The Monte Vista Water District (MVWD), a water utility operator, has awarded Envirogen Technologies, Inc. a contract for the design and supply of two SimPACKTM Ion Exchange systems to remove nitrate contaminants from groundwater at Well 34, located in Montclair, California.
MVWD is facing significant water supply shortages caused by record droughts and sizable reductions in California’s State Water Project (SWP) through which imported water allotments have decreased from 15% to 5%. To overcome this issue, MVWD has sought to access alternative sources of potable water, including increasing its groundwater supply.
Constructed in 2011, Well 34 is a good producer, but was inactivated in 2018 due to groundwater pollution largely associated with industrial waste and historical farming practices. Nitrate levels exceed maximum contaminant levels (MCL) for drinking water at 14 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of nitrate-nitrogen. The state maximum is 10 milligrams.
An accelerated project will see Envirogen supply two containerized SimPACK Ion Exchange systems to treat 2000 GPM (gallons per minute) of well water to reduce nitrate-N levels to 80% MCL (8 mg/L). The expected outcome will produce a consistent effluent water quality that meets the potable water requirements necessary for reinstatement into operation of Well 34.
The new system is scheduled to be commissioned in Q3 2022 and consists of the key components:
- Pre-filtration using Envirogen FluxFlo bag filters and bag filter housings to remove total suspended solids (TSS) greater than 5 microns.
- SimPACK regenerable Ion Exchange (IX) treatment vessels inside an engineered container to shelter the system from weather and tampering.
- Regeneration system controlled and monitored by Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) – utilizing Envirogen SimPACK™ control logic to minimize waste rates and salt consumption.
Todd Webster, Ph.D., P.E., Vice President, Envirogen, states:
“California is experiencing record drought conditions. This requires water utilities such as Monte Vista Water District to develop creative solutions to provide potable water to their customers. The Envirogen SimPACK Regenerable IX unit for groundwater nitrate treatment is such a solution. This efficient treatment technology provides a remedy that’s reliable, robust, and has the lowest life-cycle treatment costs, ensuring an uninterrupted water supply for the District customers as the drought persists.”
MVWD Director of Engineering, Mr. Bill Schwartz, adds to Dr. Webster’s sentiment:
“The award of the new state-of-the art groundwater nitrate treatment plant to Envirogen is a very welcome and important step for Monte Vista Water District. The management of MVWD is very confident that the Envirogen SimPACK ion exchange system delivers both best value and best performance technology. Speed of delivery is critical, with the design and construction of the facility underway in Q1 2022 for completion later this year. This is critically important for MVWD to continue to supply water to its customers during the drought.”
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