AWWA WKICO66051

In February 2006, a new milestone for treatment of inorganic contaminants was created at the City of McCook, Nebraska, utilizing ion exchange for the joint removal of arsenic, nitrate, uranium and total organic carbon (TOC). The 7 Million Gallon per Day (MGD) drinking water treatment plant employed unique layered beds of anion exchange resins, using simple brine regeneration for simultaneous removal of all four contaminants. As a result, the city is expected to save over half a million dollars per year in operating cost over the projected 20 years life of the plant when compared to alternative treatment approaches. A mandatory consent decree in 2004 to bring the city's drinking water into compliance by March 2006 pushed the city to adopt a fast track approach and to forego the usual several months of pilot testing that would be normally required. Instead, the final design concept was developed using proprietary ion exchange simulation software that allowed the city to conduct just a two-week proof-of-principle pilot before awarding the engineering contract, all within just five months. As of October 2007, the plant had been operating successfully for 21 months, on budget and without any major issues. Includes 12 references, tables, figures.