The water industry provides drinking water Drinking water or potable water is water of sufficiently high quality that it can be consumed or used without risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually consumed or used in food and wastewater Wastewater is any water that has been adversely affected in quality by anthropogenic influence. It comprises liquid waste discharged by domestic residences, commercial properties, industry, and/or agriculture and can encompass a wide range of potential contaminants and concentrations. In the most common usage, it refers to the municipal wastewater services (including sewage treatment Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff and domestic. It includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and biological contaminants. Its objective is to produce a waste stream (or treated effluent) and a solid) to households and industry.
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Overview
The modern water industry operates sophisticated and costly water and wastewater networks and sewage treatment plants Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff and domestic. It includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and biological contaminants. Its objective is to produce a waste stream (or treated effluent) and a solid, and typically consumes 1-2% of GDP The gross domestic product or gross domestic income (GDI) is a basic measure of a country's economic performance and is the market value of all final goods and services made within the borders of a nation in a year . It is a fundamental measurement of production and is very often positively correlated with the standard of living, though its use as. It is generally a natural monopoly In economics, a natural monopoly occurs when, due to the economies of scale of a particular industry, the maximum efficiency of production and distribution is realized through a single supplier, and as a result is usually run as a public service Public services is a term usually used to mean services provided by government to its citizens, either directly or by financing private provision of services. The term is associated with a social consensus (usually expressed through democratic elections) that certain services should be available to all, regardless of income. Even where public by a public utility A public utility is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to state-wide government monopolies. Common arguments in favor of regulation include which is owned by local or national government. In some countries, notably France France (pronounced /ˈfræns/ , French pronunciation (help·info) or /ˈfrɑːns/; French: [fʁɑ̃s]), officially the French Republic (French: République française, pronounced: [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends, the UK The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border, sharing it with and the Czech Republic The Czech Republic /ˈtʃɛk rɨˈpʌblɪk/ (Czech: Česká republika, pronounced [ˈtʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka] ( listen), short form Česko [ˈtʃɛskɔ]) is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west and northwest, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east. The capital and, the water industry is regulated Regulation refers to "controlling human or societal behaviour by rules or restrictions." Regulation can take many forms: legal restrictions promulgated by a government authority, self-regulation, social regulation , co-regulation and market regulation. One can consider regulation as actions of conduct imposing sanctions (such as a fine) but services are largely operated by private companies with exclusive rights In Anglo-Saxon law, an exclusive right is a de facto, non-tangible prerogative existing in law to perform an action or acquire a benefit and to permit or deny others the right to perform the same action or to acquire the same benefit. Which is a "prerogative" is in effect an exclusive right, the term is restricted for use for official for a limited period and a well-defined geographical space.
Organizational structure
There are a variety of organizational structures for the water industry, with countries usually having one dominant traditional structure, which usually changes only gradually over time.
Ownership
- local government Local governments are administrative office that are smaller than a state. The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government - the most usual structure worldwide
- national government During World War I the Conservative government of Sir Robert Borden invited the Liberal opposition to join the government as a means of dealing with the Conscription crisis of 1917. The Liberals, led by Sir Wilfrid Laurier refused; however, Borden was able to convince many individual Liberals to join what was called a Union Government, which - in many developing countries, especially smaller ones
- private ownership Private property is the tangible and intangible things owned by individuals or firms over which their owners have exclusive and absolute legal rights, and can only be transferred with the owner's consent. Private property can take the form of real estate, homes, factories, automobiles, capital, patents and copyrights. It is distinguished from - relatively few examples outside England and Wales England and Wales is a legal unit within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Unlike Scotland and Northern Ireland, England and Wales follow the legal system known as English law, and the two form the constitutional successor to the former Kingdom of England. England and Wales are
- co-operative A cooperative is defined by the International Co-operative Alliance's Statement on the Co-operative Identity as an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise. It is a business organization owned and ownership and related NGO structures
Operations
- local government operating the system through a municipal department, municipal company, or inter-municipal company - the most usual structure worldwide
- local government outsourcing Outsourcing is subcontracting a service such as product design or manufacturing, to a third-party company. The decision to outsource is often made in the interest of lowering cost or making better use of time and energy costs, redirecting or conserving energy directed at the competencies of a particular business, or to make more efficient use of operations to the private sector - an increasing trend since around 1990; around 10% of the industry (see also water privatization Water privatization is a short-hand for private sector participation in the provision of water services and sanitation, although more rarely it refers to privatization of water resources themselves. Because water services are seen as such a key public service, proposals for private sector participation often evoke stronger opposition than for)
- national government operations
- private sector operating a system it owns
- BOTs - private sector building parts of a water system (eg wastewater treatment plant) and operating it for an agreed period before transferring to public sector ownership and operation.
