In case you haven’t heard, cooling towers have been blamed for the worst outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease in Scottish history. This news is a harsh reminder that industrial cooling towers often harbor harmful waterborne bacteria. Here’s the link to the news: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/legionnaires-cases-at-74-amid-edinburgh-outbreak-7831703.html
Our belief is that being proactive with legionella prevention is the best, most cost-effective strategy. Clearitas 401 from Blue Earth Products is a proprietary form of oxidized chlorine that attacks and eliminates the organic and inorganic precipitates that provide Legionella with a surface for attachment and growth. Used in conjunction with a primary disinfectant, Clearitas effectively removes and prevents the medium in which Legionella thrives.
For more information on our legionella prevention, click here. Don’t make the same mistake if you have not implemented a plan to prevent legionella!
Legionella Outbreak in Cooling Towers
Did you know that 1/32 inch of organic scale can reduce heat transfer in commercial cooling systems by 33% and increase energy costs by 10%? Moreover, did you know that replacing chiller plants can cost up to $500 per ton of cooling capacity? The always rising costs of energy and water should be an incentive to clean and keep clean your cooling system.
Today, that is easy to do with Clearitas 201. Clearitas 201 is specifically engineered to breakdown and remove scale within the cooling system. Removing scale and contaminant buildup optimizes heat transfer, restores performance and returns the system to its designed specifications. It also extends the service life of the system, prevents microbiological induced corrosion and aids in controlling bacterial growth.
Find out more about treating your cooling tower with Clearitas HERE.
March 11-17th is National Ground Water Awareness Week sponsored by the National Ground Water Association. The purpose of this observance is to acknowledge how essential ground water is to our well-being and to stress the importance of protecting ground water sources from contamination.
Ground water contamination is most often the result of human activities, such as incorrect use of fertilizers and pesticides; poorly sited, constructed or maintained septic systems; improper disposal or storage of wastes; and chemical spills at industrial sites.
Seventy-eight percent of public water systems in the U.S. rely on ground water sources for drinking water. This translates to nearly 90 million people. To protect the quality of ground water, the U.S. EPA has developed the Ground Water Rule which provides increased protection from microbial pathogens. The EPA has also established maximum concentration levels for several water pollutants.
Another 15 million households in the U.S. have private water wells, which are not subject to EPA regulations. Private well owners are responsible for the integrity of their ground water. The National Ground Water Association and WellOwner.org provide many resources for well owners and helpful information for maintaining clean ground water.
It’s a big number. It is more than 25% of the current bloated U.S. Government budget. It’s $3,125 for every U.S. citizen. It’s what the American Society of Civil Engineers estimates it will cost to fix the U.S.’ water infrastructure if we do not act now according to its report Failure to Act. Unfortunately, the longer we wait, the worse it will be because the additive nature of such costs, just like if you do not fix the deck this year, it costs more and more as the deck falls apart. Also, this figure is based on 2010 dollars, not 20xx dollar’s. The number does not even include the damage to the GDP. The AWWA (American Water Works Association), the water professional association, went further in their dissection of the issue with their report Buried No Longer.
Why do we find ourselves in this situation? There can be some blame to decade old pipes, tanks and filters just wearing out. There can be some blame to our recent recession resulting in less capital to build things. Then, there’s blame for putting off the problem for a few months or years until there is money to spend. We’ve all done this, haven’t we? However, these are municipal water systems. A few months or a year will not cause this issue. Twenty years of neglect will. Mostly, it’s the money. And politics.
Politicians control how they will be reelected with our dollars and because of this, they control how money gets spent. They award bids to companies and individuals that support them. They allocate reserves to projects that get their picture in the paper. They grant funding to issues that get them reelected. Here is the bad news, initiatives to improve water pipes, which are hidden from view until they break, receive far fewer votes than parking garages. In short, water infrastructure loses to more parking spots for the F-150. Most politicians just want your water system to get a passing grade so they can build another parking garage, but when did a D- become a passing grade? We let them get away with it because we have two basic issues. First is the awareness of the effort to deliver water. Because we are an exception-based society, we tend to not notice things until they are missing. We do not really pay attention to gas stations, until we need gas. And water is something we expect in quantity and quality, until we do not have it. We generally pay zero attention to something so present in our homes. We use thousands of gallons per month and don’t think twice about all it took to get there.
