In August 2011, AdEdge Water Technologies LLC was contacted by White Horse Youth Ranch to provide an arsenic and TDS (total dissolved solids) removal system for its facility in Las Vegas. White Horse Youth Ranch offers underprivileged children in Clark County, Nev., the opportunity to find peace and tranquility in their lives through learning how to care for and ride a horse. The existing water system consisted of one well feeding into a centralized distribution system with a maximum capacity of 28 gal per minute (gpm). The raw water has a TDS concentration of 3,680 mg/L, well above the World Health Organization’s (WHO) standard of 1000 mg/L. Due to the high TDS concentration, the horses were getting sick and were forced to move off the facility’s grounds. The high TDS concentration also created problems with the appliances onsite clogging and running inefficiently. In addition to the high TDS, the site also had an arsenic concentration of 28 parts per billion (ppb), well above the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 ppb enforced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Treatment System
The AdEdge treatment system features a skid-mounted reverse osmosis (RO) unit sized for a maximum design flow of 28 gpm. Water is pumped from the well into a 120-gal hydropneumatic tank that controls well pump pressure and pressure to the RO system. An AdEdge AD-IN chemical feed module using an anti-scalant via an in-line injection is introduced into the water to remove any scalable materials that could clog the membrane prior to the RO system. Water then flows into a sediment filter to remove any organics before reaching the reverse osmosis system. The model ADRO4-1L-6H consists of six 4-ft-by-40-ft membranes. The treated water flows to a 3,000-gal storage tank before going to distribution. A control panel is fully integrated into the treatment package to automate functions of the RO system.
Performance
The system was started up and began operation in October 2011. Since the system began operation, the arsenic level has dropped from 28 ppb to an undetectable level. The TDS concentration was reduced from 3,680 mg/L to 500 mg/L, well below the WHO standard of 1,000 mg/L.
Richard Cavagnaro Jr. is marketing coordinator for AdEdge Water Technologies LLC. Cavagnaro can be reached at [email protected] or 866.823.3343.
