IXOM WATERCARE NEWS & VIEWS

The official blog of IXOM Watercare

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Schedule A Presentation- DBP Prevention & Treatment Optimization.

07/05/2023

Ixom Watercare has unique application and equipment manufacturing expertise in the sphere of disinfection by-products (DBPs) including prevention, mitigation and removal strategies from the water treatment plant throughout distribution.

We put together this special presentation to explore and discuss a variety of strategies and technology options to ensure DBP compliance throughout a water system. It is ~30-40 minute in length and is designed for use in trainings, lunch & learns, conferences and may be eligible for continuing education (CE) credit. We think you will find the information valuable for you and your organization. Please see the quick overview and outline...

WEFTEC 2022- Visit Ixom Watercare at Booth 4741!

08/29/2022

WEFTEC 2022 will be here before you know it!

Be sure to drop by and say hi to the Ixom Watercare Team at Booth 4741 or if you'd prefer, contact us to make an appointment in advance to discuss your water quality needs and challenges.

 

Contact Us

 

 

We'll see you in New Orleans!

 

WEFTEC 2022 At A Glance...

 

 

Cost-effective THM removal and happier customers

07/27/2022

Flush-triggering complaints have gone down by 90%

The following is an interview with Greg Alexander, General Manager of Rayburn Country Municipal Utility District (RCMUD) in Jasper County, Texas.

 

water distribution tankCan you tell us a little bit about you, your organization and your water system?

My name is Greg Alexander and I am the General Manager for Rayburn Country Municipal Utility District (RCMUD). I have been working here for 22 years.

We provide water and sewer services for over 1000 customers throughout Jasper County, Texas. We have 55 miles of sewer line, 50 miles of water line, and two groundwater wells.  We are considering the addition of a third well due to the growth of tourism in the area.
 

What were your initial steps to reduce THMs?

Years ago, RCMUD and the RCMUD Board worked with a project engineer to find options for reducing THMs. Cost was a...

Case Story Interview: Winning the Wet Well FOG Fight with the AP500

07/01/2022

How lift station wet well mixing helped save the day against fats, oil and grease.

The following is an interview with Billy Harp, Public Works Director for Berryville, Arkansas.
 

Can you tell us a little bit about you, your organization and your water system?

My name is Billy Harp and I am the Public Works Director for the City of Berryville, Arkansas. I have worked for the City of Berryville for almost 24 years and was promoted to the Director’s position in 2017. I worked mostly on the water side of the Public Works Department until 2017 but I had some knowledge of problems with our lift stations as well.

 

What were your initial tactics for controlling FOG (Fats, Oils, and Grease) in your lift stations?

One of my first priorities as Director was researching ways of controlling FOG in the City’s lift stations. We were using a...

Interview: Devon Smith, PE about his experience with the ResidualHQ® Automated Disinfectant Control System

04/04/2022

picture of Devon Smith with Underwood EngineersThe following is an interview with Devon Smith, PE of Underwood Engineers, a civil environmental consulting firm.


Can you give us a quick overview how the project started, and the organizations involved?

When we started up the Southern New Hampshire Regional Water project, evidence indicated nitrification was occuring in the system.

A task force was formed that included the State, Underwood Engineers, PHD’s and professors from University of New Hampshire, the Town of Derry and key water system operators and other consulting firms. We workshopped together how we wanted to address the nitrification situation.

Jim Malley of UNH found a case in New England that was similar to our problem. A water district had built a tremendous amount of water tanks to add fire suppression and as a result had too much storage which had an adverse impact on water quality. They found that by adding chlorine to storage tanks they could help mitigate nitrification by satisfying...

Ixom Watercare's Onsite Services Recognized for Team Excellence

Above and beyond Customer Support in response to COVID-19

02/23/2022

Ixom Watercare Onsite Service Team Member on drinking water tankIn late 2021, Ixom Watercare's Onsite Service Team was awarded Ixom's Team Excellence Award for their efforts to support our customers during the early portion of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ixom Watercare's Onsite Services Team is responsible for traveling across the US and Canada to service, troubleshoot, and install our water treatment equipment that we manufacture at our Dickinson, North Dakota manufacturing facility.  They are an elite group of people with a unique set of skills who travel on 3-week long trips to complete work our customers need.  They work in areas that often require significant risk assessment and strict controls, including working at heights, in confined spaces, over water, and driving long distances.  They also work with mechanical and electrical equipment that require lengthy training and more strict controls to ensure their own and our customers’ safety.  On top of all this, they interact with our customers directly acting as the face of the company.

 

Everything Changed In March 2020

When the Coronavirus pandemic struck the United States in March 2020, Ixom Watercare took all our field technicians off the road and halted scheduling any new service itineraries.  There were so many...

