In 2010, water testing in Warm Springs, Ga. — a small community of about 1,000 residents in the central part of the state — revealed radium levels of 8 to 11 pCi/L and a gross alpha level of 25 pCi/L, which are above state and federal drinking water regulations of 5 pCi/L and 15 pCi/L, respectively.

Engineering Management Inc (EMI) conducted a pilot test in late 2010 to test a manganese-dioxide coated media for the removal of the radium and gross alpha particle material. After successful piloting of the treatment approach and through an award process, EMI contracted AdEdge Water Technologies to design, manufacture and install a radium and gross alpha particle removal system. The AdEdge WaterPOD delivery option was chosen after considering cost and schedule advantages over traditional building approaches.

System specs
The AdEdge radium and gross alpha treatment solution consists of a coprecipitation process within a WaterPOD containerized system rated for 250 gpm. The model APU26-4860CS-6-AVH uses AdEdge ADGS+ media in a six-vessel carbon steel configuration in parallel. The treatment system is prepackaged within a housed 40-foot modularized structure equipped with HVAC, pedestrian doors, ventilation windows and lighting. The WaterPOD system sits on a concrete foundation. The vessels are loaded with AdEdge’s ADGS+ filtration media for the removal of radium and gross alpha. The media is a NSF 61 certified for use in drinking water.

Raw water from the well(s) is injected with sodium hypochlorite and manganese salt before being treated in the treatment vessels for optimal radium coprecipitation and removal. Chemical feed dosing is pulse-controlled by the treatment system’s programmable logic controller. The feed rate is adjusted based on system flow rates. The PLC performs all automated functions needed for proper operation of the control valves.

Backwashing of the treatment vessels occurs two to three times per week, depending on the incoming radium and gross alpha levels and volume of treated water to remove particulates and to prevent hydraulic channeling. Backwash water is disposed of in a sanitary sewer. The WaterPOD delivery offers significant cost advantages to traditional buildings and is the first installation in Georgia of this type. 

Results
The treatment system was installed and commissioned in October 2014. Since then, radium and gross alpha have been reduced to nondetectable levels.

About AdEdge Technologies
AdEdge has extensive experience in the removal of arsenic, iron, manganese, fluoride and uranium from water, and to date has installed hundreds of water systems for public, municipal and industrial clients throughout all of North America as well as some projects in some of the most challenging locations in the world including China and Indonesia. For more information, visit www.adedgetech.com.