Water Treatment Weekly Brief: May 27 – June 2, 2025
This past week brought significant developments across the water treatment landscape, underscoring the dynamic evolution of the sector. From major infrastructure funding initiatives and critical policy shifts to groundbreaking advancements in PFAS remediation technologies, the commitment to ensuring safe, reliable, and sustainable water resources for communities nationwide remains a paramount focus. These updates are crucial for professionals navigating the evolving demands and opportunities within this vital industry.
Key Water Treatment News & Trends
-
Supreme Court Affirms Narrow View of Environmental Assessments
The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that environmental reviews can be limited to the immediate project, rather than broader implications. This unanimous decision, highlighted in the latest Federal Water Tap, could streamline permitting for water infrastructure by narrowing the scope of environmental impact analyses. While potentially accelerating development, it also raises questions about comprehensive assessment of long-term environmental effects on interconnected water systems. This judicial determination suggests a shift towards faster project approvals, but places greater responsibility on subsequent regulatory actions to address wider environmental impacts.
Published: June 2, 2025
Federal Water Tap, June 2, 2025: Supreme Court Affirms Narrow View of Environmental Assessments - Circle of Blue -
Texas Lawmakers Advance $20 Billion Water Infrastructure Plan
Texas lawmakers have reached a landmark agreement to invest $20 billion over the next two decades into the state’s water infrastructure and future supply. Approved by the Senate and nearing final House approval, the plan allocates $1 billion annually from 2027 to 2047 for new water supply projects, including desalination, and for repairing aging infrastructure, conservation, and flood mitigation. This significant investment, prompted by aging pipes, drought, and population growth, represents a crucial step in addressing Texas’s escalating water crisis. However, it is acknowledged as only a fraction of the total estimated need by 2050.
Published: May 27, 2025
$20 billion water infrastructure plan nears passage in Texas | The Texas Tribune -
Plasma Treatment Offers Reusable Solution for PFAS Filters
Researchers at the University at Buffalo (UB) secured a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop an innovative plasma system for treating PFAS-contaminated granular activated carbon (GAC) filters. This project aims to thermally remove and destroy “forever chemicals” from saturated GAC filters, allowing them to be reused. Unlike incineration, this plasma treatment converts PFAS into harmless fluorine salts, offering a sustainable and environmentally sound method. This represents a significant leap in PFAS remediation, moving beyond containment to actual destruction and resource recovery.
Published: June 2, 2025
What to do with dirty PFAS filters? UB researchers think plasma treatment can make them reusable - University at Buffalo -
A.O. Smith Wins Award for High-Efficiency Water Heaters
A.O. Smith Corp., a Milwaukee-based company, has been recognized with a 2025 Silver Edison Award for its new line of high-efficiency tankless water heaters. This award highlights advancements in energy-efficient water heating technology, contributing to more sustainable water usage in residential and commercial settings. The recognition underscores the ongoing innovation within the broader water-related appliance sector. Such developments are crucial for reducing energy consumption and environmental impact in water heating.
Published: June 2, 2025
https://www.achrnews.com/articles/164711-fyi-news-briefs-in-hvac-june-2-2025
Tools & Tips
The water treatment sector is constantly evolving, with new technologies emerging to enhance efficiency, monitoring, and overall management. Here are a couple of notable tools and trends that professionals should keep an eye on:
- AI-Powered Water Contamination Forecasting A groundbreaking AI-powered tool, developed by researchers at Utah State University, utilizes machine learning and data from the National Water Model to predict water contamination upstream of municipal sources. This innovation offers enhanced accuracy and flexibility, particularly during storm events, allowing water managers to proactively identify threats, optimize operations, and even inform agricultural practices to minimize runoff. This represents a significant leap in predictive analytics for water quality.
First-of-its-Kind Monitoring Tool Uses AI to Forecast Water Contamination
Fun Fact
Did you know that water treatment, as we understand it today, has roots stretching back thousands of years, yet its most impactful advancements are relatively recent? Ancient Sanskrit and Greek writings from as early as 4000 B.C. recommended methods like filtering through charcoal, exposing water to sunlight, boiling, and straining to improve taste and odor. These early efforts primarily focused on improving the aesthetic qualities of water, such as reducing visible cloudiness or turbidity. However, it wasn’t until the mid-1800s, with Dr. John Snow’s groundbreaking work linking a cholera outbreak to a contaminated public well in London and Louis Pasteur’s subsequent germ theory, that the scientific community truly understood that invisible microbes, not just turbidity, were the real threat to public health. This scientific breakthrough fundamentally shifted the paradigm of water treatment, leading directly to the development of modern filtration techniques and, crucially, the widespread adoption of chlorination after 1908. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Academy of Engineering have recognized water treatment as one of the most significant public health advancements of the 20th Century, drastically reducing waterborne diseases and transforming global health outcomes.
We’d love to hear from you!
Have you participated in any Water Treatment events or utilized new Water Treatment tools recently? Share your experiences or insights with us—we’re featuring selected community voices in next week’s edition.