Using UV for Primary Drinking Water Treatment

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Using UV for Primary Drinking Water Treatment

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Using UV for Primary Drinking Water Treatment

Location: Central Texas, USA System: TrojanUVFlex®200 Plant Capacity: 25 MGD with future expansion to 35 MGD Technology: UV Water Treatment Water Source: Surface Water Treatment Targets: Microorganism Prevention

BACKGROUND A city in Central Texas with a population of 85,000 as well as several nearby industries, receives drinking water that is extracted from the local river and treated at the nearby water treatment plant. In the United States, all water plants which draw from surface water sources carry out primary treatment in accordance with the USEPA Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR), achieving 3-log (99.9%) removal/inactivation credits for Giardia lamblia and 4-log (99.99%) removal/inactivation credits for viruses, (e.g. adenovirus).

The application of chlorine and chlorine-based chemicals to achieve SWTR targets has historically been favored due to chlorine’s effectiveness against viruses. However, by-products of chlorine treatment regulated through the USEPA Disinfection Byproduct Rule (DBPR), including trihalomethanes (THM), and haloacetic acids (HAA), are often a concern and in addition, the price of chlorine-based products nearly doubled from 2017 to late-2022. While bulk chlorine prices have slowly begun to stabilize since the end of the pandemic, chemical handling concerns, tightening regulations, and higher transportation costs are compelling many water providers to investigate alternative treatment methods which do not require chemicals.

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