Before & After of Greensand Filter Media

Attending ACE 2012?

Come visit us at the New Product Technology Showcase featuring our Media Master® product.

Take our Filter Media Challenge!

Bring one quart of your dirtiest filter media, and we will clean it. To sign up for the challenge, email info@blueearthlabs.com.

Product demo times:

Media Master® and Media Master® RR are granular formulations developed specifically for in-place filter media rehabilitation. These products are designed for removal of organic and inorganic deposits on anthracite, sand, activated carbon and other types of granular media. Treatment with Media Master and Media Master RR is a fast, convenient and economical alternative to media replacement. Filter cleaning improves performance and extends media lifetime.

1)  Chloramine is an ineffective disinfectant.  According to Hach, chloramines are 25 times less effective than chlorine in disinfection.  This is important because, if dosing and mixing are not precise, utilities effectively expose everyone in the system to raw water.  In fact, chloramines are so ineffective that utilities that use them are required to at least annually go back to just chlorine to clean out the bacteria that has become accustomed to ammonia.

2)  Ammonia is a food source for bacteria, so when the chloramine breaks down, the ammonia actually feeds the bacteria it is supposed to stop.  Further, a byproduct of this is nitrification. Nitrogen is released into the water that causes more growth of bacteria. This can cause a nasty real-world, human issue, blue baby syndrome, because the nitrates reduce hemoglobin in a newborn baby’s blood.

3) The recent connection made between chloramines and cellular damage. In a study conducted by the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana shows that genetic damage occurs when exposed to chloramines.  This is consistent with the fact any chloramine water must have chloramines removed before use in fish tanks and kidney dialysis; now there may be other connections to cellular damage.  Further, chloramines are five times more damaging to respiratory illnesses in hospitals where routine use of chloramines were used to disinfect.

$) Chloramines are very corrosive, particularly with lead and copper.  In Washington D.C., chloramines were the cause of lead leeching into the water and causing learning disabilities in kids under five years old.  They settled the lawsuit for $250 million.

5)  Chloramines purpose is only to trick the system so the utility can pass current regulatory standards.  It is NOT to disinfect, it is to reduce the amount of disinfection byproducts by averting the chlorine from reacting with organics (the cause of disinfection by products) and thereby manage the result.   More bluntly, chloramine is, as it is described by one person, neutered chlorine.   Worse is that it generates NDMA, or nitrosamines, a disinfection byproduct 10,000 time more carcinogenic than anything it purports to displace.

Here is a little background on that:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?tool=QuerySuggestion&cmd=search&db=pmc&term=chloramines

The EPA knows this is an issue. A direct statement from their website states, “The use of alternative disinfectants can produce higher levels of these DBPs, as compared to chlorine.” Additionally, “A Nationwide DBP Occurrence Study (ES&T, 2006, 40, 7175-7185) provided important new quantitative information on unregulated DBPs that have the potential to cause adverse health effects based on a structure-activity analysis (Woo et al., 2002); several of these DBPs have concentrations similar to some that are already regulated.”

More information regarding the toxicological effects of complex DBP mixtures caused by chloramines can be read HERE: http://www.epa.gov/athens/research/process/drinkingwater.html

Check back  next week for more on chloramines in your drinking water and what you can do.

-Dane Madsen

According to Dane Madsen, CEO of Blue Earth Labs, “We are pleased to join forces with a leader in green water treatment solutions. Their water industry expertise combined with a commitment to a high-level of service to its extensive customer base will help establish Blue Earth Labs in the water treatment industry.”

“It’s our mission to provide our customers with the most advanced, innovative and eco-friendly commercial and industrial water treatment products. Blue Earth Labs’ suite of products align with our environmentally responsible approach, and we are excited to expand our offerings to include their powerful and economical solutions to scale and biofilm issues, as well as their water infrastructure maintenance solutions,” stated Ken Soeder, President of Jamestown Technologies.

If you would like more information about Blue Earth Labs, please call 1.800.256.4489 or email info@BlueEarthLabs.com. For information on Azure Water Services, please contact 203.932.3655 or email info@Azure.com.