The second issue is our assignment of value. The great economist Adam Smith described this as the Diamond-Water Paradox. The paradox is based on the fact that we value diamonds, which have no intrinsic value higher than water, which we cannot live more than a few days without. The average family uses 325 gallons of water a day or about 10,000 gallons per month. In the U.S., we do not ration the water; we do not have to walk to get water; and we generally don’t even think about the water. The average cost of water is about $50.00 per month, but a diamond retails, depending on quality and size, at over $2,000 per carat. When the water shortage hits, I am betting the prices will shift closer together.
The third reason we have failing infrastructure is that people in the U.S. have been able to turn on a tap and get high quality water for so long that we have come to think it’s free. The reality is that water is free, but its purity and pressure cost money.
Here is the real message to you: pressure politicians to support the cost of fixing your water system. Do not let the city counsel trade your security and water for votes. Your water may cost more, but you will have water. I suspect that voters who insist on their water systems being sound and predictable will be able to trade their water to the people with diamonds on a straight-up basis eventually. As for me? I’d take water over diamonds any day.
Filtration is one of the most important steps in water treatment today. Proper care and maintenance is key to meeting new compliance regulations and extending the life and performance of your filtration system. Check out Bob Cashion’s article, Using Media Inspection & Maintenance for Filtration Optimization on Water Online.
Cashion’s article provides insight to the overall importance of the filtration process and how the process has changed with the current importance being placed on TOC reduction and disinfection byproduct (DBP) regulations. Mechanical applications of the filtration process for both gravity and pressure filters are examined to provide a better understanding of the importance of operations and maintenance practices for optimized performance of filtration systems.
Proper care of filtration media is discussed in depth to show the contamination issues that occur and the effects biofilm growth can have on overall water quality. A cost analysis chart shows the difference in costs between media cleaning practices verses complete media change-out and how it can become a maintenance expense rather than capital improvements.
Furthermore, practical solutions utilizing Blue Earth Products’ chemical cleaning solutions are discussed in detail and completed case studies from three various filtration facilities are used to exemplify the cost savings of media cleaning over media change-out.
About Bob Cashion
Robert (Bob) K. Cashion is a Certified Water Technologist, he holds class IV Water & Wastewater operators licenses in several states and has been providing water & wastewater related training for over 35 years, he is the National Director of Training & Field Services for Blue Earth Products, and is involved extensively in operations and maintenance issues of filtration systems and water quality assessment projects. He is an active member in the AWWA and NRWA and State associations. He has a BS degree in Environmental Health & Technology from Missouri Southern State University and EIT graduate at the Water & Wastewater Technical College, Neosho, MO.
About Water Online
For over 16 years, Water Online has served the water, wastewater and stormwater industries by providing a comprehensive platform where buyers and suppliers can connect, interact and share information.
Blue Earth Products today announced a strategic business partnership with Azure Water Services, a diversified manufacturer and supplier of environmentally-responsible products and services used in industrial, commercial and municipal water applications. Recognized as a leader in eco-friendly water treatment programs, Azure Water Services provides solutions to performance, costs and environmental problems to its broad customer base primarily in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. They service a variety of industries including commercial and industrial buildings, manufacturing facilities, hospitals and medical centers, food and beverage facilities, government and military properties and power generation stations. By partnering with Blue Earth Products, Azure Water Services will offer Blue Earth Products’ suite of proprietary, NSF 60 certified products for advanced cleaning and water infrastructure maintenance.
According to Dane Madsen, CEO of Blue Earth Products, “We are pleased to join forces with a leader in green water treatment solutions. Their water industry expertise combined with a commitment to a high-level of service to its extensive customer base will help establish Blue Earth Products in the water treatment industry.”
“It’s our mission to provide our customers with the most advanced, innovative and eco-friendly commercial and industrial water treatment products. Blue Earth Products’ suite of products align with our environmentally responsible approach, and we are excited to expand our offerings to include their powerful and economical solutions to scale and biofilm issues, as well as their water infrastructure maintenance solutions,” stated Ken Soeder, President of Jamestown Technologies.
If you would like more information about Blue Earth Products, please call 1.800.256.4489 or email info@BlueEarthLabs.com. For information on Azure Water Services, please contact 203.932.3655 or email info@Azure.com.
