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Inside MICHAEL J. MCGUIRE DECEMBER 2015 • Vol. 107, No. 12 C
Insight
P
Good Bugs in a Wet World Editor-in-Chief EDITORIAL
Michael J. McGuire, PhD, PE P
A lmost a year ago, Jason Carter of Arcadis came to me with an idea: why
doesn’t the Journal devote an issue to the subject of biological treatment of Senior Managing Editor Kimberly J. Retzlaff
drinking water? Why not, indeed. There is a lot of information out there SeniorTechnical Editor Maureen Peck
about the subject. Contributing Editors Mindy Burke
Jason did not know that I have been frustrated for decades that the drinking water com- Martha Gray
munity in North America has not seriously dealt with the potential for biological treat- Publishing Coordinator Maripat Murphy
ment. In 1976, I saw full-scale biological nitrate removal systems operating on Somlynn Rorie
groundwaters in France. The same year, I was exposed to the biological processes associat- Carina Stanton
ed with riverbank filtration along the Rhine River. What was taking us so long? Holly E.Tripp
Jenifer F. Walker
Through Jason’s hard work, we have two feature articles and five peer-reviewed articles Cindy Uba
devoted to the topic. The articles reflect the old adage that “chemicals are expensive, but
bugs are cheap.” After more than a century of relying on physical–chemical treatment of PRODUCTION
drinking water, utilities are discovering that they can get an important part of the job done
for a fraction of the cost by relying on properly controlled biological processes. Senior Production Editor Linda Yeazel
Senior Graphic Designer Daniel Feldman
Brown et al. (page 20) give an overview of biological processes and summarize the Production Editors Jan Bailey
plenary session of the first-ever AWWA symposium on biological treatment, held in Sandra Lankenau
December 2013. You will enjoy his “myth busters” treatment of common misconcep-
tions about the technology. MARKETING

Nieminski and Perry (page 32) tackle the critical question of concerns about potential Director of Sales Jane Johnson
regulation of biological filtration by primacy agencies. Interestingly, most US states and Sales Project Manager Cecilia Hendrix
Canadian provinces do not have specific criteria for approving this kind of treatment. Advertising Coordinator Marge Grogan

Stoddart and Gagnon (page 70) give us a window into full-scale biological filtration TERRITORY SALES MANAGERS
by eliminating prechlorination, resulting in water quality improvements. Lytle et al.
(page 71) present a unique application of biological treatment for the removal of Northeast 303-347-6238
ammonia from drinking water sources. Zearley and Summers (page 72) investigated the Ryan Fugler: [email protected]
real-world problem of episodic loading of trace organic compounds onto biological
filters. Besides testing removal of an herbicide, they looked at my favorite taste and odor Southeast
compound, 2-methylisoborneol.
Pam Fithian:  303-347-6138
Upadhyaya et al. (page 73) deal directly with the topic that got my interest four
decades ago—biological removal of nitrate. They extend the applicability of the infor- Midwest  [email protected]
mation with the demonstration of biological removal of rocket fuel (perchlorate). Zhu
et al. (page 74) investigated biological treatment preceded by ozonation for one of the Nancy Mortvedt:   303-734-3442
applications we explored extensively last month—a wastewater reuse application. Is this
Total Water Solutions® squared? West      [email protected]

On non-bio topics, water treatment articles in this issue include the review by Cheng Kathy Smith: 303-347-6237
et al. (page 39) of the successes of the Partnership for Safe Water over the past 20 years.
Alansari et al. (page 75) deal with the critical failure point for membrane processes—      [email protected]
pretreatment. In their case, optimization of the coagulation process is critical for ceramic
membrane performance. Journal - American Water Works Association (ISSN 0003-
150X) is published monthly by the American Water Works
Readers of this column may have noticed that the name George Warren Fuller keeps Association, 6666 W. Quincy Ave., Denver, CO 80235 USA;
popping up in relation to the water facilities in our “Spotlight On . . .” feature series. telephone: (303) 794-7711; fax (303) 794-7310; e-mail
This is not a coincidence. Fuller was involved in the most important water projects at [email protected]. AWWA assumes no responsibility for
the turn of the 20th century, and they have endured to the present. Cincinnati’s treat- opinions or statements of facts expressed by contributors
ment plant is a further example of his influence. His groundbreaking filtration studies in or advertisers, and editorials do not necessarily represent
the late 1890s set the stage for the application of filtration in this important Midwest official policies of the association.
metropolis. Swertfeger et al. (page 46) tell us the history and bring us to the present with SUBSCRIPTIONS: Periodicals postage paid at Denver,
the installation of advanced technologies. Not surprisingly, Cincinnati employs biologi- Colo., and additional mailing offices. Subscription to the
cal filtration as part of its comprehensive treatment train. Journal is a member benefit; additional subscriptions,
sold only to those not eligible for AWWA membership:
This issue is a foretaste of an international symposium sponsored by AWWA to be held $266.00 ($348.00 outside North America). Additional
in Long Beach, Calif., Jan. 27–28, 2016, that is also devoted to the topic of biological print copy for members (organizational members sent to
treatment of drinking water. Check it out. Let’s not go another 40 years in North America the same organizational address or members entitled to
without widespread, sensible applications of biological treatment for drinking water. e-periodicals only) are domestic: $66.00, foreign:
$130.00. Single-issue copies are $31.00, plus shipping.
2 DECEMBER 2015 | JOURNAL AWWA • 107:12 | INSIDE INSIGHT MISSING ISSUES: Contact AWWA Customer Service
Group concerning any problems with receipt of issues.
Claims for missing issues must be submitted upon receipt
of the following issue. Allow 90 days for change-of-
address notification.
INDEXING: Indexed regularly by Applied Science &
Technology Index, Biological Abstracts, Chemical
Abstracts, Compendex, Pollution Abstracts, Water
Resources Abstracts, Environmental Science & Pollution
Management, and WATERNET.
CODEN: JAWWA5
ISSN, print: 0003-150X
ISSN, electronic: 1551-8833
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