Aqua Operations

What are you doing on Saturday, March 22nd? It’s World Water Day, a United Nations project to bring awareness to the world’s water, its consumption and our future.

Water and energy are closely interlinked and interdependent. Energy generation and transmission requires utilization of water resources, particularly for hydroelectric, nuclear, and thermal energy sources. Conversely, about 8% of the global energy generation is used for pumping, treating and transporting water to various consumers.

In 2014, the UN System – working closely with its Member States and other relevant stakeholders – is collectively bringing its attention to the water-energy nexus, particularly addressing inequities, especially for the ‘bottom billion’ who live in slums and impoverished rural areas and survive without access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, sufficient food and energy services. It also aims to facilitate the development of policies and crosscutting frameworks that bridge ministries and sectors, leading the way to energy security and sustainable water use in a green economy. Particular attention will be paid to identifying best practices that can make a water- and energy-efficient ‘Green Industry’ a reality.

The main celebrations of World Water Day will be organized by UNU and UNIDO on behalf of UN-Water on 20-21 March 2014 and will take place at the UNU Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. On this occasion, the World Water Development Report 2014 on Water and Energy will be launched, and the UN-Water “Water for Life” Best Practices Award will be given. The winner of the Stockholm Water Prize will also be announced.

With drought like California is experiencing, its hard to think about the EPA requirements for monitoring and reporting storm water. Aqua Operations is here to help you understand your permit, and compile and report your data.

Annual Storm Water Reports are required by all commercial, industrial, municipal, CalTrans and construction sites, which have been issued a Storm Water Discharge Permit by the EPA, any Regional Water Quality Control Board, or are regulated by a General Order of the State Water Resources Control Board.

Order 97-03-DWQ is an NPDES permit that regulates storm water discharges associated with 10 broad categories of industrial activities. The General Industrial Permit requires the implementation of management measures that will achieve the performance standard of best available technology economically achievable (BAT) and best conventional pollutant control technology (BCT). The General Industrial Permit also requires the development of a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) and a monitoring plan. Through the SWPPP, sources of pollutants are to be identified and the means to manage the sources to reduce storm water pollution are described.

Limiting storm water pollution is everyone’s responsibility. Aqua Operations can help you understand your responsibilities and identify sampling locations according to your permit. Automatic and refrigerated sampling equipment and water quality instruments necessary for monitoring can be ordered through our online store at https://aquaoperations.com/online-store.

Know what Storm Water is removing from your property, and file your reports by July 1st.

The California Water Environment Association president, Christoph Dobson, PE, Director of Operations for the Sacramento Area  Sewer District, installed the 2014 Golden Empire Section board of directors January 9th, in Bakersfield, CA. Aqua Operations’ Clint Hilderbrand was installed as president, Patrick Ostly, PE, of Kennedy/Jenks Consultants as vice president and president elect, Stacy Billings of Veolia Water as Secretary, and Amando Garza, PE, of Cannon Engineering as treasurer. GES First year board members installed include Chad McBride, Chief Plant Operator of North of the River Sanitation District, and Michael Popichak of Aqua Operations.

Emily Winther, Laboratory Director for the City of Bakersfield was honored as outgoing president by Hilderbrand and Greg Wolf, Industrial and PreTreatment Inspector for the City of Bakersfield and the GES 2012 president, for her service to the CWEA in 2013. Emily was recognized by the CWEA GES in 2011 for her outstanding service in her profession.

Dobson and Wolf recognized Stacy Billings and Veolia Water of Arvin, CA, represented by Dale Ducharme in Stacy’s absence, for its outstanding safety record in 2013.

Pictured below right is Aqua Operations’ Michael Popichak and Patty Banducci, 2010 CWEA GES president and  recently retired Chief Plant Operator for the City of Bakersfield (November 2013). Congratulations Patty! Check back here at Mike’s HEADworks for upcoming GES sponsored events throughout the year, including updates for the GES 5th Annual Night at the Blaze baseball game June 13th – tickets available soon so get yours early before this event sells out!

CWEA upcoming events include the 2014 P3S Conference in Ontario, CA, February 24-26, and the 2014 Annual Conference in Santa Clara, CA, April 29-May 2nd (registration now open at www.cwea.org).

Aqua Operations’ industrial wastewater clientele includes one of the largest biodiesel refineries in the west. Water demand for the production of biodiesel equates to approximately 10% of the finished product, therefore, for every 100,000 gallons of biodiesel produced, approximately 10,000 gallons of wastewater is produced. The chemical oxygen demand on the wastestream can fluctuate between 60,000 mg/l  to over 300,000 mg/l.

