BELLEVUE, WA, Oct. 3, 2005 -- The AWWA Research Foundation (AwwaRF), with support from participating utilities in the U.S. and abroad, has commissioned HDR-led teams to research two urgent concerns of the water industry.
Coliform Research Project
The goal of the research is to develop practical guidelines that will help utilities manage and respond to total coliform and Escherichia coli (E. coli) occurrences in the distribution system. Key research issues include evaluation of microbial source tracking tools and their usefulness for water distribution systems, and development of a distribution system microbial integrity toolbox. HDR will lead a team that includes American Water, Dalhousie University, Clancy Environmental and Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal. Participating utilities to date include 13 utilities in the United States, Canada, France and the United Kingdom. The research project is anticipated to take 24 months to complete.
Inorganic Contaminant Research Project
The stated goal of the 30-month research project is to "investigate the accumulation of regulated inorganic contaminants and naturally occurring radionuclides in distribution system pipeline scales and sediments, and residential/institutional plumbing systems." HDR will lead a team that includes the University of Iowa and University of Washington. To date, nine participating utilities and two state regulatory agencies have committed time and/or funding to the project.
HDR (www.hdrinc.com) is an architectural, engineering and consulting firm that excels at complex projects and solving challenges for clients. More than 4,400 employee-owners, including architects, engineers, consultants, scientists, planners and construction managers, in over 100 locations worldwide, pool their strengths to provide solutions beyond the scope of traditional A/E/C firms. HDR is No. 19 on Engineering News-Record magazine's Top 500 Design Firms overall rankings for 2005, and No. 10 in water.
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