Alcoa’s staff is exploring ways to enhance service as some of the equipment generating the city’s water supply nears the end of its lifespan. City commissioners have given staff the go-ahead for a study on updating the materials that filter the water in residents’ taps.
The study, which will cost about $10,000 monthly until completed, will tell city staff whether it’s a good idea to update the city’s membrane water filtration system with a newer ceramic system. Benefits include a more efficient, hardier system and room to accommodate the city’s future growth.
City commissioners approved the study in a June 11 meeting.
Materials
Shane Snoderly, director of public works and engineering for Alcoa, said the system city staff are looking at is an update to keep with the times. He said that the city updated its filtration system from sand to membrane filters — a system that traps sediment and even some bacteria in microscopic holes in its layers — around 2007. Those filters last about 10 years, although the city eked 11 out of its first set.
Replacing the membrane filters in 2018 cost over $3.14 million. That means the city still has a few years left on its second set of membrane filters, but Snoderly said now is the time to begin planning for the future. Alcoa is the largest water provider in the county, and the city needs to think about demand years down the road.
New technology could offer a solution.
“These are basically ceramic plates,” said Snoderly in a phone interview. “They’re a newer technology that’s starting to catch on with a better absorption rate, and they’re more robust and not as subject to wear and tear like plastic ones.”
A full set of ceramic filters comes with a 20-year warranty, he said and could last as long as 30 years. It also comes with much higher flow rates, meaning the city could adjust its capacity to help neighboring utilities as needed.
Water treatment plant staff would also be able to keep one of the facility’s six filtration tanks offline, making it easier to clean and maintain the system and keep the plant in good condition.
Prices
All those benefits, however, come with a steep price tag. A full set of ceramic filters could set the city back about $6 million, although staff won’t know the real cost until the study is done. The good news for the city is the current setup should take minimal modifications to adapt to ceramics, making the proposed system “plug and play.”
Snoderly said the price for ceramic filters might be higher, but their longer lifespan makes them an ideal fit, especially if the city can split up the cost. A briefing presented to commissioners before their vote states that staff hope to begin spreading the cost out next year.
Snoderly is also excited about the potential energy savings. After installing a more efficient chlorine generation system earlier this year, the higher flow rate of the ceramic material could mean the plant will burn less electricity pulling water through the filters.
“If I don’t have to run as many pumps, that’s money I’m not spending,” Snoderly said.
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