Kurt C. Peterson, Publisher
Whether you are looking at things from a business perspective, a personal one or wondering about the climate, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they are all cycles of one kind or another. What is surprising is that even though most people accept this realization, they still seem to be stymied when the predictable happens and someone else uses it as a tool or for their own agenda.
In our industry, we also deal with cycles, one of the most important being the hydrologic cycle. You will see it crop up in a variety of articles on various topics. Water is our most precious resource. As some say, water is life. It is also our history. For millenia, we’ve been trying to find ways to effectively and safely retrieve that which is below ground and harvest it into the most usable form. Mother Nature adds elements of her own (arsenic, perchlorate, selenium, radon and others) just to keep us all on our toes, right? More than a few industries overlap to meet the rigorous requirements designed to provide safe water globally. Some are niche, some are broader based and some are specialists. It takes more than one to accomplish these goals and the groundwater industry is at the forefront of bringing water to us to meet our needs. (Even cities dig wells, after all.) And as climatic conditions shift, the need increases for more effective methods to extract and purify water from the ground rather than surface sources and the collaboration between industries is becoming ever more important.
In recognition of the groundwater industry, we present a report on the recently held California Groundwater Association’s annual convention. This event is a precursor to Groundwater week, which is probably going on while you read this. Well drillers, equipment manufacturers, specialty vendors…all take part in their industry with a great deal of enthusiasm and pride, just as water treatment specialists do. This is never more evident than at the Pacific Water Quality Association’s annual convention, which took place in October. Take a look and see who you know. Remember that these are the people who have worked long and hard at defeating onerous legislation not just in California, but nationwide. Kudos to their continued efforts on behalf of the industry!
UV has been making inroads to the residential marketplace but is still seen as a technology for larger, industrial and municipal use. Even so, some of the newer methodologies may include options to scale the technology to different application levels. Dr. Rajul Randive of Crystal IS explores newer UV systems with LED technology, which could come into wider use in the not-too-distant future. Dr. Kelly Reynolds, our inimitable Public Health Editor, provides more insight on arsenic in private wells as an unrecognized hazard.
As we close this year with hearty wishes for a very Merry Christmas, we want to help you celebrate the New Year by continuing to be your go-to publication. If we don’t cover it, ask us why. If you want to contribute, contact us. We welcome your feedback and contributions to make this publication ever better. With high hopes and a multitude of new possibilities on the horizon, let’s celebrate with each other in the years to come!
