Have you thought about where your water comes from? What would do without it? You turn the tap and there is fresh, clean, potable water. The only time it may enter your mind is during the inconvenience of a water shortage, with limited lawn watering and car washing, or the occasional boil water advisory. But what happens if the water is gone, or contaminated? You could use a UV water treatment system to disinfect the water coming into your home, but what if the water never reaches the system? As you’re reading through this article, pause and think about life without clean water.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reports some 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to water, and a total of 2.7 billion people find water-scarce at least one month of the year. Why are we running out of water? There is an abundance of water, however, the problem is having access to a supply of potable water, or water that is fit for consumption. Even in countries with adequate water resources, water scarcity is still not uncommon. Water shortages can be caused by collapsed infrastructure, failed distribution systems, pollution, poor management, or other economical factors.
Operator certification levels are governed by general statutes in each state. These general statutes specify what is required to be eligible for a specific certification. Most certifications follow a similar path, so we will illustrate one example in this article.
Biological Water Pollution Control System Operator Certification.
There are 4 levels of operator certification, from Grade I through IV. Grade I is the entry level certification that does not require wastewater experience. Grade IV requires years of experience and education to obtain. These grades are based in conjunction with plant level ratings. Plants are rated based on design flow and type of processes involved.
Did you know that sip of water you took from the faucet today was most likely regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)? Public drinking water systems regulated by the EPA provide water to 90 percent of Americans. Almost all public drinking water and wastewater discharges are regulated by the EPA. The EPA sets strict regulations on these discharges to ensure the safety of not only the environment but also the public health.
Is your plant ready for a major event? Do you have a plan against terrorist attacks, natural disasters, or catastrophic events such as a pandemic? Would your plant still be able to operate and provide clean water? Emergency preparedness is a proactive measure that is vital to the continued successful operation of water plants. Emergency preparedness includes having plans and procedures in place to respond to an emergency situation. We will talk about general and incident-specific emergency plans and what information they should include. We will also discuss one of the most important aspects of any emergency response preparedness plan: communication. We will cover both internal and external means of communication and how to incorporate them into your emergency response plan.
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