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This desert city gets less than 9 inches of rain a year and experienced the two hottest years in its recorded history in 2023 and 2024. But El Paso Water started planning decades ago for this hotter, drier climate. Last Thursday, the utility broke ground on its latest project to secure water for the city of 700,000: an advanced water purification facility that will deliver 10 million gallons per day of purified water from the citys wastewater stream directly into its drinking water supply. El Pasos Pure Water Center, which will go online by 2028, is the first direct-to-distribution reuse facility in the country. Treating wastewater for reuse as drinking water has long been controversial. But as the technology has advanced and water resources dwindle, more cities are exploring direct reuse. El Paso is the first out of the gate, but Phoenix and Tucson are expected to follow suit. Elsewhere in Texas, communities from the Panhandle to the Hill Country are considering their own facilities. Colorado and California recently adopted rules to regulate the treatment technology. El Paso, Texas, is the center of the universe in water recycling right now, said Gilbert Trejo, vice president of operations at the utility, during the groundbreaking Thursday. A rendering of the Pure Water Center, which broke ground on February 27 and is expected to be operational by 2028 [Photo: courtesy El Paso Water] Growing Acceptance of Direct Reuse El Paso Water began a pilot study in 2016 to test direct potable reuse of sewage and other wastewater with a four-step treatment process. The utility sent water samples to state-certified laboratories for testing and found that the water met all drinking water standards. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) reviewed the pilot data and authorized El Paso Water to move forward with the design of a full facility. After nearly a decade of work, TCEQ approved construction of the facility in October 2024. The advanced purification process begins with treated wastewater from the Roberto Bustamante Wastewater Treatment Plant in El Paso. This source water then goes through a multiple barrier system, first going through reverse osmosis, in which a membrane separates water molecules from other substances. Then hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet light are used to kill bacteria in the water. Next, activated carbon absorbs chemicals or compounds in the water. Lastly, chlorine is added for disinfection. TCEQ requires an online monitoring system with alarms and automatic shutdown capability. Trejo said this real-time monitoring will detect constituents breaking through the treatment process. Before we start to break any type of threshold that would worry us, we will know well in advance so that we can take action, he said. The utility will also work to educate residents and businesses in El Paso to discourage them from putting chemicals and pharmaceuticals down the drain. Trejo acknowledged that unwanted material will inevitably enter the sewer system, so the treatment process is designed to remove these potential contaminants. Environmental advocates have raised concerns about contaminants of emerging concern in the purified water, like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which arent yet regulated in drinking water. The environmental nonprofit Food and Water Watch warns, Its impossible to monitor every potential toxin in a direct potable reuse system. Trejo said that the treatment process was designed to remove pharmaceuticals, emerging contaminants of concern, and future contaminants. The first step was understanding the baseline quality of the source water. To that end, the utility began collecting data from its sewer system in 2016. The utility commissioned an independent panel of experts through the National Water Research Institute to review its designs for the plant. [Image: Paul Horn/Inside Climate News] The good thing is that our multiple-barrier approach to remove viruses, pathogens, and any of these emerging constituents of concern is in place, Trejo said. Its a very robust system. TCEQ spokesperson Richard Richter said the agency has met with El Paso Water since 2014 to review the project. TCEQ issued an authorization for the facility under Chapter 210 of Texas administrative code, which governs reclaimed water. Richter said each authorization is tailored to the specific plant design and source water quality. While TCEQ and the Environmental Protection Agency do not have specific design standards for direct potable reuse facilities, the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act are the foundation for design choices. Once the facility is constructed, there are multiple steps still required in the TCEQ review process before approval can be given for the facility to send water to customers, he said. El Paso Focuses on Reuse El Paso Water CEO John Balliew said Thursday that the Pure Water Center is the culmination of our efforts so far to diversify the water supply of El Paso. The utility has spent decades