Government Failure: Peter Maier’s 37 Year Fight For Clean Water Testing

The Silent Highwayman” (1858). Death rows on the Thames, claiming the lives of victims who have not paid to have the river cleaned up. Public Domain. I met Peter Maier on Twitter where we got into a back and forth discussion about how the Clean Water Act is compromised by faulty water testing. Mr Maier should know. He’s a retired water […]

How To Test Sewage Treatment Plants Properly.

How To Test A Sewage Treatment Plant Properly. By: Peter Maier, PhD,PE Date: February 2017 Introduction. When EPA in 1973 established secondary sewage treatment standards to implement the Clean Water Act (CWA) or 85% treatment, it used mainly two testing methods for its NPDES (National Pollution Discharge Elimination System) permits. 1. The BOD5 (Biochemical Oxygen […]

BOD test. History and Description.

The BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) test. by: Peter Maier, PhD,PE May, 2015 History of the test. Since the BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) test is the backbone of water pollution regulation and the process design basis of sewage treatment plants, its understanding and correct application is essential. The test was developed around 1910 in England, in […]

How Environmental Regulations Are Diminishing Public Health Concerns.

How Environmental Regulations Are Diminishing Public Health Concerns. By : Peter Maier, PhD, PE and edited by John M. Ackerman, MD. March 2015 To understand present environmental regulations, one should first know some of the historical background. Prior to the nineteenth century, drinking water was obtained primarily from wells, it looked clear and hence was […]

OP-ED “Is the CWA Only Valid for Navigable Waters?

Is The CWA Only Valid for Navigable Waters?By: Peter Maier PhD, PEThe following statement appeared in the legal documents of a lawsuit (1997) before thefederal Court of Appeal in Denver: “First always, is the question whether Congress hasdirectly spoken to the precise question at issue. If the intent of Congress is clear, that isthe end […]

How a pollution test caused the failure of the Clean Water Act.

How a pollution test caused the failure of the Clean Water Act. By: Peter Maier, PhD, PE July 2011 The goal of the Clean Water Act (CWA) was to achieve swimmable waters by 1983 and to eliminate all pollution by 1985, but when EPA implemented the CWA, EPA used an essential test incorrectly and addressed […]