham, PA 19044 PH: (215) 675-1800 FX: (215) 675-4880 Email: info@wateronline.com Website: www.wateronline.com DIRECTOR OF SALES Travis Kennedy (215) 675-1800 ext. 122 tkennedy@vertmarkets.com CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGER Chuck Allen (215) 675-1800 ext. 126 callen@vertmarkets.com CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGER Patrick Gallagher (215) 675-1800 ext. 129 pgallagher@vertmarkets.com CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGER Scott Setzman (215) 675-1800 ext. 134 ssetzman@vertmarkets.com MANAGING EDITOR Michael Thiemann (814) 897-9000, Ext. 340 michael.thiemann@jamesonpublishing.com PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Dianna Gross (814) 897-9000, Ext. 255 dianna.gross@jamesonpublishing.com DIRECTOR OF AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT Martin Zapolski (814) 897-7700, Ext. 337 martinz@jamesonpublishing.com DIRECTOR Of ONLINE DEVELOPMENT Art Glenn art.glenn@jamesonpublishing.com Reprints, Eprints, and NXTprints The YGS Group (800) 290-5460 VertMarketsReprints@theYGSgroup.com www.theYGSgroup.com ADDRESS CORRECTIONS Send to Water Online at above address, or email circ@vertmarkets.com. Please give old and new address, and enclose or reference your latest mailing label. Copyright © 2012, VertMarkets, Inc.