New DOC Removal Technology ExaminedThe city of Danville, KY, has approved an engineering study for the installation of a 10 mgd MIEX® water treatment plant, according to Matthew D. Rowland, president of Orica Watercare, Inc., developer of the patented MIEX DOC process.
The engineering evaluation will be conducted by Commonwealth Technology Inc. (CTI), a Tetra Tech company. CTI was originally hired by the Danville in December 1999 to do an EPA compliance evaluation study for the city's Coldiron Watkins Memorial water treatment plant.
CTI studied several technology options to reduce formation of disinfection by-products, including on-site generated oxidants, improved application of potassium permanganate, carbon contactors, nanofiltration, enhanced coagulation, and the MIEX ion exchange process.
"Orica's MIEX process is very effective for removing low molecular weight dissolved organic carbon (DOC), which is a precursor to chlorination by-products," reported Elizabeth Hamm, Water Utility Specialist who conducted the EPA evaluation study.
"The reduction in total organic carbon (TOC) prior to coagulation and disinfection greatly reduced the formation of chlorination by-products (trihalomethane and haloacetic acid) and reduced the coagulant demand by a factor of five," Hamm said.
Ted Croushorn, Water Treatment Supervisor for Danville, is also pleased with the process.
"I like the idea that we are removing contaminants (TOC) without adding additional treatment chemicals to the water," he said.
"We expect this to be one of the first USA installations of the MIEX process," Rowland said. "We have been demonstrating the process for treatment plants across the country, and several pilot studies are now coming to completion."
The MIEX-DOC process uses the patented high capacity MIEX® (for Magnetic Ion Exchange) resin in a system to remove DOC from drinking water. The process can cut the cost of DOC removal by as much as 50 percent and reduce downstream chemical sludge by as much as 80 percent, according to Orica.
The process differs significantly from conventional ion exchange processes because the overall ion exchange capacity is continuously maintained, resulting in a consistently high water quality with a controlled DOC level.
Membrane Plant Design BeginsThe City of La Junta, CO, has selected the team of Richard P. Arber Associates and Boyle Engineering to design its new $10 million membrane water treatment plant.The plant will use reverse osmosis (RO) membranes to reduce the concentration of hardness, sulfates, and other dissolved minerals in the city's water. The new plant will be capable of producing 6.6 mgd, and is designed to be expanded to 8.8 mgd, which will be the largest RO system in the state of Colorado. Construction is anticipated to begin in August 2002, and the plant is scheduled to be on-line by August 2003.
"This project is very important to the future of the city. It represents one of the largest capital expenditure projects that the city has undertaken," said Joe Kelley, Water and Wastewater Director for the City of La Junta. "The new membrane plant is a single solution to multiple complex water quality problems that will save our customers money."
The water treatment plant is a major component of the city's plans for development while maintaining compliance with stringent drinking water and wastewater discharge standards.
The City of La Junta was facing a series of expensive capital expenditures for reducing the corrosiveness of the current potable water supply and for reducing the concentration of chlorides in the city's wastewater discharge, partially resulting from the extensive use of water softeners.
The new RO Membrane Water Treatment Plant will not only produce a higher quality drinking water and correct corrosion problems, but will also make the use of water softeners unnecessary and thereby reduce chloride concentrations in the city's wastewater. The new plant will provide opportunity for attracting new industries that previously could not consider locating within La Junta due to water quality concerns.
City Takes Delivery On New UV SystemService Systems International has delivered its first Single Lamp Reactor (SLR) Ultra Guard® UV disinfection system to the town of Walker, LA. The $100,000 system will disinfect sewage wastewater.The Town of Walker ordered the system last year as part of an expansion and upgrade of its wastewater facility. When completed, the facility will treat and disinfect 3.75 mgd. The expansion includes the installation of clarifiers, pumping facilities and blowers.
As part of the facility upgrade, the town's plans included the removal of an existing disinfection system that used chlorine as the prime disinfection.
The Ultra Guard® system uses low-pressure, ultra high-intensity, high efficiency ultraviolet lamps, related high-tech controls, and patented components/design elements in custom configurations to suit the specific needs of a given client.
Biosolids Recycling Program Contract SignedUSFilter recently secured its largest order yet for the J-Vap® dewatering/drying system. Under the recently signed $7.7 million equipment contract, USFilter will supply the city of Chattanooga, TN, with six 350 cubic foot units as well as all necessary ancillary support equipment.The equipment will be retrofit to the city's Moccasin Bend wastewater treatment plant. Installation is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2003.
A goal for the city is to reduce stress on its local landfill, which is the disposal site for the city's Class B biosolids. USFilter proposed drying the sludge and turning it into Class A biosolids, which would give the city more options for disposing of the processed sludge.
USFilter conducted extensive on-site testing with a self-contained mobile J-Vap plot unit, successfully demonstrating its capabilities and Class A biosolids production.
The J-Vap® system dewaters, dries, and produces reusable Class A biosolids all in a single application, thus eliminating intermediate material handling. The systems, ranging in size from five cubic feet to 370 cubic feet, allow the plant to dry to any desired moisture level, are energy-efficient and have low emissions. The dewatering/drying process can result in solids of greater than 90 percent, allowing cakes to be upgraded from Class B to Class A biosolids.
Los Angeles Plans Sewer Pipe Lining ProjectApplied Chemical Magnesias Corporation (ACM) was recently awarded a contract to supply the Los Angeles County Sanitation District with material to prevent corrosion in 200 miles of concrete conduits in the county's sewer system.LACS personnel will spray the top-half of the large-diameter concrete pipes that carry raw sewage to waste treatment plants with a coating of one of ACM's products. The product is a naturally occurring mineral - pulverized into a fine powder - whose chemical structure is similar to antacids such as Tums, Mylanta, or Maalox.
The mineral coating on the pipe will neutralize corrosive acidic gases (H2S) and sulfuric acids that can corrode concrete pipes. The cost to LA for the "Crown spraying" is less that 1% of the replacement cost.
ACM Waste Treatment Products are also utilized by a number of wastewater plants/districts in Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico to control odor and enhance sewage sludge settling with considerable cost savings. Visit www.magnesias.com for more information.
City Contracts For DBO Plant ProjectMetcalf & Eddy has been selected to design, build, and operate a new wastewater treatment plant and collection system for Provincetown, MA.This $15 million, 20-year service agreement will provide the town with a 500,000-gpd, expandable sequencing batch reactor plant, effluent disposal beds, and a "hybrid" collection system. The collection system will consist of a central vacuum pump station with vacuum collection piping, fed by a system of vacuum valves, grinder pumps, and gravity sewers.
As program manager for this design-build-operate effort, Metcalf & Eddy will direct the project and design the facilities. M&E's team members include the Robert B. Our Company for collection system construction, Carlin Contracting Company for wastewater treatment plant construction, and Woodard & Curran for operations and maintenance.
"The Provincetown design-build-operate project highlights Metcalf & Eddy's position as a provider of comprehensive program management and innovative design services," said M&E president John Somerville. "M&E's approach to implementing this system responds to local concerns about construction impacts and sensitive environments in this coastal resort community."
