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STUDY OF WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS DURING RIVERBANK FILTRATION AT THREE MIDWESTERN UNITED STATES DRINKING WATER UTILITIES
Citation:
Weiss, W. J., E. Bouwer, W. P. Ball, C. O'Melia, M. W. LeChevallier, H. Arora, R. Aboytes, AND T F. Speth*. STUDY OF WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS DURING RIVERBANK FILTRATION AT THREE MIDWESTERN UNITED STATES DRINKING WATER UTILITIES. Presented at EGS-AGU-EUG Joint Assembly, Nice, France, 04/6-11/2003.
Description:
Riverbank filtration (RBF) is a process during which surface water is subjected to subsurface flow prior to extraction from wells. During infiltration and soil passage, surface water is subjected to a combination of physical, chemical, and biological processes such as filtration, dilution, sorption, and biodegradation that can significantly improve the raw water quality. Transport through alluvial aquifers is associated with a number of water quality benefits, including removal of microbes, pesticides, total and dissolved organic carbon, nitrate, and other contaminants. In comparison to most groundwater sources, alluvial aquifers that are hydraulically connected to rivers are typically easier to exploit (shallow) and more highly productive for drinking water supplies. Increased applications of RBF are anticipated as drinking water utilities strive to meet increasingly stringent drinking water regulations, especially with regard to the provision of multiple barriers for protection against microbial pathogens, and with regard to tighter regulations for disinfection by-products, such as trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids.