Water Portfolio

Project
High arsenic levels within drinking water have forced cities to shut down their supply wells. Norman, Oklahoma is one such municipality that lost half of its well field. Rather than accept this forfeiture, city leaders opted to pursue an innovative arsenic removal system to reclaim their abandoned wells.

In 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency lowered the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for arsenic in drinking water from 50 micrograms per liter (µg/L) to 10 µg/L. Consequently, all non-compliant wells were removed from service. The City of Norman lost 15 wells—a nearly 50-percent reduction in its well field capacity.

Taking a proactive approach, Norman officials piloted a wellhead arsenic removal system on Well No. 31, which tested above 40 µg/L of arsenic. Providing engineering, regulatory assistance, system start-up, and project reporting, Garver worked with the city and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality to ensure the arsenic removal system was a success.

The system employs an adsorptive process that flows pressurized water through a fixed bed pressure vessel containing a ferric oxide media. As water passes through the media, arsenic attaches to the surface. Exhausted media can then be removed and sent to a non-hazardous landfill for disposal.

Throughout the yearlong demonstration, the adsorption system successfully removed arsenic and provided product water with arsenic levels safely below 10 parts per billion. As an added bonus, nearly 75 million gallons of drinking water were produced during the demonstration and generated approximately $155,000 in revenue for the city.

• Program management
• Engineering
• Regulatory assistance
• System start-up
• Project reporting

• ACEC of Oklahoma Grand Conceptor Award