The City of Albany, New York is implementing a water quality enhancement program at its uncovered finished water storage facility, Loudonville Reservoir, including a 40-mgd ultraviolet disinfection (UV) facility and a 20 million gallon covered storage facility. The City is undertaking this program in anticipation of the proposed LT2ESWTR and disinfection byproduct regulations and to supplement the existing chlorination system and enhance water quality. The facility is designed to take into account bi-directional flow through the UV units and large flow variations. The first phase of the improvements is installation of four 10-mgd UV reactors. Water will flow through the UV facility during both fill and draw cycles of the reservoir. The UV units will be controlled based upon both flow rate and direction of flow. The UV system is designed for a constant state of readiness to deliver disinfected water to distribution. Phase I is scheduled for a late 2002 startup. The second phase of the project consists of the construction of a 20 million gallon covered storage facility at the Loudonville site. The covered storage facility will provide the City with sufficient storage to meet diurnal requirements. The uncovered storage will remain and UV treatment will be used only during periods when water is drawn from uncovered storage. The new covered storage will also provide chlorine contact time for water drawn from uncovered storage. This paper details the complexities and challenges of using UV disinfection taking into account bi-directional flow and the future change in operations when covered storage is implemented. Demonstration of the successful implementation of this technology there, and the lessons learned will provide a significant contribution to the industry. Includes tables, figures.
