Michael John McGuire (born June 29, 1947) is an American environmental engineer, laboratory director and writer whose career has focused on drinking water quality improvement. He has been recognized for his expertise in the control of trace organic compounds, inorganic contaminants and microbial pathogens in water. He is also known for his work in the identification, control and treatment of taste and odor problems in drinking water. McGuire combined the development of taste and odor analytical methods (where reliable methods to solve these problems did not exist) along with in situ treatment and oxidation. He developed a solution to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California's (19 million customers) problem with trihalomethanes using ozone, peroxone and chloramines. He has published numerous articles in professional journals and he has been the co-editor of five books and compilations of articles. He published a book that documented the first continuous disinfection of a drinking water supply in the U.S.McGuire, Michael J. (2013). The Chlorine Revolution: Water Disinfection and the Fight to Save Lives. Denver, CO:American Water Works Association. With Marie S. Pearthree, he wrote a book on the corrosive water debacle in Tucson, Arizona in 1992–94.McGuire, M. J., and Pearthree, M.S. (2020). Tucson Water Turnaround: Crisis to Success. Denver, CO:American Water Works Association. He has been active in the American Water Works Association, and he has served as a volunteer and officer in that organization. In 2009, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
Early life
Michael J. McGuire was born in 1947 at Brooke General Army Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. He attended grammar school in a number of locations, because his father was in the U.S. Army and stationed in several places during McGuire's early years. From 1955 to 1957, McGuire attended the grammar school run for U.S. Army dependents in Orléans, France. He went to Francis C. Hammond High School in Alexandria, Virginia.Francis C. Hammond High School, the Home of the Admirals
Education
He earned his undergraduate degree in civil engineering at the University of Pennsylvania in 1969. During the period 1970 to 1972, he attended Drexel University part-time while he worked for the Philadelphia Water Department. After earning his master's degree in Environmental Engineering in 1972, he returned to Drexel University on a full-time basis to study for his PhD degree under Dr. I.H. (Mel) Suffet who is an analytical and environmental chemist.McGuire, Michael J., and Suffet, Iwin H. (1978). "Adsorption of Organics from Domestic Water Supplies." Jour. AWWA, vol. 70, pp. 621-636, November. He completed his PhD and graduated in 1977.McGuire, Michael J. (1977 ). “The Optimization of Water Treatment Unit Processes for the Removal of Trace Organic Compounds with an Emphasis on the Adsorption Mechanism.” Dissertation in fulfillment of the requirements of Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Engineering. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:Drexel University. While at Drexel, he developed a direct water injection, gas chromatography analytical method for four "polarity probe" compounds: 1,4-dioxane, methyl ethyl ketone (or butanone), 1-butanol and nitromethane.
Personal life
Water sports are a major personal activity for him. McGuire rowed crew in high school and in his freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania. He is an active PADI-certified scuba diver logging over 500 dives since 1973. He swims laps for exercise, and he sails in the waters off Southern California and Mexico aboard Water Guy a Beneteau Oceanis 40.1.
In 1971, Deborah Marrow and he were married in Scarsdale, NY. In 2019, he was widowed. Their two children live in the Los Angeles area.
Early career
McGuire worked for the Philadelphia Water Department from 1969 to 1973. Throughout this period, he was assigned to the Research and Development Unit under Joseph V. Radziul.McGuire, M.J., Suffet, I.H., and Radziul, J.V. (1977). "The Development of Optimum Unit Processes for the Removal of Trace Organic Compounds from Drinking Water," Proceedings Annual Conference American Water Works Association. Anaheim, California.] He participated in a variety of projects including the supervision of a research program that involved the surveillance of the water quality of the Delaware River Estuary. The program required operational supervision of a boat pilot, chemists, engineers, and technicians and the formulation of a data analysis program. He designed an unusual application of automated water quality analytical equipment aboard a research vessel.McGuire, M.J. (1972). "Economic Justification for the Automation of Water Quality Analytical Techniques." Advances in Automated Analyses, 4, p. 51. His other projects included investigation of the availability of future water resources, preparation of testimony given before governmental bodies, and investigation of the effects of urbanization on water quality and quantity.
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
McGuire moved to California in 1977 where he had a two-year stint with the consulting engineering firm, Brown and Caldwell. In 1979, he was offered a position as a water quality engineer with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan). He directed a variety of physical chemical treatment and environmental chemistry projects, and he ran the central water laboratory for Metropolitan. As Water Quality Manager and Director of Water Quality for Metropolitan he supervised the Water Quality Branch and Division, respectively, which grew to a total of 82 scientists, engineers and administrators.
