Raw Video: Dramatic Water Main Break Rescue

... and I thought I had seen the worst of the worst. Now that is an epic water main break.

I need to see this befor I die!

WOW! A friend of mine sent me this link. It's a tunnel system behind Niagara Falls that is no longer used. This is the kind of behind the curtain things I go ga ga for. Where was I when this happened?

More pics after the jump.

http://vanishingpoint.ca/tailrace.html

Water Unleashed

            It is remarkable how much power water really has.  The energy is in so many forms that it factors in to nearly every aspect of our lives good and bad.  However when it is bad that’s when people take real note. Water can supply us with the energy of life as well as the energy to make the things in our life go. Waters energy can also bring about devastation and destruction.  The most obvious of scenarios are floods, damaging rains and tsunamis which we have seen through history. Floods caused by untamed nature or by manmade broken water mains (not my fault!) cause millions of dollars of damage all the time.  It doesn’t stop there.  Ice and snow storms have the power to bring bustling cities to a screeching halt; whole states can be left in the dark and it could also dent my car. Let’s see how powerless you feel when your car is skidding down an icy road!

 Water also has the uncanny ability to take power away from us.  A healthy human can survive over a week with little or no food, but with little or no water (or coffee) you can expect to wither away much sooner. Not only people but villages and countries with sort water supplies suffer the harsh realization of the power water has over them.  Cities settled and built on water ways thrived as did farms with natural irrigation supplies.  This resource became ultimate power for shipping and all manners of business.  This need of its power has been fought over time and time again throughout Earths history.  Both man and animal instinctively know that water is the ultimate necessity.  

Water is also a great divider and holds some of life’s greatest mysteries.  The power of the unknown is a driving force in the human mind.  Mankind has only begun to explore the stars and the first question we find ourselves asking is there alien water?  Yet we sill have so much of our own sea floor uncharted and so out of our reach, exploring it would take nearly the same energy as exploring other worlds.

All in all you can get lost in its power as well as become consumed by it.  With this knowledge we still take water for granted.  We build our houses on shorelines and cliff sides, we abuse water and pollute it to the point of no return, and we stay short minded to its potential. 

Just remember that potential when you ball up that first perfect snowball this season and you have that guy in your sights. ;p

 

 

 

The best use of water........

This is any easy one

Coffee and tea! I mean are you kidding. Taking a hunk of mother nature and adding hot water. Simple. Elegant. A must have on Monday.

Sure I can hear the debates start now, "Yes, but what about beer?", or "just drinking it cold on ice.

My answer is still a brew of coffee (maybe even Irish!) or a nice steeped tea. The aroma, the zing of that first hot sip, the warmth you get when you get a bit more of the cup in you, and the longing for more when the last drip passes your taste buds.

One must beware, sure water is the end all be all of coffee or tea but the science in making it can make your day one of bliss or a day so foul you'd wish you had not been sent to the depths of hell.

All drinkers have a favorite way to make it or a favorite spot to buy it, I just happen to disagree with most of them. ( Drip coffee and and huge chain spots...yuck)

However, no matter what you do it starts with water and just like any other premium ingredient don't ruin it buy making bad coffee or tea.

This rant is now out of my system.

Sip....AHHHH

DYKYA? Do you know your acronyms?

Are you keeping up with all the acronyms? It seems like I see a new one every time I read. Has it always been this way or is the world of the text message hitting this industry too. Whats truly funny is when someone rattles off an acronym so often that they cant remember what it stands for. (LOL) I found this list and thought to myself for as long as this list is, it's really short and missing a lot of what we do.

How meny of them did you know?
Whats missing?