About Azure Water Services
There are three primary divisions within the Azure group, Jamestown Technologies, Water Solutions and Redux Technology, bringing over 75 years of combined experience in critical water treatment areas such as cooling and boiler water treatments, groundwater remediation programs, and potable water operations. Azure’s experienced team of technical advisors provide customers with a wide variety of analytical, consulting, designing and engineering services to ensure consistent results and optimized product usage and equipment performance.

About Blue Earth Labs
Blue Earth Labs, a chemical research and development company, develops advanced cleaning and maintenance solutions to assist commercial facilities in providing safe, clean water. The Company’s proprietary, NSF 60 certified products are specifically engineered to extend the operational life and efficiency of any water infrastructure by removing organic and inorganic contaminants both online and off-line. Founded in 2010, Blue Earth Labs combines chemistry with commitment, innovation and expertise to deliver simple, cost-effective water infrastructure solutions to customers across the globe. Visit BlueEarthLabs.com for more information.

There is really no other way to put it.  When you look at a bottle of bleach and the label states “Do not mix with ammonia” or you look at ammonia and the warning is “Do not mix with bleach,” you get the idea that it’s a dangerous combination. So why do we use exactly that combination for public water disinfection?  It is crazy and makes no sense.  I am hot about this issue because the trend in the industry is to solve all disinfection byproduct issues with chloramines with total disregard to the consequences.  The consequences are downright dangerous to our health. Not to mention that chloramines do not solve the problem they were purported to solve. They only mask it.

So why did we start using chloramines to disinfect our water? Here’s how it all began…

Shortly after the beginning of human existence, water was misunderstood and so waste was running into the river if not staying in the streets.  People started dying from waterborne disease, and in 1854 John Snow used chlorine to disinfect a community well in London that had a cesspool leeching into the well and killing people.  Conventional wisdom said it was “miasma” the all-encompassing blame placed on “bad air” that caused millions of deaths in its freakish naiveté, but Snow prevailed and modern water disinfection began.

Cut to 1915 and World War I.  At the time, chlorine was being used as a weapon and was in short supply.  Denver, CO started adding ammonia to try and continue disinfection and to extend the limited supply chlorine and behold, chloramines were invented as water treatment.   Made sense, yes?  Ammonia disinfects, and chlorine disinfects, so – voila’- why not the two together like chocolate and peanut butter?

Except that chloramines are dangerous.   Read more about why chloramines are evil in my next blog post….

You can find history about the use of chloramines here: http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/mdbp/pdf/alter/chapt_6.pdf

A biofilm is a complex aggregate of microorganisms growing on a solid substrate. Biofilms are usually found on solid surfaces submerged in or exposed to water or similar aqueous solution. Several types of bacteria live within the biofilm. These bacteria and microorganisms cling together to create an intricate matrix of excreted polymeric compounds. This matrix produces slime layers that protect the cells within it and facilitates communication between them through chemical and physical signals. Check out this animated video that details the multi-part process.

What problems do biofilms cause in water systems?

Biofilms in water systems can cause numerous problems including, but not limited to:

• Microbiological induced corrosion
• Spread of opportunistic bacteria, viruses, protozoa and fungi
• Formation of disinfection by-products
• Taste, odor and color problems
• Masked coliform occurrences

How can biofilm be controlled in water systems?

Blue Earth Labs’ Clearitas® product line is specifically engineered to remove the organic and inorganic matrices and attachment points that allow biofilm to thrive in various water system conditions. The Clearitas product line is Blue Earth Labs’ proprietary formulation of highly oxidized chlorine that removes organic and inorganic deposits from water pipelines and infrastructures. The hydrophobic nature of Clearitas enables it to react more strongly with the organic slime layers that protect the biofilm. All Clearitas products are NSF 60 certified and safe for use in potable water.

Clearitas is currently being used in applications extending from municipal drinking water, cooling towers and heat exchanger units to hospitals and healthcare facilities, food processing plants, agricultural enterprises and hotels and restaurants.

