Small Systems Lead the Way in Washington State: Implementing Submerged Membrane Technology to Meet Filtration Challenges
小型系统在华盛顿州处于领先地位:实施浸没式膜技术以应对过滤挑战
Since 1978, the City of Marysville has relied upon low-tech screening and free chlorine
disinfection to supply customers with high-quality drinking water from the 3.24-mgd
Stillaguamish River Ranney Collector groundwater source. Fluctuating turbidity forces
the City to shut down the source when turbidity exceeds 1.0 NTU, which frequently
results from wet weather conditions in the fall, winter and spring, but can occur at any
time. In March 2000, the Washington Department of Health reclassified this source as
groundwater under the influence of surface water. Faced with the Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR), the City
elected to install filtration to bring this source into compliance.
The City preliminarily evaluated eight filtration technologies against various regulatory,
operational, and cost criteria. Of those technologies, membrane filtration appeared to
best meet the criteria for this source because it provides effective treatment, it
accommodates variable production, it meets future regulations, the reject flow is
relatively low, and the capital and O&M costs are minimized by the small footprint and
low level of operator attention required.
Having selected membrane filtration, the City compared a microfiltration (MF) pressure-driven
membrane and an ultrafiltration (UF) submerged membrane during a 6-month
pilot study. The pilot study revealed that both membranes produced exceptional filtered
water quality and performed better than expected in treatment of this source. In general,
the UF membrane net recovery proved slightly higher, the UF filter run recovered and
was lengthened following a raw water turbidity spike, the UF membrane required fewer
chemical cleanings and required less hazardous cleaning chemicals, and the UF
membrane projected annual O&M costs were lower. The City selected the UF membrane
for full-scale design.
Because the membranes are packed efficiently in the membrane tank and the remaining
equipment is typically located adjacent to the membrane tanks, only a relatively small
building is required. The entire plant can be housed on a small, 1.3-acre site, providing
substantial savings in property acquisition costs. The City also realized design savings by
entering into a pre-purchase agreement with the UF supplier to provide all associated
membrane equipment, including the membrane tanks, pumps, flow meters, chemical
feeding equipment, and all programming for their equipment. The remainder of the
design consists of locating the equipment in a building, designing the connecting piping,
site/civil design, and designing other ancillary facilities or processes. Includes figures.