TTFN

AC
Alternating current
ADI
Acceptable daily intake
AOC
Assimilable Organic Carbon
AOS
Adult onsite exposure
AWWA
American Water Works Association (www.awwa.org)
AWWARF
American Water Works Association Research Foundation (www.awwarf.com)
BAC
Biological Activated Carbon (water treatment)
BAF
Biological Aerated Filter (wastewater treatment)
BATNEEC
Best Available Techniques Not Entailing Excessive Costs
BOD5
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (over a 5 day period)
BPEO
Best Practicable Environmental Option
BSE
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
BSRIA
Building Services Research & Information Association (UK)
BTEX
Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and total xylenes
CAA
Clean air act (EPA)
CAP
Common Agricultural Policy (European Union)
CAPEX
Capital Expenditure investment
CCTV
Closed Circuit Television
CESWI
Civil Engineering Specification for the Water Industry
CFC
Chlorofluorocarbons
cfu
Colony Forming Unit (Microbiology)
CHP
Combined Heat and Power
CJD
Creutzfeld-Jakob's Disease
COD
Chemical Oxygen Demand (water treatment)
CORDIS
Community Research and Development Information Service ( of the European Community)
CSO
Combined Sewer Overflow
CVOC
Chlorinated volatile organic compound
DAF
Dissolved Air Flotation (water and wastewater treatment)
DBP
Disinfection By-Product
DMA
District Meter Area (leakage control)
DO
Dissolved Oxygen (water chemistry)
DOC
Dissolved organic carbon
DTI
Department of Trade and Industry (UK)
EBCT
Empty Bed Contact Time (water treatment)
EEA
European environmental agency
EEC
European economic Community or Commision
EHS
Environment and Heritage Service (www.doeni.gov.uk)
EMAS
Eco-Management and Audit Scheme
EMS
Environmental Management System
EPA
Environment Protection Agency (US)
ESA
Environmentally Sensitive Area
EQO
Environmental Quality Objective
EQS
Environmental Quality Standard
EU
European Union
EUREAU
European Union of National Associations of Water Suppliers and Waste Water Services
EWPCA
European Water Pollution Control Association (www.atv.de/ewpca/ewpca.htm)
EWRI
European Water Research Institutes partnership
FAO
Food and Agriculture Organization ( of the United Nations)
FI
Fouling index
GAC
Granular Activated Carbon
GC
Gas chromatography
GCMS
Gas chromatograph + mass spectrometer
GLV
Guideline Value (water quality standards)
GMO
Genetically Modified Organism
HACCP
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point
HDPE
High density polyethylene
HC
hydrocarbons
IPC
Integrated Pollution Control
IWA
International Water Association
IWSA
International Water Supply Association
IWW
Industrial waste water
IPPC
Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control
JTU
Jackson turbidity unit
LDPE
Low density polyethylene
MAC
Maximum admissible concentration
MB
Mixed Bed
MCL
Maximum Contaminant Level (water quality standards)
mgd
Million gallons per day
mld
Megalitres per day
MTBE
Methyl-tert-butyl ether (water chemistry)
NAPL
Non Aqueous phase liquid
ND
Not detected
NF
Nanofiltration
NOx
Nitrogen Oxide (Air Quality)
NOSWA
North of Scotland Water Authority
NTU
Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (water chemistry)
OECD
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (www.oecd.org)
OPEX
Operating Expenditure on a recurring annual basis
OSEC
On-Site Electrolytic Chlorination (water treatment)
PAC
Powdered Activated Carbon (water treatment)
PAH
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (water chemistry)
PCV
Prescribed Concentration or Value (water quality standards)
pe
Population Equivalent (wastewater treatment)
pH
Hydrogen potential
ppb
Parts per billion
ppm
Parts per million
ppt
Parts per trillion
PRV
Pressure Reducing Valve (water distribution)
PTE
Potentially Toxic Element
PVC
Polyvinyl Chloride
RBC
Rotating Biological Contactor (wastewater treatment)
RBTS
Reed Bed Treatment System (wastewater treatment)
RO
Reverse Osmosis (water treatment)
RTC
Real Time Control
SBR
Sequencing Batch Reactor (wastewater treatment)
SCADA
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (system)
SDWA
Safe Drinking Water Act (US legislation)
SME
Small and Medium Sized Enterprises
SI
International system of Units
SS
Suspended Solids (wastewater treatment)
SSSI
Site of Special Scientific Interest
STW
Sewage Treatment Works
TAD
Thermophilic Aerobic Digestion (wastewater sludge treatment)
tds
Total dissolved solids (water chemistry) or tonne of dried solids (sewage sludge)
THM
Trihalomethane (water chemistry)
TDS
Total dissolved solids
TKN
Total Kjeldahl nitrogen
TOC
Total Organic Carbon (water chemistry)
TSS
Total suspended solids
TTHMs
Total Trihalomethanes
TWL
Top Water level (water reservoirs)
TZW
Technologiezentrum Wasser (Karlsruhr, Germany)
UNEP
United Nations Environment Programme
UNESCO
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
UV
Ultraviolet Radiation
VFA
Volatile Fatty Acid (wastewater chemistry)
VOC's
Volatile Organic Compound(s) or Chemicals
WC
Water column
WEF
Water Environment Federation (USA) (www.wef.org)
WERF
Water Environment Research Foundation (USA) (www.werf.org)
WTP
Water treatment plant
WWTP
Waste water treatment plant
WHO
World Health Organization

OMG no TON on this list

Link to list :
http://www.lenntech.com/water-abbreviations-acronyms.htm

Water Treatment Plant News

Every job, as well as water treatment, has its problems. From time to time we all have hard days and we all have these little issues that are unique to our specific plant. Today I came across a story in the New York Times about a problem with NYC water system. It's the description of the fix that is being attempted that is boggling my mind.

