U.S. Water News Online
WILMINGTON, N.C.-- To the ever-growing list of water supply
utilities that
are making the switch to ozone disinfection can be added the name of
the
historic port city of Wilmington. Ozone disinfection -- which is
increasing
in popularity because of its ability to inactivate Giardia and
Cryptosporidium while decreasing concentrations of harmful
chlorination
byproducts -- was selected as the primary disinfectant for an
expansion of
the Wilmington water treatment plant.
City officials, in consultation with the engineering firm of Camp
Dresser &
McKee Inc. (CDM), determined that the most cost-effective approach to
meeting
Wilmington's increasing potable water needs was expansion of an
existing
50-year-old water treatment plant. The city's Sweeney water treatment
plant
is being expanded to a capacity of 25 million gallons per day.
A principal challenge to the project, which will be completed in
1997, was to
build the expansion on a very limited site while keeping the existing
plant
in operation, said John Willis, project manager with CDM. Once the
expanded
portion is in operation, noted Willis, the existing plant will be
shut down
as required for rehabilitation. Meanwhile, CDM and Old Dominion
University in
Virginia have completed a pilot testing program of a new type of
high-efficiency ozone contactor designed to treat drinking water
more
effectively and cost efficiently than existing technology.
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