securing a diverse water portfolio in the Chihuahuan Desert. El Paso historically relied on the Rio Grande, whose flows have diminished, and groundwater pumped from the Hueco Bolson, an aquifer shared with Ciudad Juárez across the border. Alex Mayer, a civil engineer and director of the University of Texas at El Pasos Center for Environmental Resource Management, said El Paso has been a leader in drought-proofing water supplies. The utility has been very effective in putting together plans that make sure the water availability is there, he said. In the 1960s, El Paso bega its water reclamation program, which distributes treated wastewater to irrigate outdoor areas. El Paso Water has also treated wastewater to drinking water standards to recharge the aquifer since the 1980s. In the 1990s, El Paso Water undertook an educational campaign to encourage residents to conserve water, which successfully brought down average consumption. Green lawns were replaced with native desert landscaping. Meanwhile the utility set in motion plans to diversify its water supply. El Paso Water brought the Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant online in 2017. The plant, the largest inland desalination facility in the U.S., treats brackish groundwater from the Hueco Bolson. The utility also acquired land in Dell City, Texas, from which it will import groundwater in the future. Federal funding has aided El Paso Waters projects. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation provided $3.5 million for design of the advanced water purification facility in 2019 and provided another $20 million in 2022 for construction. Utility officials have estimated the total project cost to be $295 million. Balliew said the utility will seek additional state and federal funding to complete the facility. Balliew said the cost of water from the Pure Water Center will be about $500 per acre foot, which is comparable to the cost of water from the desalination plant. However, this is several times more expensive than the fresh water pumped from the aquifers and the Rio Grande. Mayer commended El Paso Waters very progressive water rates that charge lower rates to households that consume less water, which are typically low-income. But as water rates trend up with new water sources coming online, he has researched the impacts on low-income residents. Nearly one in five El Pasoans live in poverty, well above the national average. In a 2022 PLOS One paper, UTEP researchers Josiah Heymen, Jessica Alger, and Mayer used climate change and groundwater depletion scenarios to project the impact of water rates on low-income households. They found that paying for basic water supply could become a significant burden for 40% of all households in El Paso. Mayer said he is confident the utility will continue its progressive rate structures for low-income households. I am just a little worried about how far that can go, he said. Texas, Western States Move Ahead on Direct Potable Reuse The first direct potable reuse plant in the world opened in 1968 in Namibia, southern Africas driest country. The New Goreangab Wastewater Reclamation Plant replaced the original facility in 2002. The technology is poised to grow in the U.S. as southwestern states contend with aridification and growing populations. The Texas Permian Basin town of Big Spring is home to the first direct reuse project in the United States. The Colorado River Municipal Water District began treating wastewater in Big Spring for direct reuse in 2013. Unlike in El Paso, the purified water is combined with raw water before distribution. Wichita Falls, Texas, also operated a temporary direct potable reuse facility from 2014 to 2015. Both Big Spring and Wichita Falls resorted to direct potable reuse during a severe drought. The federal government relies on states to regulate direct potable reuse. Texas adopted a guidance manual in 2022 to regulate direct potable reuse facilities. Colorado adopted rules in 2023 and California followed suit in 2024. Arizona is in the process of updating its rules for direct potable reuse. Several cities are moving ahead with new facilities. The Tucson City Council voted in January to accept $86.7 million from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to construct a direct potable reuse plant by 2032. In exchange, Tucson will leave a portion of its water supply from the Colorado River in Lake Mead over a decade. Phoenix plans to add direct potable reuse to its 91st Avenue Wastewater Treatment Plant to purify 60 million gallons per day by 2030. Communities across Texas, from Amarillo to Dripping Springs, have plans for direct potable reuse in their regional water plans filed with the Texas Water Development Board. The TCEQ spokesperson said that Liberty Hill, north of Austin, has notified the agency of its intent to pursue direct potable reuse. All eyes will be on El Paso as El Paso Water begins construction on its advanced purification facility. This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News. It is republished with permission. Sign up for its newsletter here.
