Severe Sequestering Application
Northern Illinois Groundwater System
A medium sized municipality that produces approximately 3.0 million gallons per day had been feeding phosphate for many years to sequester iron and manganese. One well system in the southeast area of town was so high in iron that it could be used in emergency situations. Within weeks after WSU took over, the troubled well system on the southeast side of town was able to be sequestered and became an important part of the city’s water supply.
Background
The city has seven wells. Six have manganese at 0.08 mg/L and iron approximately 0.5 mg/L. The southeast well has iron at 1.5 mg/L as Fe and manganese of 0.09 mg/L as Mn. The city was going to have to spend the money to drill an additional well if they couldn’t use the southeast well.
Recommendation
WSU recommended a product they contained a particular polyphosphate ingredient that the city had never used with other chemical suppliers. This product proved that it could sequester higher iron and manganese levels. The end result was less customer complaints and shorter flushing times. The system previously was flushed three to four times a year. It now can be flushed in the normal spring and fall sequence which is normal for the industry. This saved valuable water, labor, and money.
More importantly, the city was not forced to drill another new well.
Summary
This case points out several important distinctions about Water solutions Unlimiited:
We have an excellent understanding of:
1. Polyphosphate ingredients and when to use them.
2. Sequestering