AWWA ACE60080

Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) is located in Southern California, a semi-arid area with limitedwater resources. IRWD and their project partner Orange County Water District (OCWD) have made acommitment to implement reverse osmosis and air stripping technologies to clean up the Irvine subbasinand develop a new water supply for the area.The Irvine Desalter Project (IDP) will extract and treat groundwater to:develop a local water supply;intercept, contain, and treat groundwater with high concentrations of salts (TDS) and nitrates; and,accept and treat for volatile organic compounds (VOC) removal contaminated groundwater fromthe former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.IDP is composed of two separate components: a non-potable system which treats VOC contaminatedgroundwater and a potable system which treats groundwater from wells located outside the VOCplume. The potable system uses reverse osmosis (RO) to remove TDS and nitrates. The non-potablesystem treats VOC contaminated water using RO and air stripping with granulated activated carbon(GAC) off-gas treatment.Typical of most inland desalting projects, brine disposal is a major challenge. Downstream wastewatertreatment plants do not want to accept the brine due to its high salt content. IRWD is currentlyanalyzing alternative disposal options including construction of a regional brine line to a nearby oceanoutfall.The completed project will not only halt the spread of contaminated groundwater but will also providea new, local, cost-effective water supply. This paper outlines the steps IRWD and OCWD have takento make this project a reality. Details are provided on:pilot testing;full scale treatment plant design;project costs; and,project funding. Includes tables, figures.

Product Details

Edition:

Vol. - No.

Published:

06/17/2004

Number of Pages:

19

File Size:

1 file , 1.4 MB