Filtration Facts

Data Showing Groundwater Use For Irrigation Yields Surprising Results

A reported 664 U.S. farms stopped irrigating acreage with groundwater in 2008, due to what owners said was a "shortage of groundwater". That was less than the 1,082 farms that made the same claims 5 years earlier. These are findings compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey and published in the July 2010 edition of the Water Well Journal magazine, a publication of the National Groundwater Association.

Combined with data from the 2007 USDA Census of Agriculture, the 2008 statistics reveal some interesting trends. These include:

• Of the 664 farms which said they had stopped irrigating, 87% were in either Idaho (273), Arizona (218), or South Carolina (88).
• About 26% of water wells used in 2008 were metered, up 61% from 2003.
• 62% of all irrigation wells in use had some type of backflow prevention device installed, an increase of 18%.
• No data was available regarding the use of irrigation filters or water well filtration systems, such as those used to prolong the life of a submersible or turbine pumps in a sandy well.
• The average depth of an irrigation well (243 feet) was just 2% deeper than 2003, and leading the way was Arizona (521 feet).
• Arizona was also third in longest hours of water well pump operation (2003 hours, down 33%) behind Nevada (2574 hours) and Connecticut (2383).
• The top 5 states with the largest number of wells in use for irrigation purposes were Texas (77,389), Nebraska (77,347), California (61,192), Arkansas (38,729), and Kansas (19,301).
• Among those top 5 states, California had the deepest average well depth (380 feet, but 123 feet to water level) and Arkansas had the shallowest (125 feet, but just 47 feet to water level).
• The most popular crops harvested among all those irrigated with groundwater were corn (over 10 million acres), soybeans (6.4 million acres), and cotton/wheat (each with 2.7 million acres).
• The crops with the greatest INCREASE of acres using groundwater for irrigation were vegetables (72%) and berries (61%).
• The crops with the greatest DECREASE of acres were tobacco (71% drop) and sugar beets (39%). 

The growth of biofuels and its perceived potential in 2008 (the year the study was conducted), combined with the fact most ethanol production is derived from corn starch appears to have had significant impact on the use of groundwater to irrigate corn crops in some states.

More Water Well And Irrigation Information

For more information about this and other groundwater or irrigation facts and figures, visit the National Groundwater Association or Irrigation Association websites.

Water Well Filtration Information

No matter how deep the well, or the crop being irrigated, sand can enter the system and wreak havoc with an irrigation system. This can occur in the well itself or other source water supply, and can not only shorten the life of a pump and lower efficiencies, but can also plug drip emitters and cause crop damage. For more information about keeping water well pumps operating at their best efficiency in sandy well situations, download the LAKOS SUB-K Pump Protection brochure (for wells pumping up to 100 US gpm) or PPS Pump Protection Brochure (for turbine pumps and submersibles pumping more than 100 US gpm).

Recent Innovations In Farming and Food Processing Includes Filtration

There is a wise old saying that goes “Don’t Complain About Farmers With Your Mouth Full.” The implication being that farmers grow the food that feed us every day, and taking them for granted by minimizing their importance is somewhat foolish. Bad weather, uncertain water supplies, and government regulation are just three uncontrollable variables that make farming today a bigger challenge than perhaps any other time in history.

However, technological innovations in farm equipment and food processing have solved problems and overcome obstacles which had traditionally hurt efficiency and raised food prices. From state-of-the-art tractors to advanced fertilizer chemistry to genetically engineered fruit, science and technology have created a few more choices for farmers today than they have had in the past. New filtration products and techniques are among those choices.

Breakthroughs In Irrigation Technology and Source Water

Agricultural irrigation has seen some big changes over the years, moving from flood irrigation to sprinklers, drip, and microdrip methods. Products designed to maximize the efficiency of these methods and reduce water waste include sand media tank filters and more high tech devices like the Tracker Mobile, a smartphone program to help farmers remotely monitor irrigation pivots from a cell phone or any web connection. It was one of the recent Top 10 New Product competition winners at the World Ag Exposition in California.

Even before the water is ready for irrigation purposes, efficiencies in dealing with source water have increased greatly in recent years, including filtration devices such as those which prevent sand damage in submersible and turbine pumps.

 
Food Processing and Handling
Once a crop is harvested, the food processing phase begins, and this is where some of the largest leaps in innovation have occurred in recent years. Even a seeminlgy simple process like removing dirt from the harvested product has seen huge improvements in efficiency due to equipment design.