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E-Commerce
Alexander Balan was on a California beach when the idea for a new kind of drone came to him. While tossing a football, he realized that its form factor could translate into a lightweight unmanned aerial system (UAS) designed for rapid deployment and autonomous targeting. This eureka moment led Balan to found Xdown, the company that’s building the P.S. Killer (PSK)an autonomous kamikaze drone that works like a hand grenade and can be thrown like a football. To create the PSK, Xdown teamed up with several defense companies, including Corvid Technologies, a North Carolina-based military contractor that specializes in the design, development, and prototyping of weapons systems. While the Xdown hasnt completed all the planned capabilities of the drone (it’s currently in the testing phase), its form factor, deployment mechanism, and propulsion system could completely change the way soldiers operate drones. Instead of depending on remote controls, the PSK will be operated by AI. And if the PSK works how Balan says it should, it could change the battlefield as we know it. The Xdown drone stands in sharp contrast to current first-person-view drones (FPV), which require time to set up (you need to put on goggles and gamepads for control) and the expertise to fly them. Balan, an engineer with a background in high-speed vertical takeoff and landing (HSVTOL) systems, has been a keen observer of the increasing use of low-cost drones in Ukraines defense against Russia, a force superior in numbers and equipment. Drones are the future of modern warfare, he says. With an estimated 15,500 Russian armored vehicles lost to Ukrainian FPVs, it’s fair to say drones are the present of modern warfare. But Balan believes that in a world where one second could be the difference between life and death, a drone needs to be more accessible and easily deployable. He says soldiers should be able to grab it, switch it on, and throw itjust like a football. Inside the design According to Balan, the football form factor serves two purposes. Operationally, the shape is so compact and sturdy that you can carry it anywhere. Made of composite material, the drone weighs 1.7 pounds when empty and is capable of carrying another 1.7 pounds, which could be an explosive head or other cargo. The PSK can carry one or two 40 mm grenades commonly used in grenade launchers today. The grenades could be high-explosive dual purpose, designed to penetrate armor while also creating an explosive fragmentation effect against personnel. These grenades can also airburstprogrammed to explode in the air above a target for maximum effect. This allows for multiple mission scenarios. Infantry, special operations, and counterterrorism units can easily store PSK drones in a field backpack and tote them around, taking one out to throw at any given time. They can also be packed by the dozen in cargo airplanes, which can fly over an area and drop swarms of them for targeted bombing runs in which each drone goes for a designated objective. Aerodynamically, the shape is also good for flight, Balan says, as any quarterback can tell you. The PSK has a thrust-vectoring propulsion system, which can both make it fly much longer and change its course as needed. Balan claims it can reach speeds of up to 135 knots and has a range of more than 40 miles. [Photo: Xdown] Once thrown, the device activates within two seconds in the air, deploying articulated stabilizer fins and rotor blades that appear from thin slots on its sides. The PSK is a throw-and-forget drone, Balan says, referencing the fire-and-forget missile that, once locked on to a target, can seek it on its own. The PSK is designed to autonomously identify and strike high-value targets such as armored vehicles, enemy UAVs, and personnel. He tells me that once Xdown finishes its development, the drone will eventually operate through multiple layers of targeting logic. The PSK is programmed with mission parameters and general target signatures, he says. This means that the AI knows what to look forsay, a Russian T-80 tankand go for it. Once deployed, its onboard AI processes data from optical cameras, infrared sensors, radar, and lidar to classify and track potential threats, Balan explains, noting that the system continuously evaluates battlefield conditions and selects targets based on predefined threat-assessment parameters. It can also serve as a reconnaissance drone when equipped with a video sensor head. When launched as a swarm, multiple PSKs will be able to communicate in real time, distributing targets among themselves to optimize strike efficiency, Balan claims. This swarm coordination prevents redundant attacks and maximizes battlefield effectiveness. According to Xdown, the PSK will have a wide range of potential applications. It can be an asset in maritime security operations, where it could be used to intercept small, fast-moving vessels, or conduct reconnaissance. The drone could also be employed for convoy protection, detecting threats such as teams armed with shoulder-mounted weapons or roadside bombs before they strike. Special operations forces could use it for high-value targets, leveraging its compact size and autonomous targeting to strike enemy positions with minimal setup time. Counterterrorism units could deploy the PSK for precision strikes in urban environments, reducing collateral damage compared to conventional airstrikes. It could even become a counter-UAV system, capable of autonomously identifying and intercepting enemy drones. Balan says the company is also working on a nonlethal version of the PSK, replacing its warhead with a supply container so that its able to deliver food, medical kits, or ammunition to frontline troops in contested environments (though given the 1.7-pound payload capacity, such packages would obviously be small). [Photo: Xdown] The dangers of AI targeting This targeting and reduced collateral damage is precisely one of PSK’s murky points, however. The drone is preprogrammed to detect certain types of enemy targets, but s Elon Musk or anyone who has tried autonomous driving can tell you, this can be problematic in the known, predictable environments of a city at peace. In the battlefield, where chaos