Cashion’s article provides insight to the overall importance of the filtration process and how the process has changed with the current importance being placed on TOC reduction and disinfection byproduct (DBP) regulations.  Mechanical applications of the filtration process for both gravity and pressure filters are examined to provide a better understanding of the importance of operations and maintenance practices for optimized performance of filtration systems.

Proper care of filtration media is discussed in depth to show the contamination issues that occur and the effects biofilm growth can have on overall water quality. A cost analysis chart shows the difference in costs between media cleaning practices verses complete media change-out and how it can become a maintenance expense rather than capital improvements.

Furthermore, practical solutions utilizing Blue Earth Labs’ chemical cleaning solutions are discussed in detail and completed case studies from three various filtration facilities are used to exemplify the cost savings of media cleaning over media change-out.

About Bob Cashion

Robert (Bob) K. Cashion is a Certified Water Technologist, he holds class IV Water & Wastewater operators licenses in several states and has been providing water & wastewater related training for over 35 years, he is the National Director of Training & Field Services for Blue Earth Labs, and is involved extensively in operations and maintenance issues of filtration systems and water quality assessment projects. He is an active member in the AWWA and NRWA and State associations. He has a BS degree in Environmental Health & Technology from Missouri Southern State University and EIT graduate at the Water & Wastewater Technical College, Neosho, MO.

About Water Online

For over 16 years, Water Online has served the water, wastewater and stormwater industries by providing a comprehensive platform where buyers and suppliers can connect, interact and share information.

A few years back, the Bellefontaine WTP began experiencing some filter media issues, which included sand compaction and cementing of the media layers. They also had packing issues in their air stripping towers. The high iron content of the city’s water was fouling the air stripper media and causing them to clump together.

Not having any prior insight of chemical cleaning, the WTP resorted to hiring a company to come on sight and remove all the filter media and air stripper packing in each unit and replace with new product in each. According to Tim Newland, Bellefontaine’s WTP Supervisor, “It was incredibly expensive, as you can probably imagine.”

In need of a more cost-effective treatment option, Newland found Blue Earth Labs (then called Floran Technologies), and decided to give chemical cleaning a chance. To his surprise it was much cheaper and less time consuming, and the cleaning procedure had effectively restored the filters and air stripping towers to previous levels of performance. After going through this process and seeing the dramatic results, the Bellefontaine WTP entered into a three-year contract to annually clean all of its air stripping towers and pressure filters.

The chemical cleaning procedure has proven to be much easier for Newland and his team as they try to maintain daily operations and decrease the amount of downtime. They have since renewed their contract with Blue Earth Labs and continue to clean their pressure filters and air stripping towers.

Overall, the Bellefontaine WTP saved an average of $25,000 per air stripping tower. Newland now believes that if any water operators have a media or packing issue, that they should get a second opinion before making the costly move to replace filter or air stripper media. “I highly recommend seeing if the team of experts from Blue Earth Labs can assist you. Like myself, you might find the time spent is money saved,” added Newland.

Read the full story and more details of Tim Newland’s experience.

Bellefontaine's air stripper media prior to cleaning

Bellefontaine's air stripper media after in-place chemical cleaning

There are several tank cleaning services available, here is an overview of the most common options.

• Pressure washing is the predominant method used by many utilities to clean and inspect tanks. Pressure washing can be effective in cleaning surface contaminates and biofilms, but cannot remove scale or the attachment points for new biofilms.  The cost to pressure wash is comparable to the cost of chemically cleaning tanks; however, pressure washing delivers significantly lower quality results. Biofilm and scale growth will reappear and chlorine demand will increase shortly after cleaning.
• Diving is a popular inspection technique that allows a utility to inspect without removing the tank from service. Services that specialize in this inspection method require significant training and certification, in addition to specialized gear. Inspection costs range from $2,500 and $5,000 depending on tank size. Cleaning is additional based on the amount of silt in the tank. Divers attempt to scrub away biofilms on tank walls, but usually cannot remove scale or calcium buildups.
• Remote operated vehicles (ROVs) are similar to divers and produce the same low quality results. Costs can range from $22,000 to $26,000 per tank.
• Sandblasting and resurfacing a tank is a last alternative in cases where corrosion forces a tank to be repaired. This process costs approximately $250 to $290 per square foot and requires high level certified tank contractors. This process is time consuming and labor intensive.
• Chemical cleaning is a cost-effective option that produces long lasting results and full removal of biolfim, scale and attachment points for new biofilm growth. Utilizing a simple spray-on/rinse-off process, chemical cleaning is just as easy as pressure washing, but provides superior results. Cleaning can typically be completed in a day’s work and the chemicals are safe for most all tank surfaces. Depending on size and location of the tanks, cleaning can be completed for $5,000 to $20,000. Lower surface-borne chlorine demand, better tank inspections and delayed re-formation of deposits are all benefits to chemical cleaning.
  

