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WWETT Show 2024 Need to Know: The Latest in Local Wastewater News
Are you attending WWETT Show 2024? We gathered some top stories from across the country to keep you updated on the industry.
January 25, 2024
2 Min Read
JG Photography / Alamy Stock Photo
Wastewater Testing Tracks Opioid Crisis
Wastewater-based epidemiology, initially utilized for tracking COVID's spread, is now proving valuable in addressing the opioid crisis. As COVID testing interest diminishes, scientists are refocusing on innovative applications, including the exploration of stress hormones and other health indicators through wastewater monitoring. Despite the challenges of processing samples filled with various waste materials, scientists use advanced techniques like liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to extract and quantify specific chemicals, providing crucial insights for public health strategies.
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West Virginia Water Acquisitions Raise Concerns
West Virginia American Water is trying to acquire wastewater assets. The proposal is drawing concern among customers, as a rate increase is on the horizon if the deal goes through. The company is positioned to acquire wastewater entities in the city of Nitro, Union PSD, and Sissonville PSD.
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Wastewater Testing for COVID Continues
Wastewater testing, though inconsistent in some areas, suggests a new surge of COVID-19 infections, projecting that up to one-third of Americans could contract the disease by late February. Despite pandemic fatigue and decreased deaths and hospitalizations due to high vaccination and immunity rates, the JN.1 variant fuels this latest wave. Experts emphasize the need for precautions, especially among older and sicker individuals, highlighting the potential for long COVID, even in young and healthy people, lasting for years. Wastewater analysis reveals that the current wave peaked in late December with 1.9 million daily infections, the highest since the omicron wave in 2021.
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New Mexico Governor Receives Backlash Over "Toxic Waste"
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham faces criticism for allegedly exposing the state to "toxic waste" from the oil and gas industry while endorsing a $500 million initiative to fortify the state's water supplies through the hydrogen industry. Environmental groups have raised concerns about the proposed "Strategic Water Supply," which involves using oilfield wastewater, known as "produced water." The $500 million would be sourced from severance taxes paid by oil and gas companies, utilized through bonds to purchase treated produced and brackish water.
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Wastewater Project in Texas to Service 70 Homes
The North American Development Bank and the Lower Valley Water District held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new wastewater project in Socorro, aiming to provide sewage service to more than 70 homes located at 200 Melton Road.
The initiative, set to be completed by Spring 2025 at a cost of $6,951,766, involves extending wastewater lines to a treatment plant and installing manholes, eliminating the need for residents in the area to pump their septic tanks, according to Lower Valley Water District General Manager Gerald Grijalva.
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