First the problem, half of New York City's water supply is from a reservoir that is fed from a tunnel that is transporting water from the Catskill Mountains. By the way, that's a lot to deal with in the first place.

What is worse is this tunnel is leaking at a rate of about 20 million gallons a day and sometimes up to 36 million gallons a day. WOW

Now the Fix, with a starting cost of $240 million. From the way it reads this is just the cost to prep the tunnel for repair. To fix the tunnel it has to get isolated by a valve 700 feet deep. To do this divers have to work around the clock in 12 hour shifts for a month to work on the valve. Again, hard enough on its own. The real tricky part to me is that this whole time the divers have to live in a pressurized tank with an atmosphere of 97.5% Helium and 2.5% Oxygen.

Can you imagine sitting across the table from the guy pitching you this plan!

For more follow the link to The New York Times story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/23/nyregion/23tunnel.html?_r=1&hp

Water System In Space

This is the new water recycler that NASA is installing in the space station. Typically water is ferried to the station and stored into holding tanks. What this new set up will do is filter water already at the station to save them from shipping 2000 gallons per year. (I can't even fathom the shipping costs)

You may think, I thought they were doing that already, using waste water from showers and the sink?

That's not the waste this set up is recycling. This thing is letting them now add the toilet water to the batch.

I know, I know but squirm all you want it works! I glad someone is thinking out of the box, even if it took the problem of SPACE to finally do it.

Link to the Houston Chronicle News story:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6122150.html

Oddball Terminology

I still get a kick everytime I hear this word.

Schmutzdeck

The wikipedia deffention is:

(German, "grime or filth cover", sometimes spelt schmutzedecke) is a complex biological layer formed on the surface of a slow sand filter. The schmutzdecke is the layer that provides the effective purification in potable water treatment, the underlying sand providing the support medium for this biological treatment layer.
The composition of any particular schmutzdecke varies, but will typically consist of a gelatinous biofilm matrix of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, rotifera and a range of aquatic insect larvae. As a schmutzdecke ages, more algae tend to develop, and larger aquatic organisms may be present including some bryozoa, snails and annelid worms.

Wiki link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schmutzdecke

California plant turning raw sewage into drinking water

Yes, you did read that right. From watching the video I am stunned how advanced that plant was. A lot of new tech is running that place. I think its a good step in the right direction. However the report was spot on with stating that the biggest issue is not the tech but the public view of drinking water that came from raw sewage. It's funny when you think about it, do people really think the water thats in that fancy bottle really came from a "fresh" mountain stream.

A little history

November 1886 - Niagra Falls - 1st commercially successful AC electric power plant opens - Oh yea, by the way it runs on water

Did you Know?

1 Gallon (approx 5 litres) of oil can cause an eight-acre oil slick if spilled or dumped down a storm sewer.

This is freaky, we came across this tonight. The tag line reads, "Save money on batteries! This clock is powered by water!"

Now thats Epic! This little gadget is $16.00 and uses salt water to power the simple clock. It comes in 4 colors blue, green, orange and charcoal. To get your hands on one head over to

http://www.bedolwhatsnext.com/

Cool water cartoon

OK this is just cool, come on a cartoon about water set to Qween!

November AWWA e-Journal comments

The AWWA (American Water Works Association) November e-Journal issue has an article concerning pharmaceuticals found in drinking water.  This article is on the heels of a report that circulated in the press this past summer.  I remember the tag lines vividly for the evening editions of the local news.  With all the scare tactics and warnings to, “stay tuned to hear the shocking news tonight at eleven”.  What I wanted to hear was an explanation in terms that everyday people not in the water treatment field could understand or relate to.  I just wish that they would inform the public and not scare them, let them know that these early tests show that the pharmaceuticals were found in concentrations of parts per trillion, and explain how small of an amount that truly is.  Sure, I too also believe that much more research needs to be done with this growing concern. However, as far as I can see at the present, the concern is yet to be adverse to human health.  If anything, instead of getting scared by news segments I would hope that this would be a topic for people to reflect on the products they buy and what they flush back into the environment.

how water cycle work

I couldn't pass up this funny little jem about water