Before the Clean Water Act was enacted in 1972, the Potomac was highly polluted. As a result of Clean Water Act, the Potomac and rivers across the country are cleaner and safer for drinking, boating, and fishing.

American Rivers called on Congress to kill any legislation that weakens the Clean Water Act or prevents the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from restoring protections for small streams and wetlands under the Act. American Rivers also called on the Obama Administration to finalize guidance clarifying the scope of the Clean Water Act and issue a rule-making to ensure that all waters get the protections Americans expect and deserve.

Ozone water treatment plays an important role in treating both wastewater that flows into rivers as well as treating the water for drinking that comes out of the rivers. Increased use of ozone as well as other advanced water treatment technologies can enhance river water quality and protect public health.

The Water Board supplies 340 million gallons per day (MGD) of water. The Water Board has proposed to use ozone technology to convert raw water into safe drinking water. Ozone is used extensively to treat drinking water in the US, Europe and Japan.

Overseen by New Jersey American Water, the project at Canoe Brook Water Treatment Plant amounts to a near-total redo. The plant’s existing infrastructure dates back to the 1920s and will be completely replaced with a new state-of-the-art facility predicted to provide residents with up to 15 million gallons of water per day. The project is scheduled to be completed by early summer 2012.

The overhaul incorporates an environmentally sensitive design that includes premium-efficiency pump motors; high-efficiency lighting fixtures and use of natural lighting and water efficient plumbing fixtures. It also includes filtering systems, chemical treatment systems and ozone disinfectants for the plant. Ozone water treatment is being increasing used in the US for drinking water treatment with about 2 billion gallons per day treated with ozone.

In early 1997, Orange Country planned and constructed the world’s largest indirect potable reuse system which was completed in 2008. The 70 MGD facility will eventually produce 130 MGD. It employs micro filtration, reverse osmosis and advanced oxidation treatment.

The facility has won many awards and has demonstrated that municipal wastewater can be reclaimed for uses up to and including potable water supply. It has served as a model for other agencies and encouraged the development of water reclamation around the world.

The commission in 2010 completed a $6 million expansion to the water treatment plant on the east side of Otter Lake just west of Girard, IL. The additional money will allow the plant to meet a new requirement for the cryptosporidium parasite that will require additional treatment. The microscopic parasite can cause diarrhea and more severe complications, particularly in children or people with immune-system disorders.

The commission had engineering studies done to determine the most cost-effective way of removing the parasite, as well as controlling taste and odor. Based on those evaluations, an ultraviolet light system with advanced oxidation process was selected.

The project is scheduled for completion by October 2013.

The efficient lighting solutions are not just about using low-energy bulbs. Atrium light wells facilitate natural light penetration. This, combined with a thermal-performance glass, ensures that air conditioning loads are kept as low as possible, since direct heat-energy transmission through the glass is controlled. To stop rooms overheating, which would prompt guests to turn on air conditioners, external shading devices have also been used. The iconic “leafy” screen surrounding the hotel is a particularly efficient shading technique that ensures solar shielding of the northern facades of the building.

Some of the other green features include regeneration-drive lift systems, heat-pump technology, variable-speed drive installations that optimize motor systems, and an ozone water-treatment system that reduces the need for chlorine.

A highlight of the meeting was a tour of a water reclamation projection where over 1 MGD of water is being produced from wastewater. The water is serving various districts of Tokyo for toilet flushing and other applications. this project employs both ozone and micro-filtration membranes to treat the water to a high standard.

While this is a relatively small project, it points to increasing use of wastewater for secondary applications and to the use of ozone water treatment as one of the main components in a water reclamation system.

One such method involves the use of Ozone gas and ultraviolet light to destroy foreign contaminates. This method, known as advanced oxidation, has already had a great deal of success in the laboratory and is in the process of being tested on a larger scale.

One of these projects utilizes selective absorbance to purify water. In his lab, Suri has transformed water-soluble glucose molecules into insoluble forms to help remove organic compounds including estrogen from the water. Estrogen hormones have become a problem as they make their way into the water system and have actually led to the feminization of some fish.

Various personal care products and pharmaceuticals used at home eventually find their way into the water system. This holds true for antibacterial soap as well, when it is washed down household sinks into water ways. This could be responsible for increased antibacterial resistance.

The hope is that new treatment methods such as ozone, UV, membranes, and ion exchange will continue to work and be cost-effective when they are introduced on a larger scale.