The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) is proposing a revised Lead and Copper Rule to be implemented in 2024, or later. Revisions to the rule include modifications in sample collection for those sample sites with Lead Service Lines versus those without Lead Service Lines. A Lead Service Line is a lead pipe that connects tap-water service between a water main and house or building….
Purple is the New Green: IEUA Invests in Expanded Water Recycling Facility
A cheap and sustainable water conservation method is the proverbial silver bullet of California’s water politics, but it is not easy finding a solution friendly to both our environment and wallets. Many experts believe that, of the methods available, wastewater recycling is California’s best way forward. One major local proponent of water recycling is the Inland Empire Utilities Agency, or IEUA. Last fall, IEUA began constructing an expanded recycling facility in Chino, San Bernardino County. Their expanded facility will be able to treat 22.5 million gallons of wastewater per day--the agency’s most ambitious recycling project yet.
Wastewater recycling is a familiar concept to California. As far back as the 1800s, farmers utilized wastewater for growing crops. By 1910, 35 sites used recycled water for agricultural purposes, and by 1918 California adopted the first health regulations governing wastewater reuse. Nowadays, our state reuses approximately 714,000 acre-feet of water annually, or 2.3x1011 gallons. Despite conveying so much water through purple pipes, California’s recycling programs still have a great deal of room to grow. The state could potentially recycle millions more acre-feet of water each year and has set an aggressive goal of achieving 2,5 million acre feet of recycling by 2030.
The IEUA is at the forefront of expanding recycling programs. In a recent press release about their Chino facility, IEUA General Manager Shivaji Deshmukh stated…
Babcock Laboratories Found a More Permanent Home in Imperial County!
Babcock Laboratories, Inc. (Babcock Labs) is pleased to announce the relocation of our service center in Imperial County. Effective Monday, December 14th, 2020, Babcock Laboratories, Inc. will be conveniently located in El Centro and will occupy a clean, modern, and easily accessed facility on 1550 Pepper Drive. We will continue to follow our current Imperial County operating hours and sample drop off time-windows until further notice. We are pleased to have found a more permanent home in Imperial County….
Biosolids: The Ultimate Recycling Success Story
In the wastewater treatment world, biosolids are often seen as the ultimate recycling success story. Biosolids are the nutrient-rich organic byproducts resulting from wastewater treatment and over 60% of biosolids produced nationally in the U.S. are land applied. They are used in agriculture, landscaping, forestry, and even by homeowners on lawns and gardens. Although biosolids are under scrutiny once again due to the source of their composition—human and industrial waste—preliminary evidence suggests that the beneficial use of biosolids rests on solid ground.
To learn more about the future of biosolids, new Babcock staff member, Colleen Thompson, interviewed Greg Kester, Director of Renewable Resource Programs at the California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA). Greg is the subject matter expert when it comes to emerging issues regarding all renewable energy, recycled water, biosolids, and climate change mitigation. “Biosolids have a plethora of benefits, they assist in creating healthy soils which help crop growth, they are significant mitigators of climate change, reduce irrigation use, offset the use of inorganic fertilizers, and essentially are the best example of recycling,” said Kester. In fact, many agricultural areas depend on biosolids to help…
A Quick Year in Review:2020
Does La Niña Have Other Plans for So Cal’s Typical Wet Winter?
Californians faced some of the worst fires in recorded history this year thanks to a lack of rain and the upcoming storm season may not relieve the state’s unusually dry condition. NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, recently confirmed an ongoing La Nina event expected to last into the winter. The event, a part of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon, influences global oceanic temperatures and rainfall. A La Nina winter, combined with the effects of global climate change, threatens to push California into …