New Tomato Processing Case Study Reveals Huge Savings
For a certain tomato processing plant in central California, more than 15 years was spent trying different options to wash the tomatoes while using the least energy and least amount of water possible. The solution that finally solved their problems was a combination of centrifugal separators installed at strategic locations in their plant.

Want to learn more?
Download the Tomato Processing Case Study and get all the details. See why effective filtration systems are helping to make food processing much more efficient and saving us all energy and water at the same time.

Two-Stage Filtration Is A Best Practice In Many Situations

Selecting the best tool and technique for a job is often a simple task. No one wants to waste time or be forced to "fix" something once it's been fixed already. As carpenters like to say "Measure twice, cut once." We always want to DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.

However, when it comes to filtering solids from water or other liquids, the wisest and most efficient method is sometimes a 2-step approach in which: 

1. Large particles or debris are removed in the "first pass" by one method or tool (the pre-filtration step)
2. Smaller particles are removed in a "2nd pass"

For small particle removal (Step 2), some type of barrier filter that catches tiny particles is often the tool of choice, such as bag filters and cartridge filters. But barrier filters get clogged and fill quickly when too many large particles are present -- thus the need for a pre-filter.

The pre-filter will:

(a) extend the life of the barrier filter, reducing usage and overall costs of purchasing filters and
(b) minimize labor time spent changing bags and cartridges

This is true in a wide variety of situations and applications, from turf and agriculture, to industry and more.

Example: Source Water From A River

Take, for example, a situation in which river water or sea water is used as the main source for an industrial water process. Quite often, debris of many shapes and sizes are present in the water, and no single type of filtration would remove large AND small solids very efficiently. Using a two or three-step process by taking out the larger debris and solids first with a low-maintenance solution is often used. This Step 1 can be some sort of large strainer or screen to keep large debris from entering the system, followed in Step 2 by a centrifugal separator to remove the other solids. If additional particle removal is required, some type of barrier filter could be used.

Agricultural and Irrigation Uses
There are similar applications in agricultural settings. Centrifugal separators can be used as pre-filtration to a drip irrigation system. In this situation the primary filtration concern is to keep the drip emitters from getting plugged, and sand media tank filters are most commonly used. However, a pre-filter can be used before the source water reaches the media tanks, reducing the number of backwash cycles the tanks must go through to keep operating efficiently. This backwash reduction system saves energy, water, and equipment.

Getting Tired Changing Barrier Filters?

Sometimes the original design of a filtration system consists solely of barrier filters, but maintenance staff grow tired of the constant bag and cartridge changes. When barrier filters are not changed as needed, pressure drops and other negative effects occur, and the system no longer operates within design parameters. Adding a centrifugal separator upstream of the bag filters is a perfect solution.

Want To Read More Details? Download Our Pre-Filtration Case Studies:   Read a couple of detailed Case Studies that explain pre-filtration in practice. Read how pre-filtration in a sugar mill reduced water waste and improved process efficiencies. And read how pre-filtration of river water prevents clogging of barrier filters at an oil production plant.

Twitter and Facebook Are New Tools For Farmers

The tools and equipment for a successful farming operation have always changed with the times. Fields once cultivated with a horse and plow are now handled by air-conditioned tractors in many areas. Hand written accounting systems are now processed by computers. Plans for the placement of irrigation systems were once scratched in the dirt or on paper, and now they may use GPS and field-mapping software for proper design. It should be no surprise to find that farmers have embraced the Internet for news and information gathering, as well as this relatively new tool called "social media."

CNN reports that a 2007 census by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows high-speed Internet access doubled on U.S. farms between 2005 and 2007, jumping from 13 percent to 27 percent. That is still less than the general U.S. population, but it's growing faster. According to government statistics, 55 percent of U.S. farms had Internet access in 2007 compared with 62 percent of homes in the U.S. overall. And social media activities are growing quickly in popularity as a communications and marketing tool. A recent American Farm Bureau Federation survey (pg.4) of farmers and ranchers ages 18-35 indicates that among the 92 percent who use computers, 46 percent regularly use social media.

Social Media Defined
Social media can be defined as "social interaction and communication through web-based techniques and media." It includes Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, blogs, and many others. While Facebook is the fastest growing website in terms of total visitors, having recently passed Yahoo at #3 overall (behind only Google and Microsoft), the mobile nature of today's farmer seems to have made Twitter their most preferred social media tool. Farmers, like the small group in California, use their smart phones to make Twitter entries throughout the day. They use Twitter to answer questions and break stereotypes of what life is really like on a farm, and the daily challenges of today's farmer.