During this period he designed a comprehensive research program to determine the cause of earthy musty odor problems in six southern California reservoirs.McGuire, M.J., Krasner, S.W., Hwang, C.J., and Izaguirre, G. (1983). "An Early Warning System for Detecting Earthy Musty Odors in Reservoirs." Water Science and Technology. 15:6/7, pp. 267-277. Because no analytical methods existed for these odorous compounds, McGuire developed a closed-loop-stripping analysis (CLSA) technique capable of detecting less than 5 parts per trillion in drinking water.McGuire, M.J., Krasner, S.W., Hwang, C.J., and Izaguirre, G., (1981) "Closed Loop Stripping Analysis as a Tool for Solving Taste and Odor Problems," Jour. AWWA, 73:10, pp. 530-537. Supporting the CLSA results McGuire adapted the Flavor Profile Analysis method from the food and beverage industry to drinking water.Krasner, S.W., McGuire, M.J., and Ferguson, V.B., (1985) "Tastes and Odors: The Flavor Profile Method," Jour. AWWA, 77:3, pp. 34-39. Using trained human panel members it was possible to detect geosmin and MIB far below 5 parts per trillion.Hwang, C.J., Krasner, S.W., McGuire, M.J., Moylan, M.S., and Dale, M.S. (1984) "Determination of Subnanogram Per Liter Levels of Earthy Musty Odorants in Water by the Salted, Closed Loop Stripping Method," Environmental Science & Technology, 18, pp. 535-539, July. Once the cause was isolated to blue-green algae growing on the bottom of the reservoirs, he devised a methodology to control the growth of the algae and prevent the occurrence of taste and odor problems in the Metropolitan service area.McGuire, M.J., Jones, R.M., Means, E.G., Izaguirre, G., and Preston, A.E. (1984). "Controlling Attached Blue Green Algae with Copper Sulfate." Jour. AWWA. 76:5, pp. 60-65.
In 1984–85, he managed the conversion of Metropolitan's secondary disinfection system from free chlorine to chloramines.Kreft, P., Umphres, M., Hand, J. M., Tate, C., McGuire, M.J., and Trussell, R.R. (1985). "Converting from Chlorine to Chloramines: A Case Study." Jour. AWWA. 77:1, pp. 38-45. In 1986, he recommended that the complete control of the trihalomethane and taste and odor problems required installation of ozone and PEROXONE at all five Metropolitan treatment plants (total capacity of over 2,000 mgd). Studies leading to implementation of ozone included bench, pilot and a demonstration-scale ozone treatment plant costing $17 million to construct.McGuire, M.J., Thompson, J.M., Liang, S., Tate, C.H., and Glaze, W.H., (1989) "PEROXONE for Control of Disinfection By-Products, Tastes and Odors, and Microorganisms," Summaries, WASSER BERLIN '89 (International Ozone Association), Berlin, April 10-16 (pp. V-2-1 through V-2-14).Ferguson, D.W., McGuire, M.J., Koch, B., Wolfe, R.L., and Aieta, E.M. (1990) "Comparing PEROXONE and Ozone for Controlling Taste and Odor Compounds, Disinfection By-Products, and Microorganisms," Jour. AWWA, 82:4, pp. 181-191. The 5.5 mgd Oxidation Demonstration Plant was put into service in 1992 and won the Grand Prize for Research from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists.Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science™ Awards Competition Winners, https://www.aaees.org/e3swinners-previous Full-scale installation of this new ozone technology was completed by Metropolitan in 2017 at a total cost of $1.3 billion.
The growth in laboratory staff and sophisticated analytical equipment required additional laboratory space. In concert with a consulting architect, McGuire programmed a new 28,000 square-foot, green-field laboratory which was constructed and opened in 1985.McGuire, M.J., Davis, M.K., Somin, M.R., and Ward, J.E., (1985) "Planning, Designing, Building and Occupying a State-of-the-Art Water Quality Laboratory," Proceedings of the Water Quality Technology Conference, American Water Works Association, Houston, Texas, December 9.
In 1990, he became Assistant General Manager at Metropolitan where he was responsible for administration and environmental compliance. Five divisions reported to him in addition to Metropolitan's Affirmative Action Officer.
Consulting firms and other assignments
In 1992, McGuire left Metropolitan and opened a one-man consulting engineering firm—McGuire Environmental Consultants, Inc. (MEC). After five years, he started to grow the firm until it ultimately had 37 employees in three offices: Santa Monica and Newport Beach, California and Denver, Colorado. During the period 1992 to 2000, McGuire was the translator for the Technology Working Group that fed information to the multi-stakeholder regulatory negotiations process (including the USEPA) which resulted in the adoption of five landmark drinking water regulations: Interim Surface Water Treatment Rule, Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule, Information Collection Rule, Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule and Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule.McGuire, M.J. (1993). "Reg Neg Process and the D/DBP Rule." presented at the Fall Conference. California Nevada Section, American Water Works Association. Reno, Nevada, October 28, 1993.McGuire, M.J. (1994 ). "Using the Information Superhighway to Corral the ICR." Jour. AWWA. 86:6, 10.Roberson, J.A., Cromwell, J.E., Krasner, S.W., McGuire, M.J., Owen, D.M., Regli, S., and Summers, R.S. (1995). "The D/DBP Rule: Where did the Numbers Come From?" Jour. AWWA. 87:10, 46-57.McGuire, M.J. (1996). “AWWA’s Information Collection Rule Activities.” presented at M/DBP Cluster Information Exchange Meeting. RESOLVE, Washington, D.C. May 10, 1996.McGuire, M.J. (1997). “Technical Work Group Presentation.” presented at the M-DBP Stakeholder Meeting. Washington, DC. January 28, 1997.
In April 2005, the national engineering firm Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. purchased MEC. McGuire worked for Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. for a little more than three years as a vice president while he managed the Santa Monica, California office. He managed several major investigations including a demonstration project that showed how chlorite ion could control nitrification, and bench- and pilot-scale projects with Glendale, California that demonstrated the most cost-effective ways to remove hexavalent chromium from drinking water.