  This image shows a water storage tank after pressure washing. Notice the stains and water lines are still visible.

  

  This is the same tank after being chemically cleaned. All surface deposits and stains are removed.

Why do we find ourselves in this situation?  There can be some blame to decade old pipes, tanks and filters just wearing out. There can be some blame to our recent recession resulting in less capital to build things. Then, there’s blame for putting off the problem for a few months or years until there is money to spend. We’ve all done this, haven’t we?  However, these are municipal water systems. A few months or a year will not cause this issue. Twenty years of neglect will. Mostly, it’s the money. And politics.

Politicians control how they will be reelected with our dollars and because of this, they control how money gets spent.  They award bids to companies and individuals that support them. They allocate reserves to projects that get their picture in the paper. They grant funding to issues that get them reelected.  Here is the bad news, initiatives to improve water pipes, which are hidden from view until they break, receive far fewer votes than parking garages.  In short, water infrastructure loses to more parking spots for the F-150. Most politicians just want your water system to get a passing grade so they can build another parking garage, but when did a D- become a passing grade? We let them get away with it because we have two basic issues. First is the awareness of the effort to deliver water. Because we are an exception-based society, we tend to not notice things until they are missing.  We do not really pay attention to gas stations, until we need gas. And water is something we expect in quantity and quality, until we do not have it. We generally pay zero attention to something so present in our homes. We use thousands of gallons per month and don’t think twice about all it took to get there.

The second issue is our assignment of value. The great economist Adam Smith described this as the Diamond-Water Paradox. The paradox is based on the fact that we value diamonds, which have no intrinsic value higher than water, which we cannot live more than a few days without. The average family uses 325 gallons of water a day or about 10,000 gallons per month. In the U.S., we do not ration the water; we do not have to walk to get water; and we generally don’t even think about the water. The average cost of water is about $50.00 per month, but a diamond retails, depending on quality and size, at over $2,000 per carat. When the water shortage hits, I am betting the prices will shift closer together.

The third reason we have failing infrastructure is that people in the U.S. have been able to turn on a tap and get high quality water for so long that we have come to think it’s free. The reality is that water is free, but its purity and pressure cost money.

Here is the real message to you: pressure politicians to support the cost of fixing your water system. Do not let the city counsel trade your security and water for votes. Your water may cost more, but you will have water. I suspect that voters who insist on their water systems being sound and predictable will be able to trade their water to the people with diamonds on a straight-up basis eventually. As for me? I’d take water over diamonds any day.

- Dane Madsen, CEO

Ground water contamination is most often the result of human activities, such as incorrect use of fertilizers and pesticides; poorly sited, constructed or maintained septic systems; improper disposal or storage of wastes; and chemical spills at industrial sites.

Seventy-eight percent of public water systems in the U.S. rely on ground water sources for drinking water. This translates to nearly 90 million people. To protect the quality of ground water, the U.S. EPA has developed the Ground Water Rule which provides increased protection from microbial pathogens. The EPA has also established maximum concentration levels for several water pollutants.

Another 15 million households in the U.S. have private water wells, which are not subject to EPA regulations.  Private well owners are responsible for the integrity of their ground water. The National Ground Water Association and WellOwner.org provide many resources for well owners and helpful information for maintaining clean ground water.