Water and Wastewater Funding Opportunities- Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

12/06/2021

Information for Consulting Engineers, Water / Wastewater Treatment Facilities

As most everyone in the water industry knows by now, water and wastewater systems are about to get a much needed funding boost over the next 5 years due to the recent passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021.

The following is a quick breakdown of relevant funding designations as it pertains to available Ixom Watercare solutions.

 

Relevant IIJA Funding Opportunities

$23.5 billion in funding will be made available through the existing Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and the Cleanwater State Revolving Fund. 50% of this funding (~$11 billion) are to consist of grants and/or principal forgiveness loans.

Another $9 billion in grants are designated to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other...

Introducing Marc Roehl, New Executive Vice President of IXOM Watercare

06/03/2021

Ixom has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of prominent water industry leader Marc Roehl as Executive Vice President, Watercare, based in the United States.

Mr. Roehl is an executive with more than 25 years of experience in the water and wastewater treatment sector, with a focus on industrial and municipal markets. He is currently an active board member of the global Water Council and is a member of the Water Environment Federation.

Managing Director and CEO of Ixom, David Head, said of the appointment “I am delighted to announce that Marc has joined the Ixom executive team. The growth of Ixom’s business in new North American markets is an important part of our global expansion strategy that also includes a focus on Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. It’s therefore fitting we have a person of Marc’s credentials in this key US-based global leadership position.”

Mr. Roehl is energized to deal with what lies ahead in the...
 

Ixom COVID-19 Update (March 17, 2020)

03/17/2020

header image for Ixom COVID-19 pandemic update

 

We want to quickly update you regarding Ixom’s ongoing response to the escalation of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Ixom has had our CEO-led Crisis Team in place for six weeks (since the virus became known) and has two specialist sub committees working on mitigating potential impacts to supply and customers. 

Ixom implemented our Pandemic Plan following the establishment of the Crisis Team, and immediate actions at that time included...

Ixom Expands Global Source Water Management 

02/04/2020

header image of Media Press Release- Ixom acquisition of Medora Corporation

4 February 2020
Melbourne, Australia

Ixom, a global leader in water treatment and pre-treatment, today finalised the acquisition Medora Environmental (Medora), a market leader in source water management solutions.

Expanding on Ixom’s strong water capabilities including Ground Water Treatment Plants, Water Treatment Systems and strong markets in Pre-Treatment Disinfection, Chlorination and associated products and PFAS removal, the investment in the United States business strengthens Ixom’s global source water management offering. 

The acquisition will bring together two North American source water industry leaders with...

Lake Learning- Two Helpful Guides

08/23/2019

image showing a beautiful clear lake with a SolarBee® Lake Circulator in the distance.

Medora Corporation has compiled two new reference guides to help you better understand lake vocabulary, processes and treatment options in laymen's terms. From alum applications to cyanobacteria blooms to hypolimnetic oxygenation to zooplankton to anything and everything inbetween, the "Lakes A to Z Help Guide" has it covered.

As an added benefit, learn more about...

Evaluating A Potable Tank Mixer- 5 Important Considerations

08/20/2019

image showing a GridBee GS Series Submersible Tank Mixer being lowered through a tank hatch

You’ve decided mixing is the next best strategy to easily improve the water quality in your system. Now it’s evaluation time. Here are a few simple considerations when sifting through your tank mixing options.
 

#1 Initial Mixer Cost.

Many of us make a purchasing decision based on initial cost alone. Cheaper often times means exactly that… cheap; however, more expensive doesn’t always equate to a better product either. There can be hidden costs like poor component life cycles and required maintenance that can actually turn a low initial cost into a higher overall life-cycle cost.

GS Series Tank Mixers balance cost, quality, and reliability to maximize the most mixing per dollars spent.
 

#2 Strength of Warranty.

A strong equipment warranty not only protects your investment, it can be thought of as another way to...

3 Important Considerations For Successful THM Removal

11/01/2018

 

diagram detailing components of the Medora Corporation's THM Removal System

1) Trihalomethane (THM) removal is not one size fits all.

Make sure your system is properly evaluated.

Most systems have unique characteristics that must be accounted for from the start.  Understanding how a given system works… volumes… fill rates… tank dimensions… inlet / outlet configurations… desired THM removal rates… are all critical for THM removal success.  Sometimes you just can’t fit a square peg into a round hole and having the...

In Memory Of Ken Hudnell

Many thanks and a sad farewell to our friend & colleague.

07/05/2018

We learned today that Dr. Ken Hudnell passed away,  a very sad event for Medora Corporation.   Ken was living in New Bern, North Carolina and spent the past two years fighting pancreatic cancer. Medora Corporation, the US, and the world lost a tireless researcher dedicated to improving health by reducing toxins caused by Harmful Algae Blooms (HABs, aka blue-green algae blooms) in fresh water.