Websites serving the agribusiness community like AgWired are utilizing social media tools to extend their reach and provide more timely information to its followers. The United States Department of Agriculture even has a separate section of its website dedicated to Social Media and Resources and a very active Twitter account (@USDAgov). Others are using social media to raise the level of awareness of farm issues to the general population. In 2009, Mike Haley, who raises crops and purebred Simmental cattle near West Salem, OH, demonstrated the power of Twitter for farmers. To raise awareness and support of America's dairy families, he asked everyone who uses Twitter to create "tweets" using the keyword #moo on a certain day (in Twitter lingo, the # sign preceding a phrase is known as a "hash tag"). Word of this request spread among farmers and Twitter users. For that particular day, the keyword #moo became one of the most popular terms on Twitter -- on a day when 15 million tweets were made. 

How Is It Used?
So besides debunking farm myths and raising awareness of farm issues, what is everyone Tweeting and Facebooking about? Some of it is just about farm life, and the daily challenges of that profession. Some of it is problem solving, and requesting input from others regarding how to handle certain situations. Such as those asked at the AgTalkForum, a moderated forum covering questions and answers on a variety of farm topics, claiming to have over 14,000 registered users. There are questions about using computers on the farm, including opinions from end users regarding which farm management software program might be the most appropriate. There is also a section on "Crop Talk" where visitors can share techniques about planting or fertilizing or irrigation equipment, like sand media tanks. Or ask questions like "If I have sand in my water well, how do I prevent it from damaging my submersible or turbine pumps that irrigate my crops?"

What about you? Do you see other ways social media and the Internet can improve life on the farm? Leave us your thoughts in the Comments area below.

Or why not jump a bit deeper into social media yourself! Just click on the icons on this page to follow LAKOS on Twitter, Facebook, or by subscribing to our RSS feed.

Social media is here, and it's time to get on board.

 

Water Conservation Still Not A High Priority In Some Areas

There is a long way to go in the efforts to make the best use of water -- one of our most precious resources. Education about how water is presently used is a key first step. Knowing exactly how much water is used for a given process and what the alternative methods might be is the focus of many water studies conducted over the past few years. But even with that knowledge, there are still conflicting interests in many cities, companies, and individuals.

Even in a water-conscious state like California, there are conflicting priorities. The CBS television show "60 Minutes" recently produced several segments about the drought in California and the nation's dwindling water supplies, pointing out the fact that Americans average using 150 gallons of water per day, compared to the 40 gallons of water per day used in the U.K. and 13 gallons per day used in some of the worlds poorest countries. Yet the message has not been completely received by some. And an unusually wet winter in California and across the U.S. seems to have slowed some of the focus on conservation, as hopes rise higher the drought will end soon.

Take the area of Southern California. A major metropolitan region built in a desert. But through water supplies obtained from outside the region, it is able to support a growing population with a high standard of living. Yet water conservation does not always appear to be the highest priority among its residents. Particularly in the city of Orange, California, where city laws require at least 40% of homeowner yards to be covered with some sort of growing vegetation. One particular family in Orange claims to have reduced their annual water usage from about 300,000 gallons in 2007 to less than 60,000 in 2009 through creative landscaping, yet are being sued by the city for the lack of live plants and ground cover in their yard. Water conservation does not appear to be as important as other factors in Orange.

In other parts of the world like Punjab, India, the costs to convert from traditional flood irrigation methods to more water-saving methods is a real challenge. Sprinkler irrigation has been growing approximately 25% a year since the 1980s. Thanks to government subsidies, drip irrigation is growing rapidly as well. Replacing flood irrigation with either sprinklers or drip has huge water conservation benefits for everyone. And making the most of every drop is something that deserves more of our attention.

Filtration -- when installed properly and with the right solution for a given situation -- can be an extremely effective way to conserve water. Whether it be:

 

• Reducing blowdown water used through cooling tower filtration, or 
• Using a high efficiency sand media filter to prevent clogged nozzles in drip irrigation emitters, or simply 
• Reducing water waste caught in barrier filters by using any type of centrifugal separator 

Effective filtration can stretch a drop or gallon of water further, and typically with reduced energy consumption as well.

How about large industrial companies, which use water for a variety of processes? A company which makes steel shelving units now uses high pressure nozzles and a LAKOS Separator to clean the finished product and remove cast iron particles. Similar to the way a system can be installed to keep a cooling tower basin clean, this system reduces wastewater and minimizes overall water usage.

Want to learn more? Download our Parts Washing Case Study.

