Challenge
The source of the contaminated water was located approximately 250 meters away from the municipal well, at a former industrial site. Upon learning of the elevated test results, the state issued a “do not drink” order to the 450 residents served by the municipal water supply until the water source could pass quality testing again.
Testing revealed PFOA contaminated municipal water wells in locations in Vermont. Further testing in March of 2016 spurred by these initial discoveries revealed PFOA contamination in the municipal water supply of the town. The contamination tested higher than Vermont’s 20 parts per trillion (ppt) state-defined standard for drinking water.
The source of the contaminated water was located approximately 250 meters away from the municipal well, at a former industrial site. Upon learning of the elevated test results, the state issued a “do not drink” order to the 450 residents served by the municipal water supply until the water source could pass quality testing again. Finding and implementing a solution as quickly as possible was of the utmost priority.
Solution
After evaluating several options, the client chose Evoqua Water Technologies because of its speed of deployment and experience in the market. Within two weeks of ordering, Evoqua was on site, installing four HP® 2000 stainless steels vessels filled with AquaCarb® 1230C coconut shell-based granular activated carbon—the most effective solution for the type of contamination present, and NSF-61 certified for use in drinking water applications
As soon as installation was finished, the system immediately began treating water directly from the well, before it was then sent to the town’s disinfection and distribution network.
Click or tap the image to watch the news story with Evoqua's systems.
Results
The effects on the town’s water supply were immediate: as soon as the system became operational in the summer of 2016, the PFOA levels in the water dropped down below the state’s health advisory limit of 20 ppt. In August of 2016, the “do not drink” ban was lifted, and residents could once again use the municipal water.
Evoqua’s system has remained in place since then, and continues to treat the town’s water supply with no interruption in either water quality or supply.
Click here to watch the news story. Evoqua's carbon systems appear in the back as they discuss the success of the response and solution.