Over the past several days, weve received multiple questions about activated carbon used in the water treatment process. In a Jan. 28 response letter to U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller, we addressed these questions, along with several others. The section below specifically addresses carbon filters: We are not aware of any possible detrimental effects on our treatment processes related to carbon filters or otherwise. The plant continues to be in compliance with all regulated standards including the 1 ppm protective health guidance set by the CDC for MCHM. Activated carbon caps on our 16 filters are renewed or changed periodically as part of our normal operations. Regular backwashing, which cleans and flushes filters, is part of our plant’s normal operating procedures and has been occurring twice as often as normal. Potassium Permanganate dosing to the raw water has been increased to oxidize organic compounds, and Powder Activated Carbon continues to be added to the raw water for additional absorptive capacity. Nevertheless, we intend to take proactive steps to ensure our process is not perceived as being compromised. Activated carbon is an enhanced form of treatment that provides an absorption capacity far greater than traditional filtering media. Changing out 60,000 pounds of activated carbon per filter is a physical process that typically takes 2-3 days each. This will be completed as soon as conditions permit, but it cannot be completed at this time or all at once. It will need to be done in a phased approach to ensure plant performance is not affected. We will proceed as soon as production volumes are low enough to allow the physical exchange process to begin.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 17:10:00 +0000
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