A survey of trace organic matter in 14 water supplies was conducted and an investigation was made to compare the effectiveness of granular activated carbon with polymeric adsorbents for removing the trace organic matter from one of these water supplies. The study was conducted in three parts by three universities. The water quality survey was conducted by the Ames Laboratory at Iowa State University to determine monthly concentrations of trihalomethanes and TOC, as well as the occurrence of selected organic compounds listed in the Federal Register and mutagenicity as measured by the Ames test. Most of the water supplies tested should be able to meet trace organics requirements with conventional treatment methods. Bench scale tests were conducted at the University of Illinois-Urbana to select a granular activated carbon and a polymeric adsorbent for side-by-side comparison in a pilot plant at the Kansas City Missouri Water Treatment Plant. The pilot plant was operated by the University of Missouri-Columbia. The pilot plant tests demonstrated that the kinds of granular activated carbon that are used in water supply applications are capable of removing organic matter covering a wide range of molecular weights. The polymeric resins were much more limited in the range of organic matter they would remove.

Grant no. R-804433. "This study was conducted in cooperation with the American Water Works Association Research Foundation." Microfiche.