Some Energy Efficient New Year’s Lists Worth Reading

As we end 2009 and the first decade of the new millennium, it is a good time to pause and reflect on the PAST and what we should be striving to improve in the YEAR ahead. Everyone seems to have a list containing an idea or two about how we can accomplish this, including energy and water efficiency gained from effective filtration systems to the advantages of drip irrigation and ways to accomplish more effective legionella prevention, etc.

So here is OUR list of the some of the Most Important Lists heading into the New Year. Trends we’d like to see continue and ideas we’d like to see embraced and adopted in 2010 and beyond. Perhaps by the end of 2010 these will help create a GREENER world with a more efficient use of water and energy resources for all of us.

1. Top 5 Reasons Why BLUE (water) Will Become The New Green In 2010
GREEN is the color of sustainability and energy efficiency, but BLUE is the color of water, and many recent reports seem to indicate it will be the most important color in 2010 and beyond.

a. Pacific Institute Report: Industrial Water Use and Potential Savings In Each Industry

b. 100 Ways To Conserve Water

c. Top 5 Ways To Save Water In The Home

d. Read How IBM Reduced Water Demand by 20% At One Location

e. Calculate Your Water Savings When Using Water Sense Products

 

2. Top 10 Energy-Monitoring Tools for the Home
Until convenient tools arrive for homeowners to monitor their energy use from inside the home, efforts to reduce energy consumption may be just wishful thinking. Perhaps one of the items on this list will help to lead the way.

3. Most Innovative Pumps and Systems Products of the Year
Pumps and Systems Magazine recently awarded their inaugural 2009 Innovation Awards, and the list of winners proves there is still plenty of room for improvement in pump efficiency and energy usage.

4. All 50 USA State Energy Codes for Residential and Commercial Buildings
View current building codes for each state in the USA and learn more about Federal and state codes and trends. All on one page on the Department of Energy website:

What is your list of Great Ideas for 2010? Do you have a list of most valuable tips for anyone in the building/cooling/irrigation/water-related industries?

Here is one of our favorite studies to share: Energy study by the Canadian Office of Energy Efficiency. Download it today!

Irrigation Filtration Saves Water

In our previous blog entry we mentioned the recently released report on water usage as it relates to the Green Building movement. The report provides data about commercial and domestic water use and suggests a 21 Point Action Plan to improve water performance and efficiency. It also points out that as water becomes a scarcer resource in the future, concerns about how best to design and retrofit water systems will become even more important than they are today. 

Some additional findings covered in the report:

• In hospitals and healthcare settings, the main use of water is for cooling and heating (31%), followed by domestic use and restrooms (27%)
• In office buildings, those two reverse positions and the main use is domestic use and restrooms (37%) followed by cooling and heating (33%)
• Contractors and building owners are concerned about any additional water use regulations which will increase construction costs. On the other hand, other respondants claim that some effective water use and re-use techniques which are presently forbidden by state and county codes should be reviewed and revised quickly.
• A number of respondants voiced their opinions about the Green Building movement and LEED certification. The opinions varied from those being "oversold" ideas to comments that green building, sustainability, and water efficiency are all coming trends that will make more and more sense economically in the future as the cost of water and energy usage continue to grow.
• Earlier this year the U.S. Green Building Council raised requirements under the LEED program so that it now requires a 20% reduction in water use as a prerequisite while increasing the number of Water Efficiency credits available in its various programs. In addition, LEED-certified projects must submit actual performance data on WATER and energy use for five years AFTER certification.

Despite this fact, little was mentioned in the report about more efficient use of irrigation. Besides noting that drip irrigation is more efficient than other methods, techniques to improve the efficiency of drip irrigation -- such as filtration -- were not mentioned in the report.

Irrigation Filtration Saves Energy and Water

Effective filtration of irrigation water will reduce water usage by ensuring all components of the system operate at highest efficiency. Clogging of drip emitters by sand and other debris will cause uneven flow and require longer pump runs to reach optimum water levels to the soil. Whether accomplished through two stages of filtration (pre-filtration to remove sand and other debris and then finer filtration to remove smaller particles, usually accomplished with a sand media tank filter) or just one, SOME filtration is always better than none. And depending on the efficiency of the sand media tank filter, effective filtration will also minimize wear on system components through fewer backwashing cycles.

If your showerhead is partially clogged, don't you have to run the water a tiny bit longer to get a good shower? The same is true of irrigation drip emitters. 

Download our new White Paper on Sand Media Filters and the read about how underdrain design and the use of a pre-filter can have a huge effect on water use and system efficiency.

Sand Media Filter Efficiency Determined By Underdrain

Sand media filters may look the same, but they don't all operate the same. Some claim to use a "magical media" sand of one sort or another that has some mystical power that lends itself to finer filtration. But under a microscope, those particles appear no different than many others.

