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Treating Contaminants of Emerging Concern - Cincinnati
Citation:
Speth, T., R. Khera, P. Ransom, N. Dugan, AND C. Patterson. Treating Contaminants of Emerging Concern - Cincinnati. EPA's Small System Webinar Series, Cincinnati, Ohio, February 26, 2019.
Impact/Purpose:
This presentation will cover ORD’s work on evaluating the performance and cost of treating these four chemicals of emerging concern at drinking water utilities. Specifically, this talk will address research to populate the Treatability Database, evaluate the unintended consequences of treatment, and model the cost of treatment at drinking water utilities.Treating contaminants of emerging concern will be presented with an emphasis on determining cost-effective solutions for small systems. Three specific examples will be used: per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), cyanotoxins, and perchlorate. Specifically discussed will be how contaminant properties influence treatment effectiveness, operational complexity, cost, and residual stream handling. Also, novel technologies will be discussed using anaerobic biofiltration of nitrate as an example. A demonstration will be made on the impact of system size on capital and operating costs; however, the lowest cost is not always the best option for small systems. For each technology and contaminant, how to avoid unintended consequences such as increase water corrosivity or residual handling problems will be covered. Throughout the talk, available USEPA tools and expertise will be highlighted.
Description:
Treating contaminants of emerging concern will be presented with an emphasis on determining cost-effective solutions for small systems. Three specific examples will be used: per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), cyanotoxins, and perchlorate. Specifically discussed will be how contaminant properties influence treatment effectiveness, operational complexity, cost, and residual stream handling. Also, novel technologies will be discussed using anaerobic biofiltration of nitrate as an example. A demonstration will be made on the impact of system size on capital and operating costs; however, the lowest cost is not always the best option for small systems. For each technology and contaminant, how to avoid unintended consequences such as increase water corrosivity or residual handling problems will be covered. Throughout the talk, available USEPA tools and expertise will be highlighted.