- cooperation and NGO operators
Functions
- Integrated water system (water supply, sewerage (sanitation) system, and wastewater treatment) - by far the most common
- Separation by function (eg Dutch The Netherlands (pronounced /ˈnɛðərləndz/ ; Dutch: Nederland, pronounced [ˈneːdərlɑnt] ( listen)) is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, system where sewerage run by city, water supply by municipal companies, and water treatment by water boards)
- Other separation (eg Munich Munich (German: München, pronounced [ˈmʏnçən] ; Austro-Bavarian: Minga) is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the River Isar north of the Bavarian Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg. There are approximately 1.35 million people living within city limits, while the Munich Metropolitan, where separation into three companies for bulk water supply, water and wastewater network operations, and retail)
Standards
Whatever the ownership structure, water quality Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance can be assessed. The most common standards used to assess water quality relate to drinking water, safety of human contact and for the health of ecosystems standards and environmental standards relating to wastewater are usually set by national bodies, such as (in the UK) the Drinking Water Inspectorate The Drinking Water Inspectorate is a section of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs set up to regulate the public water supply companies in England and Wales and the Environment Agency The Environment Agency is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Sponsored Public Body of the National Assembly for Wales. In the United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the drinking water standards are set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged to regulate chemicals and protect human health by safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land. The EPA was proposed by President Richard Nixon and began operation on December 2, 1970, when its establishment was passed by (EPA). U.S. pollution control standards are developed jointly by EPA and state environmental agencies pursuant to the Clean Water Act The Clean Water Act is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Commonly abbreviated as the CWA, the act established the goals of eliminating releases to water of high amounts of toxic substances, eliminating additional water pollution by 1985, and ensuring that surface waters would meet standards necessary for human. For countries within the European Union The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 member states, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community. With almost 500 million citizens, the EU combined generates an, water-related directives A directive is a legislative act of the European Union, which requires member states to achieve a particular result without dictating the means of achieving that result. It can be distinguished from regulations which are self-executing and do not require any implementing measures. Directives normally leave member states with a certain amount of are important for water resource Water resources are sources of water that are useful or potentially useful to humans. Uses of water include agricultural, industrial, household, recreational and environmental activities. Virtually all of these human uses require fresh water management and environmental and water quality Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance can be assessed. The most common standards used to assess water quality relate to drinking water, safety of human contact and for the health of ecosystems standards. Key directives include the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive 1992 (requiring most towns and cities to treat their wastewater to specified standards), and the Water Framework Directive The Water Framework Directive is a European Union directive which commits European Union member states to achieve good qualitative and quantitative status of all water bodies (including marine waters up to kilometer from shore) by 2015. It is a framework in the sense that it prescribes steps to reach the common goal rather than adopting the more 2000, which requires water resource plans based on river basins, including public participation based on Aarhus Convention The UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, usually known as the Aarhus Convention, was signed on June 25, 1998 in the Danish city of Aarhus. It entered into force on 30 October 2001. As of July 2009, it had been signed by 40 countries and the European principles. See Watertime - the international context, Section 2. International Standards (ISO The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO (pronounced /ˈaɪsoʊ/), is an international-standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on 23 February 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary industrial and commercial standards. It has its) on water service management and assessment are under preparation within Technical Committee ISO/TC 224.
See also
- Water privatization Water privatization is a short-hand for private sector participation in the provision of water services and sanitation, although more rarely it refers to privatization of water resources themselves. Because water services are seen as such a key public service, proposals for private sector participation often evoke stronger opposition than for
- Millennium Development Goals The Millennium Development Goals are eight international development goals that 192 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015. They include reducing extreme poverty, reducing child mortality rates, fighting disease epidemics such as AIDS, and developing a global partnership for (one of the MDGs is "Reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water")
- National Rural Water Association The National Rural Water Association and its affiliated state rural water associations is the largest water and wastewater utility membership organization in the United States of America. The NRWA is a professional organization that supports rural and small water utilities throughout the nation. NRWA and its state affiliates are organized as a non- - Industry association supporting small and rural water and wastewater utilities in the United States.
- Water Services Regulation Authority - UK water industry economic regulator
- American Water Works Association American Water Works Association is an international non-profit professional organization dedicated to the improvement of water quality and supply. Founded in 1881, it claims a membership of around 60,000 members worldwide as of 2009 - North American industry and standards association for drinking water
- Water Environment Federation The Water Environment Federation is the sewage industry's main trade, lobby and public relations organization. WEF, founded in 1928, was formerly known as the "Federation of Sewage Works Associations" and the "Water Pollution Control Federation (WPCF)." WEF members include experts and specialists in the fields of: - Professional association for ambient water quality research & pollution control
External links
- Lowi, Alvin Jr. Avoiding the Grid: Technology and the Decentralization of Water
- WaterWorld Magazine (see Water & Wastewater Industry Report e-newsletter)
- Industrial WaterWorld
- Water & Wastewater International
- Water Procurement Portal
- National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) Major sewerage agencies in the U.S.
- EverythingAboutWater Magazine (Water & Wastewater Magazine)
Categories: Sewerage Categories: Biodegradable waste management | Hydraulic engineering | Environmental engineering | Waste treatment technology | Public services | Hydrology Categories: Earth sciences | Physical geography | Water | Structure of the Earth | Monopoly (economics) Categories: Market structure and pricing | Anti-competitive behaviour | Economic problems | Water industry Categories: Industries | Water | Water supply | Water resources management | Hydrology | Resource extraction | Food industry
Grist Magazine
Tapped, a new documentary about the bottled water industry from director Stephanie Soechtig and the producers of Who Killed the Electric Car?, ...
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Acorn Water produces and supplies a wide range of biodegradable and non hazardous compounds for the water treatment industry The products are formulations of naturally occurring microbes
dk.au
Mon, 31 Aug 2009 07:33:20 GM
I don't understand why you object to the inclusion of solar hot . water. in the scheme. Solar Hot . Water. and Heat Pumps have produced over 25% of RECs. This has depressed prices, crowding out the development of a proper renewables . industry. . ...
Q. My daughter is doing a paper in Biology about water molds. We found the plant destroying and fish killing part but not if industry uses it for any reason. such as research or cooking or controlled destroying of plants.
Asked by georgia 88 - Sun Mar 25 15:21:43 2007 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments
A. Water moulds (Oomycetes) are not actually plants, but protist. Most water moulds infect plants and thus are a threat to human crops. However some water moulds, like Pythium oligandrum, infect other water moulds. That particular species of water mould is currently being used as a biocontrol agent. It is used in agriculture to reduce the damage that other water moulds cause to crops.
Answered by Kuro_chan - Tue Mar 27 23:49:13 2007
