Lagoon wastewater treatment: how to upgrade systems for small communities
To help public sector officials minimize fire and explosion hazards, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) publishes preventative requirements, fire codes and building standards. Used in alignment with state building codes, the NFPA 820 standard is specific to wastewater collection, transportation and treatment plants.  It is estimat...
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Upgrading your wastewater treatment plant design to meet NFPA 820 compliance
To help public sector officials minimize fire and explosion hazards, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) publishes preventative requirements, fire codes and building standards. Used in alignment with state building codes, the NFPA 820 standard is specific to wastewater collection, transportation and treatment plants. Methane generated b...
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Important considerations for water distribution system design
Around 2.2 million miles of underground pipes support the drinking water infrastructure system in the United States. The aging water system, however, requires upgrades in thousands of communities across the nation to prevent water main breaks and a daily loss of billions of gallons of treated water. If you are a municipal leader, it can be challeng...
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Implications for lead and copper rule revisions
Are you familiar with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI)? What are the implications for lead and copper rule revisions?How do the revisions help protect your community from lead exposure in drinking water? Since its 1991 publication, the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) has undergone several revisions,...
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Wisconsin's leader in lead service line replacement for safer drinking water
In 2020, Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported 9,600 children younger than 16 were poisoned by lead. The same year, the Public Service Commission estimated the number of lead service lines statewide at 173,052. Since then, community leaders have raised the priority levels on lead service line replacement projects to mitigate the threat o...
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Lead service line replacement costs and available funding for Illinois municipalities
Illinois has more lead service lines than any other state in the nation, with a number the National Resources Defense Council estimates to be anywhere from 700,000 to 1.4 million. Although the state banned lead service line installation in 1986, antecedent lines were not removed.  Because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determin...
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Wisconsin drinking water standards: Meeting local and EPA requirements
According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) 2021 Annual Drinking Report, more than 98% of the state's public water systems comply with all health-based standards. The Wisconsin DNR implements the state's drinking water program, which includes municipal community water systems, other-than-municipal community water systems, nontr...
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Need to replace your lead service lines? Illinois just announced a state grant program to help
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a grant program yesterday to create a Lead Service Line Inventory that will help communities meet requirements outlined in the Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act. Because Illinois has more lead water pipes than any state in the U.S., this is another step toward helping mun...
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Evaluating the dangers of lead service pipes to keep the community's drinking water safe
 Although lead pipes are often thought of as relics of a bygone era, they are still a common component of water systems. Recent estimates indicate that up to 12.8 million homes in the U.S. are served by water systems with lead service lines, which are most common in older homes and infrastructure. In the past, lead was a common water service l...
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Tackling lead service line replacement in Illinois with industry leaders
Lead service lines are common throughout the United States. For centuries, lead was the preferred element for plumbing. The word "plumber" even comes from the Latin word for lead. Lead pipes were popular because they resist pinhole leaks and can be easily bent to conform to the contours of buildings. Because of these advantages, water infrastructur...
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