Removing Iron & Manganese in Michigan

In February 2008, AdEdge Technologies was selected as the sole vendor by Sun Communities, a nationwide owner and operator of mobile home communities, to supply an iron and manganese treatment system for the Meadow Lake mobile home community in White Lake, Mich. The Meadow Lake treatment system is the third packaged treatment system Sun Communities has purchased from AdEdge. The site consists of two wells that serve potable water to 430 connections and a population of 1,063. Several options were considered based on the need to remove iron from 0.90 ppm to meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards.

An AdEdge AD26 oxidation/filtration system was selected as the best overall approach to simultaneously remove the iron and manganese from the community water supply. The packaged AD26 system utilizes an NSF 61-certified manganese dioxide media (AD26) that is excellent for co-contaminant removal. The technology was selected based on overall cost, the small footprint and simplicity of operation. Following award, all appropriate permitting documents were prepared and submitted to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) for approval with the permit being granted in April 2008.

Solution

The AdEdge AD26 arsenic treatment train consists of a completely integrated packaged treatment system with six 48-in. vessels (two triplexes) in parallel to treat up to 750 gpm. A design filtration rate of 9 gpm/sq ft is nearly three times higher than conventional greensand filtration, offering high-efficiency removal with smaller vessels and lower cost. The AD26 automated system equipped with a PLC, automated butterfly valves and control panel is integrated with chlorine addition and monitoring for process control and disinfection purposes.

The system is pre-engineered, pre-piped and skid mounted for ease of installation and operation. A continuous free chlorine monitor on the system allows the operator to maintain desired disinfection residual in the distribution system. The AD26 technology has been deployed successfully by AdEdge on many high iron and manganese wells to date and also on three full-scale EPA arsenic demonstration projects.

Backwashing on the treatment system is performed every two or three days, depending on incoming levels of iron and manganese, total flow throughout the system and differential pressure. Backwashing occurs to remove the suspended solids that are accumulated in the vessels and to prevent hydraulic channeling. The PLC automatically determines when the treatment system needs a backwashing event.

Results

Installation was completed and the system was officially started up in 2008. Since operations began, the system has consistently removed iron and manganese to levels well below the EPA's maximum contaminant levels. Monitoring and periodic sampling of the system is performed by the site’s certified operator in accordance with the MDEQ permit.