FREE
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Global, Regional and Local Water Quality: Evaluating the Science and the Hype
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
The Green Science and Environmental Policy discussion group focuses on the role science can play in understanding the environment and the development of green science.
Agenda
Naturally Occuring Arsenic in Groundwater: A Global Perspective
George P. Korfiatis, PhD, Stevens Institute of Technology
Contamination of groundwater from naturally occuring arsenic in many geologic formations has become a global issue. The safe consumption of vast water supplies around the world has been compromised by the realization that arsenic is present at concentrations above safe drinking water levels. This lecture will address various aspects of this issue including global geographic distribution of arsenic, toxicity effects, social economic and cultural factors as well as technologies related to treatment of water for the removal of arsenic.
State-of-the-art Approaches for Achieving Cost Effective Biological Nutrient Removal
Kartik Chandran, PhD, Columbia University
Discharges of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous into receiving water bodies result in eutrophication and severe deterioration of water quality. Consequently, several major municipalities across the nation such as the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) are now mandated by state and federal regulatory agencies to perform biological nutrient removal (BNR). In this presentation I focus on some novel and cost-effective BNR strategies that are especially applicable to NYC DEP wastewater treatment plants. Additionally, I present the application of some state-of-the-art molecular tools which can provide indispensable information towards rapid and robust process monitoring and control of BNR plants, thereby ensuring sustained compliance with effluent water quality permits.
Flushing Out Water Reuse In New York City.
Edward A. Clerico, P.E., Alliance Environmental, LLC
Water reuse represents one of the most promising yet underutilized innovations in water resource management, but recent successes point to more widespread and common applications in the immediate future. The Solaire, a residential high-rise building located in New York City serves as the ideal example of water reuse, as the first of six similar residential projects and one of 35 related water reuse projects in the greater New York area. During 30 months of operation, The Solaire demonstrated a 50% reduction in water use, a 63% reduction in wastewater discharge and a 41% reduction in total waste load to the City sewers.