For World Water Day, 3 Innovative Approaches to Water Challenges

Even something as simple as water requires people to think differently once in a while. World Water Day celebrates those innovations globally.

Even something as simple as water requires people to think differently once in a while. World Water Day celebrates those innovations globally.

Ugandan family standing in front of spring where they collect water that Veolia has helped decontaminate.

 

MILWAUKEE: MANAGING STORMWATER ON THE CLOUD

In Milwaukee, “the cloud” holds new meaning when it comes to stormwater. Wastewater facilities only have so much capacity for rainwater, so keeping excess out of these systems is important. The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) is now capturing and measuring 740 million gallons of water using OptiRTC, a cloud-based analytics tool.

Using predictive technology to identify bad weather, OptiRTC feeds information to a virtual dashboard that allows water treatment plants to better prepare its collection operations. Read more about OptiRTC’s work with Veolia in helping MMSD use this technology to reopen a local brownfield.
 

UGANDA: SCALING WATER FILTRATION TO THE SIZE OF A SODA CAN

Numerous third-world countries lack clean water for safe drinking and bathing. One of the reasons is that the wells are very difficult to maintain. Bill Naughton, Director of Federal Markets at Veolia North America, recently visited four rural villages with a filtration system the size of a soda can to help improve their water supply.

Water filters are often the size of a refrigerator, according to Bill, whereas the Veolia Force #5 can fit in one’s palm. Using this small, cylindrical filter, as well as locally made chlorine and solar panels, Uganda saw a near 100-percent reduction in their water’s bacterial content. Read more about Bill’s experience.
 

HOUSTON: CLEANING PRODUCED WATER AT THE EIGHTH-GRADE LEVEL

Produced water is a common byproduct of oil and gas extraction, and it is often discarded due to its contamination. Allie Hobstetter, junior-high daughter of Veolia employee Jim Hobstetter, recently won a science fair award tackling this issue.

With an eye toward deep well injection, Allie experimented with Catawater, which has the potential to reduce the ammonia nitrogen present in produced water. Read more about the results of her experiment and how today’s oil and gas facilities are working to become more efficient.