Posted by William Vander Plaats on Thu, Aug 12, 2010 @ 03:48 PM
LAKOS Separators and Filtration Systems is committed to water conservation and ongoing education, and has just announced the winner of their annual water scholarship. The $1,000 Ben Everson Scholarship was awarded to Brian Duke, a student at California State University, Sacramento, where he is majoring in 
Government and Environmental Science. He plans to get his law degree and specialize in water management. The award is given in honor of Ben Everson, a long-time employee of LAKOS who personified the value of hard work, dedication, and a belief in the promise of America’s youth. A similar $1,000 Scholarship was awarded by Laval Underground Surveys to Travis Kern, a student at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming. Kern is majoring in Range Management and Ag Business and plans to go into a water conservation field when he graduates. Laval Underground Surveys is a maker of downhole video cameras, and like LAKOS is a division of the Claude Laval Corporation. Education Is The Key To Finding Tomorrow's SolutionsThe water and energy issues we face today are many, and it is only through considering different ideas, new technology, and effective planning that a workable solution will likely be found. Ongoing education is the key, and just as these students are planning additional studies in water related fields, so too should each water professional commit to continuous education and learning. Webinars and other online training from organizations concerned with the future of our water supplies are a great way to start.
Download Our FREE Webinar About Water Well HealthSand in water wells can cause damage to a submersible or turbine pump, reducing its efficiency until eventually it must be replaced. Pump protection using a centrifugal filter is one great way to prevent this from occuring. Watch our FREE webinar "Pumping Sand" and learn how this can be accomplished, saving both energy and water waste.
Posted by William Vander Plaats on Thu, Apr 08, 2010 @ 02:00 PM
This week marked the Opening Day of the Major League baseball season, which means Spring is here and it's also time to:
- Get the drill rig ready for dry ground and drier wells, as winter weather gives way to warmer days ahead.
For each of these rites of Spring, the role of rainfall, water management, and filtration can be hugely important in deciding the final outcome.
In baseball, rainouts can lead to unwanted doubleheaders and the need for a good 5th starter and deep bench. In the dog days of August and September, this can make the difference between a division championship or missing the playoffs completely. Will the Yankees repeat? New York rainfall might make the difference.
In golf, rain can cause a course to play longer than usual and will more heavily favor those who can drive the ball the furthest. If the course is properly designed with an effective drainage and filtration system, standing water and its effects on the final outcome are negligible. Will Tiger Woods win his 5th Masters Tournament? The superior drainage system at Augusta National Golf Course might be a deciding factor.
For well drillers, rainfall and water management make a huge difference in the condition of the underground aquifer, water tables, and the need to drill new or deeper wells. This is true for water wells in the U.S., well drillers in Europe, and others around the world. For example, the worst drought in decades has hit southern China, and over a thousand new water wells are planned for the Yunnan province alone.
But it's not just about MORE water these days, its also about CLEAN water, and water prepared and filtered for its intended use (for drinking, irrigation, etc) with as little water waste and energy usage as possible. There is a concern for the total water life cycle and the environment as a whole.
National Environmental Education Week April 11-17
On Sunday, the same day a new Masters golf champion slips on the Green Jacket, National Environmental Education Week will begin. In schools across America, children will be taught their regular curriculum, but with a special focus on caring for the environment and making the best use of the earth's dwindling resources -- resources like clean water. Perhaps they'll play with a cool kids water usage calculator, which will show them how to save water at home.
Two water saving ideas the kids probably WON'T hear about in school next week include:
- Keeping sand damage from reducing the efficiency of water-related appliances inside the home. Proper filtration can meet this challenge and make the world "greener" at the same time.
- Preventing sand damage to submersible pumps in water wells. LAKOS has an answer for this as well, by keeping the sand from ever reaching the pump's impellers and other components.
Want to learn more? Download our submersible pump filtration brochure. You can read it while watching baseball and the Masters tournament this weekend. And at the same time, take a moment to consider the role of water in deciding the outcome of those events.
Posted by William Vander Plaats on Thu, Feb 04, 2010 @ 02:07 PM
The world's largest agricultural equipment exposition opens next week in the heart of California (Tulare), a battleground for water rights. World Ag Expo -- formerly known as the Tulare Farm Show -- will feature many products and varied opinions claiming to be the best way to make the most efficient use of water. As the
demand for water tightens due to population growth and other factors, the challenge to determine the wisest use of that water gets even more difficult. Not just in California, but everywhere.
Everyone appears to be getting into the water conservation movement, from homeowners to farmers, who have always considered water a vital and precious resource. Agricultural use of water is immense, and in the United States the use of water for irrigation is the single largest use in the non-commercial and non-residential sectors. Farm equipment and machinery used to aid in conserving water while still maximizing crop yield can be a big part of the long-term solution. This includes a water handling and delivery system consisting of pumps, irrigation systems, and a combination of filtration techniques and systems to keep everything else operating at its highest efficiency.
Two of the most common water problems on the farm which can be easily fixed with an effective filtration system include:
Each of these -- if not corrected or prevented -- will lead to water waste and higher energy usage, as the pumps and valves and other components of the water system are adversely affected by the sand and other solids.
But there are solutions. Solutions to prevent any short-term or long-term drop in water efficiency.
Want to learn more? Download our Water Well Sand Prevention Brochure and read how to keep sand in a water well from damaging your pumps. And see how you can save water and energy at the same time.
Posted by William Vander Plaats on Thu, Dec 10, 2009 @ 01:16 PM
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.
And finally, of the total amount of water consumed in the U.S., biggest chunk (82%) is used for irrigation.
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.