Mississippi Water Treatment Plant to Use Zenon Membrane System

Jackson, Miss., will be expanding the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant using ZENON's ZeeWeed membranes. The contract is valued in excess of $15 million and will be the first immersed membrane plant in the State treating surface water.

"This system will assure that Jackson's drinking water is of the best quality," said Mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr. "We recognized the overall benefits of this technology and made the decision to purchase ZENON's immersed membrane system for the initial phase of our expansion."

According to Donald Bach, Sr. Civil Engineer at the Department of Public Works in Jackson, the city's source water contains high amounts of manganese, which is difficult to treat with most technologies. This necessitated a look at more advanced methods of treatment, specifically membrane technology.

"We looked at a number of membrane suppliers," said Bach, "and after two years of rigorous piloting and running a demonstration plant, we agreed on the superior quality and performance of ZENON's membranes. ZeeWeed was the only membrane that would work on Jackson's water without requiring a pre-sedimentation process."

In addition, to its ability to remove manganese, the ZENON membrane is a physical barrier to pathogenic organisms. With the use of ZeeWeed technology, the city will be in a better position to meet and exceed drinking water quality standards as they increase.

Construction on the project is expected to begin early 2004 and is slated for completion by the end of 2005.

Source: Zenon