The coming surge in Chicago sewer bills
October 15, 2011

Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel has proposed doubling the city's water and sewer bills over the next three years in order to help pay for replacements and upgrades to the infrastructure. It's a bold proposal, since fixed-income customers are often very quick to vocalize their opposition to increases in these kinds of fees for essential services. But lacking other sources of revenue, the costs of deferred or inadequate maintenance often turn into much higher direct costs -- like flooded basements and collapsed pipes that cause roads to cave in.


The Missouri River flood was unstoppable
October 16, 2011

A lengthy story in the Omaha World-Herald exhaustively examines the flooding of 2011 along the Missouri River and concludes that the floods were unavoidable, given the extraordinary nature of this year's snowmelt and precipitation, alongside expectations that water levels in the Missouri River system are to be managed for conservation in drought years as well as for flood management in wet years. Not everyone will be satisfied with the conclusions of the article, just as not everyone will be satisfied with the floodwater management approach adopted by the US Army Corps of Engineers. But the observations in the World-Herald article are worth reading and understanding for future floods.


WEFTEC booths
October 17, 2011

The WEFTEC conference is the world's largest convention dedicated to the water industry. If you're attending this year's WEFTEC in Los Angeles, please be sure to visit these booths:
  • ATI (2949)
  • Charter Machine (8915)
  • Environetics (1640)
  • Golden Harvest (5662)
  • Gorman-Rupp (2349)
  • Hydac (5623)
  • Keller America (8619)
  • Krofta (8328)
  • Patterson (2349)
  • SSI (3035)
Our office remains open during WEFTEC, so if you need anything, please call us at 515-223-4144.


Iowa DNR publishes draft of plan for water quality review
October 19, 2011

The Iowa DNR is responsible for a number of Iowa water-quality issues, including the standards that are imposed in part by the Clean Water Act. As part of the state's triennial review of those standards, the DNR has published the draft of its work plan for the coming few years to review the standards affecting Iowa's natural water quality. Of greatest interest to the wastewater industry in Iowa is that the DNR will start its next review of anti-degradation policies in the second quarter of 2013. These are among the policies that regulate how much treatment is required before wastewater effluent can be discharged into rivers and streams.


The Norweco AT 1500 ultraviolet disinfection system is now UL-Listed!
October 20, 2011

The Norweco AT 1500 (available in our online store) is now the only wastewater-directed disinfection system to be UL Listed to Standard E317269. This listing was the result of some upgrades to the design of the unit, including an interlock switch that automatically cuts power to the disinfection chamber when the lid is removed, a master disconnect switch now supplied with every unit, and a factory-installed conduit and fittings arrangement that prevents water infiltration to the controls.

Norweco is an innovative manufacturer of solutions to wastewater treatment issues, and the AT 1500 is now the only UV disinfection system to meet many state codes requiring UL listing for residential systems.


Prepare for an unpredictable winter
October 21, 2011

Today's Grand Island Independent carries a story about the latest winter weather outlook from NOAA, which suggests that it's going to be an unpredictable winter season in the Plains, with dry and warm conditions to the south and cold and wet conditions to the north. The resulting tug-of-war between weather patterns will probably make for a widely variable season for those of us in the middle. In a particularly worrisome turn, though, the forecast says that "Spring flooding could be a concern" for the northern plains. After the epic Missouri River flooding of 2011, we really don't need any more of that.



Past water and wastewater news updates

last revised October 2011