RESPEC PROJECT

The Widefield Water and Sanitation District is one of the first municipalities in the US to implement full-scale treatment of groundwater contaminated with PFAS utilizing single-use Ion Exchange media.

In May 2016, the EPA issued a Health Advisory Limit (HAL) of 70 parts-per-trillion (ppt) combined PFOA and PFOS for drinking water. The District relies on the Widefield Alluvial Aquifer to provide drinking water during peak summer demands. Results from EPA’s UCMR3 testing showed PFAS levels in the Widefield Aquifer exceeded both HAL.

In order to meet system demands and provide drinking water below the HAL by summer 2017, the WWSD Board of Directors gave their approval to begin a Fast-Track approach to research, pilot, and install a full-scale treatment plant. RESPEC, as the engineer, worked diligently with the district to evaluate GAC and IX pilot performance for a full-scale treatment system.

Design and construction of the Southmoor Water Treatment Plant preceded the media selection in order to meet the stringent deadline. The new plant went online May 4th, 2017 with two Ion Exchange resin systems capable of treating up to 3 MGD. RESPEC was able to take the project to start-up (including: pilot, existing system evaluation, permitting, design, and construction) in less than a year.

Budget: $2.5 Million