Low-Waste Nitrate Treatment Solutions for Drinking Water

The emergence of difficult-to-treat contaminants in groundwater has increasingly driven municipal water utilities to revisit wells previously taken offline that have elevated nitrate levels. High nitrates in drinking water present health issues for infants as well as adults with compromised systems. Sources that cause increased nitrate levels can include excess fertilizer runoff, septic systems leaching and runoff from feed lots with manure storage.

The traditional approach to nitrate treatment has relied on blending with other low-level water sources, isolating the well or using conventional treatment equipment. The use of conventional treatment technologies, primarily ion exchange or reverse osmosis, has presented several challenges to the design and siting of facilities that include:

• Wastewater discharge volumes
• Brine usage and discharge to sanitary sewers
• Wastewater plant acceptance of discharge streams

While ion exchange and reverse osmosis for nitrate removal have been available for decades, there are several advancements that may eliminate or minimize the issues associated with the installation of a nitrate treatment system.

This presentation will highlight key design factors and considerations, field experiences, performance data and lessons learned from field implementation of new media technologies at multiple community well sites. Topics that will be explored include:

• Qualifying well sites and matching the right technology
• Key parameters affecting performance, design and site layout
• Instrumentation and controls for effective monitoring
• Site design considerations and the permitting process
• Design of a complete system for operational efficiency

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