During recent months the editorial staff at Water Technology has been able to reach out to several experts in the water industry to gather valuable information for our online readers. All of these interviews have been featured as online exclusives on WaterTechOnline.com.
We will continue to present the most prudent industry information by getting first hand knowledge straight from the sources. Continue to check our website daily as we post more of these interviews online.
In case you have missed some our recent interviews, below are some excerpts.
Dr. Isabel C. Escobar
Escobar was recently appointed as the new editor-in-chief of the IDA Journal of Desalination and Water Reuse. In the interview she explains her excitement about being chosen by IDA and Maney Publishing.
Her background includes being a full-time professor in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of Toledo where she researches methods to improve membrane separation through material modifications and process modifications for the treatment of low quality waters, such as wastewater for reuse applications, at low costs.
She has authored two books in the field of desalination, water reuse and membrane separations as well as chairing and co-chairing dozens of sessions on membrane materials and separations.
Water Technology: What specifically interested you most about the Journal of Desalination and Water Reuse and IDA?
Dr. Isabel C. Escobar: I have worked in desalination since my time as a PhD student, so IDA has always been an important influence and resource for my career, and I have always kept up with the Association and its publications. What has interested me the most regarding the Journal is the openness of IDA and Maney Publishing to changes. Being able to take a reemerging Journal to the next level is a great challenge and opportunity, which is very exciting to me. Furthermore, I am excited about becoming the editor since the Journal focuses on two of the most important topics in water treatment, desalination and water reuse, with the capability of addressing the global water situation.
Stanley Weiner
Weiner, CEO of STW Resources, was approached by Midland Hills Golf in Midland, Texas about reusing wastewater in order to water the facility. As companies look to become more conservative with water, reuse opportunities will become prevalent. Weiner sheds some light on this issue during a recent interview with Water Technology.
Water Technology: How safe is this water for reuse? What will the golf course use it for?
Stanley Weiner: The water is the same as typical reverse osmosis quality water and is as clean as any treated water available to many municipalities, except for the fact that the wells supplying the source water were not drilled and completed to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality specifications. It is suitable for human consumption. The golf club is using the water for their greens. It is much less costly than using a municipal water source.
WT: How many gallons of water does the golf course use every day? Is all of it reclaimed water?
SW: They are processing 700,000 gallons per day to water the greens. They have three Santa Rosa Brackish water wells. After the contaminants are removed, the water is the same chemistry as rain water.
Andrew Richardson
Richardson, chairman and CEO of Greeley and Hansen, a global civil, environmental and architectural consulting firm headquartered in Chicago, recently received the Outstanding Service Award for his exceptional achievements and commitment to the water industry. Water Technology was able to catch up with Richardson to talk about winning the award and protecting the environment.
Water Technology: Can you tell us a little bit more about the award and what it meant to you?
Andrew Richardson: First of all, it was extremely humbling, an honor and a privilege. I’m very fortunate to have participated in AWWA since 1983. That award is so special because it is for outstanding service. I was able to learn about outstanding service by participating in our great water industry.
People come into this industry to take care of a precious resource that is so fundamental to the quality of life; so that is service in itself.
There are two things that I would point out. First, when people in the water industry get up in the morning they don’t have to decide to do something noble today because they do it every day for people that they’ll never meet. Secondly, in the water industry you interact with so many people — utility operators, contractors, etc. — and you quickly realize a characteristic among all those people, and that is service above self interest.
Vincent Radke
Vincent Radke received the Walter F. Snyder Environmental Health Award from NSF International and the National Environmental Health Association. The award is given annually in honor of NSF International’s co-founder and first executive director, Walter F. Snyder, in recognition of outstanding contributions to the advancement of environmental health. We were able to catch up with the recipient to discuss winning the award and his experiences that led to him receiving this achievement.
Water Technology: What did it mean for you personally for NSF International and the National Environmental Health Association to honor you with the Walter F. Snyder Environmental Health Award? And, what does that award represent?
Vince Radke: First of all, NSF International and the National Environmental Health Association are two wonderful organizations coming together to work for a common cause, basically to improve the lives of people here in the U.S.
For me, Walter F. Snyder represents the best award people in my field can achieve in terms of local public health. To receive that award in honor of a man that worked his entire career improving the quality of life, it meant a lot to me as I try to emulate what he did.
Be sure to check out the podcast section at https://www.watertechonline.com/podcasts to hear the Radke and Richardson interviews in their entirety. Also, make sure to check out www.WaterTechOnline.com daily for more interviews from industry experts.
