Post on 13-Mar-2018
transcript
City of Auburn & Town of Owasco, NY
Presented by: Stephen Waldvogel, P.E.
Emergency Microcystin Treatment
Project and
Demonstration Study
Blue Green AlgaeAn Emerging Water Quality Crisis in Lake Owasco
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“news broke on Saturday, that treated water at the filtration
plants for the city of Auburn and town of Owasco had tested
positive for blue-green algae toxins”
DEC and local officials clash on cause
of algal blooms on Owasco Lake
"I'm a little frustrated…how slow state and
federal agencies are to help us. They need to be
part of the solution, and not roadblocks.”
The Auburn City Council passed a resolution calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to implement a TMDL
which focuses on specific pollutants like phosphorous and wastewater.
It is the first time this has happened to a
public water system in New York State!
Blue Green AlgaeCyanobacteria and Microcystin Toxin
• Blue Green Algae are actually
cyanobacteria
• Cyanobacterial blooms have been
detected for several years in the
finger lakes
• Blooms can vary significantly
each year based on
environmental factors
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• Cyanotoxins are produced within the bacteria
(intracellular) and released when the bacteria are
lysed (extracellular)
Blue Green AlgaeCyanobacteria and Microcystin Toxin
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• There are many types of
cyanotoxins - microcystin being
one of the most toxic
• In a typical bloom 60 – 90% of
microcystin is intracellular
• Microcystin is water soluble and
is not effectively removed by
conventional treatment
A Growing Public Health ConcernMicrocystin – Emerging, Unregulated Contaminant
• Microcystin causes serious liver damage
and is especially harmful to infants,
pregnant women, the elderly and immune-
compromised individuals
• No US water quality criteria or regulations
for cyanobacteria or any cyanotoxins
• In 2015, the USEPA issued a microcystin
health advisory limit of 0.3 μg/L
• EPA has included it on its CC4
• WHO recommended guideline is 1.0 μg/L
for microcystin-LR
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MicrocystinTreatment Options
• Cyanotoxins can be treated using a variety of physical and chemical
methods – a combination is typically required to achieve highest
removal rates
• Intracellular Removal (Intact Cells)• Conventional coagulation/sedimentation/filtration
• Flotation – i.e. Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF)
• Pretreatment oxidation (prior to rapid mix)
• Membranes (microfiltration/ultrafiltration)
• Extracellular Removal/Inactivation• Chlorination (oxidation)
• Potassium Permanganate (oxidation)
• Powder Activated Carbon (adsorbtion)
• Granular Activated Carbon (adsorbtion)
• Ozone (oxidation)
• UV/H2O2 (oxidation)
• Membranes (reverse osmosis or nanofiltration)
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“Beat the Bloom” Race to Implement Temporary Treatment
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2016
• Sept - Microcystin detected in drinking water
• October – Microcystin treatability jar testing
• November – Presentation of results
• December – Accelerated treatment evaluation
2017
• Feb - GHD presented preliminary results
• March – Temp system design report for regulators
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• April - NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo signs $2million
funding authorization for emergency improvements
“Beat the Bloom” Race to Implement Temporary Treatment
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2017
• April – Immediately after funding announcement GHD was asked to scope out temp. systems and full scale demo project
• May – GHD authorized for design and demonstration study
• June & July – Accelerated procurement and construction
• August 4 – Systems start-up
• August & September – Trouble shooting and operational adjustments
“Beat the Bloom” Race to Implement Temporary Treatment
Emergency Demonstration ProjectPre-Season Analysis
• Laboratory Analysis (Simulated Bloom)
• Microcystin-LR treatability
testing (jar & column)
• Arsenic leaching evaluation
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0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Mic
rocy
stin
(µg/
L)
Day
Raw
F300AR
F300AR
Owasco GAC Column Results0
2
4
6
8
10
12
0 2 4 6 8 10
Ars
enic
(µg/
L)
Day
Filtrasorb 300AR
Total
Dissolved
Raw Total
EPA MCL
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
0 2 4 6 8 10
Ars
enic
(µg/
L)
Day
Filtrasorb 400AR
Total
Dissolved
Raw Total
EPA MCL
Owasco Arsenic Testing Results
Emergency Demonstration ProjectPre-Season Analysis
• Laboratory Analysis (Simulated Bloom)
• Coagulant optimization
• Corrosion control impact
(alkalinity, hardness, pH)
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Auburn Coagulant Optimization Results
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Turb
idit
y (N
TU)
Settling Time (Minutes)
25 mg/L
30 mg/L
35 mg/L
45 mg/L
Raw
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Conductivity Alkalinity CalciumHardness
Total Hardness Total DissolvedSolids
mg/
L o
r µ
S/cm
10 mg/L PAC Dose
Raw 38 min
90 min 4 hrs
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Conductivity Alkalinity CalciumHardness
Total Hardness Total DissolvedSolids
mg/
L o
r µ
S/cm
30 mg/L PAC Dose
Raw 38 min
90 min 4 hrs
Auburn Corrosion Control Results
Emergency Demonstration Project In Season Analysis
• In Season Laboratory Analysis
• PAC optimization jar testing
• Pre-Treatment oxidation jar testing
• GAC column testing
• Slow Sand column testing
• Full Scale Demonstration Test
• Microcystin sampling at multiple process
points
• General water quality sampling
• Arsenic sampling
• Corrosion control analysis
• Sludge monitoring and sampling
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HABs - Where Are We Heading?
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• HABs are at currently at very high levels in Owasco Lake
• Both temporary treatment systems are in operation
• Results look promising for these applications
• By early 2018 the demonstration study should conclude
• Target recommendations regarding permanent treatment
Sept 15, 2017 Democrat and Chronicle – Seven Finger Lakes currently
have HAB and 10 of 11 finger lakes have been featured on the DEC’s HAB
notification list so far this year.
• There is much work yet to be done
Thanks to a Great Project Team A unique collaboration
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• NYS Governors Office
• NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
• NYS Department of Health
• Cayuga County Department of Health
• City of Auburn Public Utilities Department
• City of Auburn Water Treatment Staff
• Town of Owasco Board
• Town of Owasco Water Dept. Staff
• GHD Project Team• Biologist/Env. Engineer – Teresa Misiti, PhD
• Design Engineer – Casey Cowan, P.E.
• Ass. Engineer – Chadwick Johnson, EIT
• Subject Matter Expert – Michael Chapman
• Subject Matter Expert – Kevin Castro, P.E.