Independent testing by 3rd party agencies, however, has determined there is ONE measurable trait of a sand media filter which actually DOES make one filter more efficient than the next. That trait is "available surface area" of the underdrain. That is, the total area in square inches and mm that are available to take the flush of the filtered liquid as it passes through the sand/media/gravel pack.

It makes sense when you stop and think about it. Water passes through the media tank, carrying debris which are caught in the media/sand as the water migrates towards the holes in the underdrain and out of the tank. What if there are only a FEW holes, spaced closely together? The debris "bumps" into other debris, as does the water, and the debris starts to pile up in certain places. The media sand does too. This leads to the "channeling effect" as the once level and flat bed of sand/media is turned into one that is uneven due to uneven flow through the underdrain. Watch this animation showing exactly how channeling takes place and how water flows through different styles of underdrains.

Now think of the opposite situation. Water passing through a sand filter carrying debris and leaving through a LARGE number of holes in an expansive underdrain, where the holes are further apart. The water is more evenly dispersed as it passes through the sand/media and underdrain, and no channeling takes place. The bed of sand remains relatively level and uniform because the water has more holes on the greater surface area of the underdrain to pass through the entire media filter.

Why Should You Care?

The reasons you should care about the efficiency of the sand media filter are:

1. Greater efficiency and no "channeling" means fewer backwash cycles are required, which reduces wear and tear on ALL components of the system. This translates to longer equipment life.
2. Water Savings.
3. Lower pressure loss through the sand filter and reduced energy usage.

Don't forget to read the Independent 3rd Party testing results comparing the underdrains of some of the largest media tank filters manufacturers. See link below:

Comparison Performance Testing Results of Various Sand Media Filters
 

Particle SIZE Matters More Than NUMBER In Filtration

It is easy to get overwhelmed with "parts-per-million" measurements that indicate how MANY solids and other particles are contained within a sample of liquid. But when it comes to filtration of non-drinkable water, it is the size of the LARGER particles and not the sheer number of all particles that should be your biggest concern. In other words, SIZE matters more than QUANTITY, or VOLUME.

Consider the water in a cooling tower basin for a large building or factory. Without filtration, a certain amount of dirt and grit will accumulate in these cooling tower basins over time, reducing their effectiveness and leading to all sorts of problems, including Legionaire's Disease. There is no need to remove particles to make this water "drinking-water" clear (no particles larger than 5 microns in size).

To put the size of particles into perspective, look at the chart showing diameter sizes of

• a human hair
• the smallest thing the human eye can visibly see
• a white blood cell
• a red blood cell
• bacteria

  
This chart raises the questions "How clean is CLEAN ENOUGH" for a certain application, and "How much money and energy should be spent to reach that level?"

Separators can remove larger particles more efficiently and using less energy and wasting less water than any form of barrier filter, such as bag filters or cartridges. This is because barrier filters become less efficient as they become clogged with debris, while a separator continues to operate at the same efficiency. Separators can remove larger particles and can do so without ever needing bag replacement or other maintenance.

Want to learn more?

Download the complete  Particle Size Fact Sheet LS-775 and our Whitepaper on Preventing Heat Exchanger Fouling through Proper Filtration. 

Pump Protection Against Sandy Water Well Damage

Sand in water wells will pit and damage pump impellers and bearings. Even though screens and packs and other well development techniques can be used to minimize the presence of sand in a well, some well locations and aquifers are more sandy than others, and sand often makes its way into the well despite these efforts. 

If the amount of sand reaches a certain level, that sand will damage the components of any submersible or turbine pump installed there. As the sand particles accelerate through the pump, they will cause pitting and wear, beginning first with the bearings and then the pump impellers. The pump's efficiency will gradually decrease until it eventually must be replaced.

In the meantime, energy is wasted as the pump's efficiency drops lower and lower, forcing the pump to run longer periods of time to supply adequate water volume or pressure. By the time the pump components finally do wear out and break, thousands of dollars of wasted energy will have been spent.

Pump protection separators operate by preventing the sand from entering the pump, thereby reducing wear to the pump components. This extends the life of the pump and keeps the pump operating longer and at highest efficiency. Read Case Study AB-213 about how a LAKOS Separator helped a large farm extend the life of its' turbine pumps or read Case Study AB-212 about how a municipal water district installed LAKOS Separators to maintain maximum efficiency of its' pumps.

Isn't a small investment in pump protection worth the cure to prevent pump sand damage and SAVE ENERGY?