Once the flow has been equalized and the pH adjusted, Ashland Water Chemicals, coagulants and flocculants provided by Aqua Operations Chemicals, are used with dissolved air flotation to mechanically remove as many pounds of solids from the wastestream as possible. The coagulant is introduced and mixed in stream followed by the flocculant before entering the DAF unit, resulting in a reduction of solids as much as 90%.

The wastestream is continuously analyzed to ensure proper chemical dosage. After preliminary treatment, secondary biological treatment is introduced within 3 BCRs. The bacteria used for treatment must be acclimated in the bio-chip reactors. Acclimation typically takes up to 45 days to establish a sustainable biomass. The process is very slow, with the influent rate set as low as 1 gpm for the initial phase.

Aqua Operations, Inc. provides solutions for the wastewater industry. Call us today at 888-746-6535 to discuss your municipal, or industrial treatment needs, or send me an email to mpopichak@aquaoperations.com.

On March 9, 2013 and March 23, 2013 the Golden Empire CWEA section hosted two review sessions by two CA State Water Boards Grade 5 Operators – Mike Popichak of Aqua Operations and Dale Ducharme of Veolia Water.

Handouts that were provided during these sessions were top notch. Each person that attended got to work out and solve key math problems similar to those on CA State Water Boards Operator Certification exams.

Mike and Dale did an excellent job in getting the student to analyze the questions thoroughly before obtaining the correct answers.

I would recommend this course to anyone preparing for their CA State Water Board Operator Certification exam. In addition, I passed my Grade 1 SWRCB Operator Certification Exam earlier this year.

Jack Lopez
Water Pre Treatment Plant Manager
Marquez Brothers, Intl.
Hanford, CA

Operating and Maintaining Treatment Plants requires a roadmap for success, and Aqua Operations has the solution: An O&M Manual for Operators, by Operators.

Our manuals are written to provide the information required to operate and maintain your specific facilities and equipment in a reader friendly format, and site specific photography combined with facility diagrams.

Our manuals are available in printed and static digital formats, or for the finest manual prepared using cutting edge interactive technology, try our completely electronic manual. Also available are Contingency, Spill Prevention and Sampling Plans custom written specifically for your facility.

The Lamont Public Utility District’s 3.25 million gallon per day wastewater treatment facility processes the Lamont community’s wastewater for 100% reclamation by an adjacent green waste composting facility, and for agricultural purposes.

Aqua Operations provides contract Chief Plant Operator services for the Lamont Public Utility District’s wastewater treatment facility located in Lamont, California, and supervision services for the District’s wastewater staff. Recently, experimental control measures were implemented to foster nitrification and denitrification processes in an attempt to reduce nitrates in the treated wastewater.

Aqua Operations, Inc. provides solutions for the wastewater industry. Call us today at 888-746-6535 to discuss your municipal, or industrial treatment needs, or send me an email to mpopichak@aquaoperations.com.

Are you looking to improve your operational efficiencies, enhance product quality, protect plant assets, or minimize environmental impact? Aqua Operations, Inc., is pleased to offer a complete line of Ashland’s specialty additives and functional ingredients, including cellulose ethers and synthetic polymers. Read more …

Ashland Water Technologies division is a leading specialty chemical supplier to the pulp, paper, mining, food and beverage, chemical processing, general manufacturing, industrial, institutional and municipal markets. Aqua Operations can analyze your needs through onsite testing and supply the product with a dosing plan to accomplish your goal.

If you find yourself with a challenge, Aqua Operations is here to help. We’re confident that, together, we can make great things happen. Call us today for biocides, cleaners, coagulants and flocculants, corrosion inhibitors, defoamers, deposit and scale inhibitors, flotation aids, fuel oil additives, and odor inhibitors.

22 March 2013, The Hague, The Netherlands

Location: World Forum, Churchillplein 10

The World Water Day celebrations organized by the United Nations and the Government of The Netherlands in The Hague will address both water cooperation and the outcomes from the Thematic Consultation on Water in the post-2015 agenda.

The programme of the day involves political and governmental leaders and members of the UN High Level Panel on the Post 2015 Development Agenda, and includes inspirational speeches, presentations and interactive discussions. A series of thematic sessions will also give the opportunity to reflect on the different dimensions of water cooperation, and bring new ideas and innovative approaches from different sectors of society.

Challenges identified on 21 March at the Multi-stakeholder Dialogue on Water organized by the Dutch Government will be incorporated in the thematic sessions.

A very nice short film by Emanuele Giusto celebrating World Water Day 2012.