About Azure Water Services
There are three primary divisions within the Azure group, Jamestown Technologies, Water Solutions and Redux Technology, bringing over 75 years of combined experience in critical water treatment areas such as cooling and boiler water treatments, groundwater remediation programs, and potable water operations. Azure’s experienced team of technical advisors provide customers with a wide variety of analytical, consulting, designing and engineering services to ensure consistent results and optimized product usage and equipment performance.
About Blue Earth Products
Blue Earth Products, a chemical research and development company, develops advanced cleaning and maintenance solutions to assist commercial facilities in providing safe, clean water. The Company’s proprietary, NSF 60 certified products are specifically engineered to extend the operational life and efficiency of any water infrastructure by removing organic and inorganic contaminants both online and off-line. Founded in 2010, Blue Earth Products combines chemistry with commitment, innovation and expertise to deliver simple, cost-effective water infrastructure solutions to customers across the globe. Visit BlueEarthLabs.com for more information.
Attending ACE 2012?
Come visit us at the New Product Technology Showcase featuring our Media Master® product.
Take our Filter Media Challenge!
Bring one quart of your dirtiest filter media, and we will clean it. To sign up for the challenge, email info@blueearthlabs.com.
Product demo times:
Sunday, June 10 4:00 – 5:30 pm
Monday, June 11 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Tuesday, June 12 3:00 – 4:30 pm
Media Master® and Media Master® RR are granular formulations developed specifically for in-place filter media rehabilitation. These products are designed for removal of organic and inorganic deposits on anthracite, sand, activated carbon and other types of granular media. Treatment with Media Master and Media Master RR is a fast, convenient and economical alternative to media replacement. Filter cleaning improves performance and extends media lifetime.
To further demonstrate our commitment to legionella prevention and control, we announced that our commercial team members, Ken Juillet & Bob Cashion, completed comprehensive training on developing legionella HACCP water plans. See the new announcement below:
BLUE EARTH PRODUCTS EXPANDS CAPABILITY TO PREVENT LEGIONELLA IN BUILDING WATER SYSTEMS
Team Completes Comprehensive Training Course for Developing Legionella HACCP Water Plans Las Vegas, NV– Blue Earth Products, a chemical research and development company, today announced that its commercial team members, Ken Juillet, National Director of Commercial Sales and Bob Cashion, National Director of Training and Field Services, completed Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) training for developing water management plans to prevent Legionella. HACCP is the most widely used risk management process for preventing environmental-source disease, such as Legionella, from harming people in building water systems.
Due to the imminent adoption of ASHRAE Standard 188P that sets the stage for human-occupied buildings to develop a water safety plan to prevent and remediate Legionella associated with building water systems, Blue Earth Products has taken a proactive role to help its clients to comply with the Standard. With Blue Earth Products’ training, the commercial team will work with building managers to identify the uses of potable and utility water, create diagrams of their water systems, identify control points and critical control points and establish monitoring procedures and corrective actions if an outbreak occurs.
Juillet and Cashion completed an eight-hour training program on “Preparing to Develop a Legionella HACCP Water Plan,” developed and delivered by globally recognized HC Info founder and principal, Matt Freije. This achievement demonstrates Blue Earth Products’ commitment to helping owners and managers of commercial, industrial and institutional buildings remediate and prevent Legionella outbreaks in their water distribution systems. According to Dane Madsen, CEO of Blue Earth Products, “For anyone who is a building manager, the safety of your tenants should be your top concern and recognizing the role of a building’s water system in their health and safety is highly critical. It is our belief that prevention of Legionella and other waterborne bacteria is the best course of action and a necessity for anyone responsible for human lives in commercial buildings. Our HACCP-trained professionals can help our customers develop their own HACCP plan to assess their risk, and, if necessary, eradicate Legionella and prevent future outbreaks. With people at risk, prevention is the only common sense approach.”
Blue Earth Products’ NSF 60, proprietary product, Clearitas, when used in conjunction with a primary disinfectant, has proven to effectively control and prevent Legionella by removing scale that provides harborage for growth of legionella colonies in numerous commercial customers including hospitals, healthcare facilities and industrial cooling towers throughout the U.S. Use of Clearitas as part of a comprehensive Legionella prevention plan leads to lower bacterial counts, organic and inorganic deposit removal and improved disinfectant effectiveness. Clearitas has the lowest cost of installation when compared to other remediation and prevention technology.
If you would like more information about Blue Earth Products or its Legionella HACCP water plan development, please call 1.800.256.4489 or email info@BlueEarthLabs.com.
