Modesto Irrigation District Selects Memcor Submerged Membrane Filtration System for 36 MGD Water Treatment Plant Expansion
Warrendale, Pa., August 28, 2006 - The Modesto Irrigation District (MID) in Modesto, California, has chosen Siemens Water Technologies to provide a 36-million-gallon-per-day (MGD) water treatment plant as part of an expansion of the Modesto Regional Water Treatment Plant and the City's water distribution and storage system. The plant will incorporate Memcor,® submerged membrane filtration technology.
MID currently owns and operates a 36-MGD water treatment plant that uses conventional treatment technology. Completed in 1995, the plant produces roughly one-half of the City's drinking water. Surface water from the Tuolumne River is diverted through two earthen reservoirs and open canals. The water is treated and then blended with groundwater within the project distribution area. Recently, the City of Modesto - MID's retail partner - closed nearly a dozen wells to comply with current public health regulations. These closures, coupled with growth in the region, prompted the need to increase current water treatment capacity.
MID and the City decided they needed to double the capacity of the water treatment plant, and they evaluated innovative technologies that would cost-effectively supply high-quality, dependable drinking water. MID and engineering firm Black & Veatch worked with Siemens Water Technologies on a solution. A pilot test using Memcor,® CS submerged membrane filtration technology demonstrated the benefits of membrane filtration in terms of water quality and cost.
"We piloted the submerged membranes for one and a half years to make sure we would be comfortable choosing this technology over conventional treatment," says Pat Ryan, MID's Water Treatment Plant Manager. "We ultimately chose membranes for three reasons: They provide a significant barrier to pathogens, whereas conventional treatment can be subject to upsets. They have a lower overall 20-year life cycle cost compared to conventional. And, they conserve space."
Says Black & Veatch Vice President Ron Henderson, "The biggest driver for MID was having a regulatory safety net. Membrane technology ensures that they will be in compliance now and well into the future."
The Memcor CS submerged membrane system offers many advantages over conventional media filtration, including superior water quality (physical barrier providing greater than 4-log removal of Cryptosporidium and Giardia), a smaller footprint, chemical reduction or elimination, and in-situ membrane integrity testing with minimal operator intervention. The result is the highest quality drinking water at the lowest life cycle cost.
Construction of the new Modesto plant is scheduled to begin in June 2007. The plant is expected to go online in November 2008.
