The water level in this superfund site pit is getting dangerously close to affecting the neighboring town’s drinking water supply.
A two-stage high-density sludge (HDS) water treatment plant was planned to pre-treat the low-pH, high-metals and sulphate content water before sending a portion of it to the existing reverse osmosis (RO) plant for polishing and then the combined flow to the environment. The selected flow rate must be functional during two stages: pit water level reduction, and maintenance.
Unique Challenges
Several unique challenges had to be overcome: would antiscalant used in the RO plant prohibit recirculating brine to the head of the plant? How much calcium carbonate and gypsum would drop out in the HDS plant and how much could be accommodated by the RO membranes before scale build-up occurred?
Location: Butte, Montana, USA
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