"We don't have a whole lot of room for storage"
February 5, 2010

That's the main cause for concern in eastern Iowa, where high rivers and lots of snowpack are likely to combine to create some pretty significant flooding this spring and summer. Snowfall has been well above normal and there's always the chance that a sudden warm-up could really make a mess of things.

Now is the time for communities to prepare with tools like portable dams and portable flood-control pumps. It's also a critical time to ensure that sluice and slide gates are in good working condition. The worst time to discover a broken operator or ungreased stem is in the middle of a flood.


Haiti remains in dire need of clean water and sanitation
February 4, 2010

Now that the rescue portion of the disaster response is over, relief agencies working in Haiti are putting their emphasis on delivering food and clean water, and constructing latrines and washing stations to prevent the spread of disease. Modern public health traces its roots to the Broad Street Pump outbreak -- a cholera outbreak in a portion of London that killed more than 600 people. The cholera epidemic was initiated by the contamination of a community water pump by a single dirty diaper. A century and a half later, finding ways to protect clean water and safely carry away wastewater of all types remains one of the most important methods -- if not the single most -- of protecting public health, particularly in an emergency.


Metal prices are all over the map
February 3, 2010

One of the challenges of the water and wastewater marketplace over the last few years has been the high volatility of metal prices. Aluminum, for instance, fell by almost two-thirds, then nearly doubled again -- all within a span of about 18 months. This instability has made it difficult to predict where prices are headed in the long term, and it's not limited to aluminum. Other metals, like copper and cast iron, have also had wildly variable pricing swings. Considering that the basic price of metal can be the main input cost for a product like a pump or a sluice gate, it has become unusually challenging to estimate the costs of products more than a few months in advance.


It's going to flood this year
February 2, 2010

According to the National Weather Service, parts of Iowa are statistically certain to flood this spring. When this year's heavy snowfall finally melts, it's going to have to fight with frozen ground and the result is undoubtedly going to involve at least some minor flooding -- with a very good chance of major flooding in some places.

Now is the time for homeowners to take precautions like installing backup sump pumps to prevent basement flooding, and for cities to consider whether they have the right portable flood controls and portable pumping equipment to handle the floodwaters when they come.


Utilities planning for climate change
February 1, 2010

A group of utilities has prepared a report on how to plan for climate change and its effects on water supplies. While it's unclear what kinds of climate change will occur in the future, especially if new regulations and international agreements affect the human contributions to climate-altering chemicals, it's worthwhile for many utilities to consider the long-term changes that may cause them to adapt in the future. Iowa faces declining groundwater supplies, with or without the effects of climate change, and Nebraska has been engaged in a long-term struggle with Nature over significant decreases in groundwater levels. Nebraska's groundwater condition is mainly driven by access to the Ogallala Aquifer, which has been aggressively used for agricultural irrigation for the better part of a century.


A debate over taxing Omaha's sewers
January 29, 2010

The city of Omaha is planning to separate its storm sewers from its sanitary sewers in a massive and very expensive effort to comply with Federal regulations. The project is so expensive (it's currently estimated at $1.5 billion) that a debate has now picked up about whether to exempt the project from sales taxes, which are projected at $327 million. On one side of the debate are those who say that local government would benefit from the additional tax revenues; on the other are those who say that the Federally-mandated project is already sufficiently expensive and shouldn't be made additionally costly because of local taxation.

Omaha's challenges with sewer separation are not unique, even in our area. About a dozen other communities in Iowa and Nebraska face different levels of the same expense and complication in getting their sewers separated as well. They will need everything from pump stations to flap gates, from bar screens to disinfection systems. We welcome any questions or inquiries that might accompany any of those projects.


EPA orders LaFarge to add $170 million in air-pollution control equipment
January 28, 2010

The EPA has ordered LaFarge North America to install $170 million in new air-pollution control equipment at its operating facilities in the US, including their plant at Buffalo, Iowa (just outside Davenport). The EPA targeted LaFarge's emissions of nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide, and in addition to the requirements for new equipment, imposed a $5 million civil penalty against the company, of which Iowa will receive $135,000.

Tools for monitoring air pollution: We offer fixed-point gas detectors for sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide, as well as ambient air-quality monitors for sulfur dioxide and other contaminants, both as part of our commitment to supplying a wide range of pollution-control equipment and instruments to communities and industries in Iowa and Nebraska.


Iowa DNR to host meetings over new stream standards
January 27, 2010

The Iowa DNR will hold six meetings in February around the state (at Atlantic, Clear Lake, Des Moines, Independence, Spencer, and Washington) about the revised stream assessments and water-quality standards that are being rolled out to comply with the state's agreement to enforce the Clean Water Act. The DNR is evaluating all of the state's streams to determine what they're being used for and to what levels they need to be protected to enhance that use. These assessments are of significant interest to Iowa municipal wastewater treatment plants, since they are regulated in part based on the quality of the waters receiving their effluent.


Haiti's disaster illustrates just how important modern waterworks really are
January 26, 2010

With Port-au-Prince devastated by a powerful earthquake, a million people are in a state of tremendous uncertainty: Can they rebuild their city or should they try to leave for someplace else? A quarter of a million people have already been moved to other locations around Haiti. One of the main problems now is getting reliable distribution of food and clean water to the people -- and providing reliable sanitation to prevent outbreaks of everything from dysentery to tuberculosis. The public in many rich nations tends to take reliable clean water and safe sanitation for granted, but municipal water and wastewater infrastructures take lots of time and money to build and maintain. And compounding the problems of health and sanitation, having a large population without adequate water pressure available leads to a very high risk of catastrophic fires, whether in the debris of the city or in temporary camps. Big fires can only be fought with big, functioning water systems, which makes any fire in a refugee camp extremely dangerous. The reconstruction period will also be extremely dangerous without a reliable water system -- just as it was for Chicago, which nearly burned to the ground a second time after the great fire of 1871.


Renewable-fuels lobbyists want a bigger ethanol mandate in Iowa
January 25, 2010

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association has announced a legislative push for a 10% ethanol mandate for gasoline sold in the state. Iowa is the largest ethanol-production state in the country, with Nebraska in either second or third place (depending on whether one is counting capacity or actual production). Both states are also heavy producers of biodiesel, generally from soybeans. The production of those fuels has a measurable effect on water usage in both states, since the production and refining of biofuels requires large volumes of water. They are major economic factors in both states, as well.

Related products: We offer a number of products used in ethanol and biodiesel production facilities, including pumps for clean water, flowmeters, and aeration systems for processing liquid byproducts.


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