AWWA On Granular Filters, Water Security

The American Water Works Association (AWWA, www.awwa.org) published a guide for troubleshooting granular filters in water applications. The publication, titled Filter Troubleshooting & Design Handbook, is authored by Richard P. Beverly PE, WRE, a filter designer and consultant, who holds several patents in filtration.

Filter design, support gravel, types of filter media, driving head, underdrain hydraulics, controls, and backwash optimization are discussed. Drawings and photographs are included for fast reference of filter design and operational problems.

For more information, visit www.awwa.org/bookstore/ProductList.cfm?SearchString=20575.

AWWA’s instructional video, Water System Security: First Responders, describes how first responders to a water emergency — water utility personnel, police, fire, etc. — communicate and coordinate with each other using the National Incident Management System.

Enacted by the US Department of Homeland Security (www.dhs.gov) on Mar. 1, 2004, the National Incident Management System provides standardized protocols and procedures to coordinate the efforts of water systems and first responders during emergencies.

The video explains the functions and responsibilities of the individuals and groups that make up the first response team: Incident Commander, Operations, Planning, Logistics, Financial Administration, Public Information, Safety, Liaison, Medical, and Legal.

For more information, visit www.awwa.org/bookstore/ProductList.cfm?SearchString=64270.

— Flow Control Staff