Low Cost Activated Carbon for Removal of NOM and DBPs: Optimization and Comparison

Higher concentrations of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in small water systems have been a challenge. Adsorption by tailored activated carbon (AC), developed from waste materials of a pulp and paper company using optimization of chemical activation by nitric acid followed by physical activation and metal coating, was tested for the removal of natural organic matter from water using synthetic and natural water. AC was coated with aluminum and iron salts in a ratio of 0.25 to 10.0% of metal: AC (wt: wt%). The optimization of dosage, pH, and time was performed to achieve the highest adsorption capacity. The modified AC of 0.75% Fe-AC and 1.0% Al-AC showed 35–44% improvement in DOC removal from natural water. An enhancement of 40.7% in THMs removal and 77.1% in HAAs removal, compared to non-modified, AC were achieved. The pseudo-second order was the best fitted kinetic model for DOC removal, representing a physiochemical mechanism of adsorption.

The Critical Role of Communities of Practice and Peer Learning in Scaling Hydroclimatic Information Adoption

Significant effort has been put into advancing the use and usability of information products to support adaptation to drought and climate variability, particularly for the water supply sector. Evidence and experience show that advancing the usability of information through processes such as coproduction is time consuming for both providers and users of information. One challenge for boundary organizations and researchers interested in enhancing the usability of their information is how such processes might “scale” to all the potential organizations and individual managers that might possibly be able to benefit from improved climate information. This paper examines information use preferences and practices specifically among managers of small water systems in the Upper Colorado River basin, with an eye toward identifying new opportunities to effectively scale information usability and uptake among all water managers—regardless of location or capacity—in a resource-constrained world. We find that boundary organizations and other usable science efforts would benefit from capitalizing on the communities of practice that bind water managers together. Specifically, strategic engagement with larger, well-respected water systems as early adopters, supporting dissemination of successes and experiences with new information products among a broader community of water managers, and increasing well-respected water systems’ capacity to engage directly with rural systems may all serve as useful strategies to promote widespread distribution, access, and adoption of information.

Ecological Monitoring Of Small Water Systems: Algorithm, Software Package, The Results Of Application To The Uzh River Basin (Ukraine)

A systematic approach to environmental monitoring of small water systems and its optimization is proposed. For simplify the storage of large amounts of information, accelerate the obtaining of preliminary conclusions of water resources condition, predict the dynamics of both individual indicators and their system attributes, and develop a user-friendly interface, which is tied to the area. To carry out the research, samples of water were taken near the corresponding sections of industrial enterprises of Korosten region, as well as discharges of a storm water system. Based on the standard approach, with the help of physicochemical methods of analysis practically all the hydrochemical parameters in the studied water body were determined. The obtained results were compared with the regulatory guidelines. For systematization and maintenance of environmental monitoring, a software package has been developed, which has been tested on the results of the instrumental laboratory analysis of surface water quality of the river Uzh. The software package is developed to establish local sources of pollution, monitor potentially dangerous man-made objects, and better manage of water resources. A user-friendly interface has been developed, which is tied to the area and is easily adapted to other monitoring objects. Thanks to the developed software package, the implementation of an integrated approach to the collection and analysis of monitoring data is carried out quickly, efficiently and conveniently. The developed approach allows easy adaptation to the objects of the research and does not require significant capital investment.

Riverbank Filtration Impacts on Post Disinfection Water Quality in Small Systems—A Case Study from Auburn and Nebraska City, Nebraska

Small water systems can experience a fluctuating quality of water in the distribution system after disinfection. As chlorine is the most common disinfectant for small systems, the occurrence of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) represents a common problem for these systems. Riverbank filtration (RBF) can be a valuable solution for small communities located on riverbanks. The objectives of this study were to evaluate (i) the improvements in water quality at two selected RBF systems, and (ii) the potential lower concentrations of DBPs, in particular, trihalomethanes (THMs), in small systems that use RBF. Two small communities in Nebraska, Auburn and Nebraska City, using RBF were selected. Results from this study highlight the ability of RBF systems to consistently improve the quality of the source water and reduce the occurrence of THMs in the distribution water. However, the relative removal of THMs was directly impacted by the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal. Different THM concentrations and different DOC removals were observed at the two RBF sites due to the different travel distances between the river and the extractions wells.