Ken joined Medora Corporation in December 2007. As a toxicologist at the US EPA, he had just finished editing the book "Cyanobacterial Harmful Algae Blooms, State of the Science and Research Needs", Springer, ©2008.  This book contains the result of many symposiums throughout the world sponsored by International Symposium on Cyanobacterial Harmful Algae Blooms (ISOC-HAB) and aimed at solving human health problems caused by HABs.

Ken called Medora Corporation out of the blue in about mid-2007.  He told me that cyanotoxins caused by HABs are making people sick all over the world, including in the US where 70% of the public gets its drinking water from surface sources.  He said the cyanotoxins are building up in people, and cause various auto-immune diseases when some level of accumulated toxins occurs.  He also said that there were several possible solutions:  (a) stop the HABs from forming in lakes and drinking water reservoirs, or (b) spend billions updating water plants to remove toxins...

Trihalomethane Removal In Municipal Drinking Water Storage Tanks

Mix Only Vs Mix-Ventilation Vs Spray Aeration Strategies

05/25/2017

There are many, many considerations to take into account when researching and implementing a trihalomethane (THM, TTHM) removal strategy for your drinking water system.  It can all get very complex in a hurry.  

For the sake of this blog article however, we are going to focus only on...

 

SolarBees, Jordan Lake, & The Media

Setting The Record Straight Against Blatant Misinformation

01/30/2017

canoe passing by SolarBee during Jordan Lake SolarBee Demonstration Project

If there is one thing we’ve learned from the Jordan Lake project, there are great people working on behalf of the State of North Carolina from NC DEQ to the Army Corp Of Engineers to the State Legislative Assembly and everywhere in-between.  Among all these dedicated players including Medora Corporation, the "say all end all" was to bring cost effective real world solutions to the table for the betterment of Jordan Lake.

If there was a second thing we learned, it’s that the NC Media has no problem getting the facts wrong in favor of agenda driven drama & politics.

Jordan Lake started and ended as a Demonstration Project to study the effects of circulation...

Review: The Role Of Phosphorus & Nitrogen In Freshwater Algae Blooms

Is the “settled” extreme pushing the science out of balance?

09/29/2016

In August 2016, Environmental Science & Technology published an article about preventing or reducing harmful algae blooms in freshwater lakes.  "Reducing Phosphorus to Curb Lake Eutrophication is a Success”  was co-written by several lake scientists from the United States & Canada with D. Schindler (Edmonton, Alberta) as the lead author.  (read & download the article here)

The article seems to say that:

1) Phosphorus is the the only nutrient that matters to control cyanobacteria harmful algae bloom (HABs).

2) Any further discussion of nitrogen as a nutrient in this industry is a waste of time.

3) Given enough time (maybe 10-30 years), watershed protection to reduce phosphorus infow to lakes will stop cyanobacteria blooms.


The article lists about 35 lakes in the world as evidence to support the claim that phosphorus reduction can “recover" a lake.  There is not much discussion about point sources versus non-point sources in the article;  but usually 90% of phosphorus inflow to lake is non-point source, so the clear implication is that watershed protection is the only way to restore a lake.

Schindler has been saying for years that HABs are only about phosphorus; whereas, Hans Paerl (North Carolina, USA) says sometimes HABs are caused by excess phosphorus, and/or excess nitrogen, and/or other factors.  This article seemed to be a direct slam to Paerl continuing the rivalry between the two, Schindler and Paerl. 

Driving & Cell Phones Just Don't Mix

Medora’s Distracted Driving Safety Campaign

09/28/2016

vehicle pulling up to an intersection & pedestrian cross walk- distracted driving campaignOur Medora Transport Service & Delivery Technicians pack on a lot of miles while taking care of our Customers across the United States & Canada (they logged over 532,000 miles last year alone!).  Our Regional Sales Teams also travel all over the country making presentations and visiting with our Customers & potential Customers alike.

 

With so many miles and so much time on the road, driving safety for our employees is a major concern.

A View From The Road

Saturdays Don’t Slow Down

09/27/2016

I’d like to talk about how crew guys spend their Saturdays on the road.  On this particular Saturday, we met at the truck at 8AM after an overcrowded continental breakfast.

74 miles to go through the winding hills of Virginia into West Virginia. 

Time to arrival: two hours fourteen minutes.

Our service stop is a West Virginia wastewater treatment pond with three machines and seven test points.  It’s a beautiful fall drive with the changing colors of the leaves on a two-lane highway that winds through the Appalachian Mountains.

We arrive around 10:20AM with an outside temperature of only 45 degrees.  The good thing is we can see all three machines are running great so this should go smooth.