Tonka Water, a Kurita brand, (Kurita America) recently completed a municipal water treatment installation in Shannon, Illinois, with the engineering firm Fehr Graham, which has several locations in Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois. Historically, the Village of Shannon had many challenges with its public water supply. A Kurita America filtration system with HMO technology was selected for radium removal, in addition to the RidION™ ion exchange system for barium removal. These solutions allowed the Village to bring a much-needed well-water source online.
After continued elevated levels of radium 226, radium 228 and gross alpha in the water supply, the Village entered a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Compliance Commitment Agreement to install treatment equipment to reduce radium concentrations to acceptable state standards. Radium and barium are both considered carcinogenic substances that are regulated by the U.S. EPA.
In the preliminary design phase, Fehr Graham determined that barium concentrations were close to exceeding drinking water standards, so provisions were made for the addition of barium removal equipment. Fehr Graham planned for additional space and provided electrical and piping connections to add the RidION exchange system to remove barium and soften water downstream of the filtration system.
After considering alternative treatment options, Kurita America’s TonkaZorb Hydrous Manganese Oxide (HMO) filtration units were selected to treat for radium, and ion exchange softening units with Bryneer salt storage were chosen to treat for barium. The low-maintenance filtration and ion exchange systems provided cost-effective and low-waste removal of these contaminants.
Barium concentrations were confirmed to be an issue, while piloting, after construction had begun. Fortunately, the team had properly planned for this possibility during design, so the required changes were easy to implement.
This project is an excellent example of how a decades-long relationship, with one of our best engineering partners, provided a solution to ensure the Village of Shannon could economically provide safe drinking water to its residents for years to come.
For more information about water treatment assessments and solutions for your facility or municipality contact us today.