Year in Review: The Most Popular Articles of 2019

Year in Review: The Most Popular Articles of 2019

As the year comes to a close, we take a look at some of the most popular stories on mswmag.com. If you missed any of these, now is your chance to catch up. Enjoy this look back at 2019.

10. Microplastic Contamination Found in Fractured Limestone Aquifers
Microplastic pollution has been one of the hot topics in the water and wastewater industry the past few years. This recent study is the first to report microplastics in fractured limestone aquifers, which account for 25% of the global drinking water supply.

9. What Happens When a Water Main Breaks Under an Airport Taxiway?
Some of the most interesting articles we share in our industry simply cover a unique project. In this project, Madison (Wisconsin) Water Utility works on a critical water main break that occurred underneath Dane County Regional Airport’s taxiway.

8. North America's First Leak-Detection Dog Is Off to a Great Start
This is a fairly recent story, as Central Arkansas Water officials announced in November they’ve given a black lab mix named Vessel a new job sniffing out water leaks. In this article, we talk to CAW officials about how this idea started and how it’s going so far.

7. Trump’s 2020 Budget Proposes 31% Cut to EPA
Presidential budgets are often created to send a message, and this one was no different in that regard. This budget proposal by President Donald Trump was eventually rejected by the U.S. House of Representatives.

6. Mitigating the Risks of Worker Fatigue Through Tech and Safety Culture
Safety oriented articles always seem to go over well with our readers, and that’s a great thing. In this article, we cover the topic of worker fatigue, its dangers on construction sites and some of the best methods for reducing its occurrence.

5. EPA Proposes Major Overhaul to Lead and Copper Rule
Any story talking about changes to the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule is bound to get some attention from our readers. Earlier this year, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler proposed the first major overhaul of the Lead and Copper Rule since 1991.

4. Minneapolis Tackles Tunnel Project to Reroute Water Main Under Mississippi
This story is about an ambitious project undertaken by the City of Minneapolis Public Works Department to reroute a large-diameter water main (previously suspended from a bridge) under the Mississippi River. The $24 million project might sound pretty run-of-the-mill until you understand how they are doing it.

3. How a Michigan Fatberg Was Turned Into an Educational Opportunity
The system impact of fats, oils and grease are greatly exacerbated by so-called “flushable” wipes accumulating in our sewer systems. In this online exclusive article, a fatberg in Macomb County, Michigan, offers researchers an opportunity to delve into the origins and characteristics of fatbergs. They even created a public exhibit.

2. Trump Signs Water Infrastructure Improvement Act Into Law
This story about President Donald Trump signing the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act into law was our second most popular of 2019. The law codifies the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Integrated Planning approach and includes provisions ensuring the use of green infrastructure to reduce stormwater flows.

1. New Study Confirms 'Flushable' Wipes Don't Disperse in Sewer Systems
It’s not as if you need an official study to tell you that so-called “flushable” wipes aren’t ideally suited for our sewer systems, but here’s some research on it anyway. A lab at Ryerson University tested 101 single-use products — of which 23 were labeled “flushable” by the manufacturer — against rigorous flushability criteria and found that not one single wipe was able to disperse safely through its sewer system test.



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