City of Auburn & Town of Owasco, NY

Presented by: Stephen Waldvogel, P.E.

Emergency Microcystin Treatment

Project and

Demonstration Study

The Finger Lakes Region

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The Finger Lakes Region – Lake OwascoRaw Water Supply for The City of Auburn & Town of Owasco

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Blue Green AlgaeAn Emerging Water Quality Crisis in Lake Owasco

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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

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Town of Owasco – Low Pressure GAC Units

“Beat the Bloom” Race to Implement Temporary Treatment

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City of Auburn – PAC Bag Feeder System

“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

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0 5 10 15 20 25 30

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stin

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F300AR

F300AR

Owasco GAC Column Results0

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Ars

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(µg/

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EPA MCL

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Filtrasorb 400AR

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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

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Conductivity Alkalinity CalciumHardness

Total Hardness Total DissolvedSolids

mg/

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10 mg/L PAC Dose

Raw 38 min

90 min 4 hrs

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Conductivity Alkalinity CalciumHardness

Total Hardness Total DissolvedSolids

mg/

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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.

Thank you!

Questions?