reigns and actors can disguise themselves in different shapes and forms, it can get extremely tricky. AI can get confused and attack innocent civilians who might be near military vehicles or get mistaken for enemy soldiers. Conversely, the enemy can also disguise itself to confuse the AI systems and avoid detection. AI will continue to improve to the point of being able to mitigate these issues, but it’s not there yet. Theres a reason why scientists want to regulate autonomous killing machines and ban the use of AI for kill decisions. Ukraine is already using the HX-2, a kamikaze strike drone with AI capable of autonomous targeting. The medium-size drone, designed and made by German manufacturer Helsing, requires approval by a human to make the kill. But the Ukrainians are in such dire need that its logical to expect these fail-safes to eventually be switched off. As Vincent Boulaninprogram director of the governance of AI at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institutetold me during a recent interview: Its difficult for Ukraine to think of high-level principles about what constitutes the responsible use of autonomy right now, fighting the war. Balan says that the PSK has an abort-and-return function that gets activated if no viable target is detected. The abort function relies on telemetry override and onboard navigation. The drone calculates the optimal return route and either glides back to the operator or enters a controlled descent, he explains, noting that this feature prevents unnecessary munition waste and increases operational efficiency. Xdown claims that the PSK can operate in GPS-denied environments, resisting electronic warfare measures that typically disable other drones, thanks to its AI and visible light and infrared camera sensors. And its so small and so quiet (it has an acoustic signature of 55 decibels at 20 feet), the company contends, that it is nearly undetectable to conventional air defense systems. How far from actual combat? Balan says Xdown has already secured thousands of preorders from both domestic and allied military buyers. The company plans to begin delivery of training models by midsummer, with full-scale production set for 2026. The initial technology readiness levels demonstrated that the design exceeds current requirements, and we believe this is the ultimate tactical UAS for modern and future warfare, Balan says. Xdown is currently refining its aerodynamic performance and guidance systems through controlled throws and simulations. We anticipate multiple test throws over the next two months to optimize thrust vectoring and wing articulation under different conditions, Balan says. Thrust vectoring means that the rotor can adjust the orientation of the blades in real time to correct its course, fly, find, and destroy its target, so it can be operated effectively even by someone who isnt particularly dexterous at throwing a football. Balan says that one Defense Department official told him This is the most American munition I have ever seen. Which, of course it is. Time will tell whether the PSK lives up to its ambitious claims. But if it works as advertised, it could mark a major shift in drone warfare on its launch convenience alone.
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E-Commerce
As President Donald Trump’s threats of a trade war with two U.S. neighbors becomes a reality, Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, is asking Canadians to buy local. The Made in Canada label and other local country-of-origin labeling is about to take on a whole new level of significance. Country-of-origin labels are a helpful way to advertise that a product is locally made, but with the threat of wide-ranging tariffs, these labels could soon also signal to consumers that a product’s price tag isn’t artificially inflated due to Trump’s trade war. Speaking last month after announcing retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. should Trump go forward with his plans, Trudeau said for Canadians, it was the time to choose Canada. "Buy Canadian Instead" signs going up in BC Liquor stores pic.twitter.com/FjgGqKViUO— Riley Donovan (@valdombre) February 2, 2025 It might mean checking the labels at the supermarket and picking Canadian-made products, he said. It might mean opting for Canadian rye over Kentucky bourbon, or foregoing Florida orange juice altogether. Already, Buy Canadian Instead signs went up at a B.C. Liquor Store in Vancouver while in Ontario, a province-controlled alcohol wholesaler pulled U.S. liquor from the shelves. There could soon be more to come, and there are signs other countries are looking to protect their own domestic production. On Monday, the Australian government said it would invest in protecting and promoting the country’s Australian Made, Australian Grown initiative over the next three years. The homegrown boost There’s a benefit to homegrown goods. A 2023 Morning Consult report found nearly two-thirds of U.S. consumers said they seek out products that are Made in America and nearly 50% said they would be willing to pay more. But for some products, like cars, which are made across multiple countries, it isn’t always as simple as slapping on a simple sticker about where it was made. The Canadian government regulates what claims products can make about being made in the country. Its Competition Bureau requires products that claim to be a Product of Canada to have 98% Canadian content while products that claim to be Made in Canada must have at least 51% Canadian content and include a qualifying statement that the product is made in part from imported content. In the U.S., Made in America USA claims are regulated by the Federal Trade Commission which makes its own allowances for products made across borders, like Made in U.S. from Imported Parts for a product assembled in the U.S. with parts from other countries. The rise of economic nationalism could draw more attention to where our products come from and the varied countries that make up our supply chain. Should patriotic purchasing become a higher priority for consumers, then, country-of-origin labels could carry more weight than ever.
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E-Commerce
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