Treatability Index Provides Operational Guidelines

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Treatability Index Provides Operational Guidelines

• By Pam Benskin Kevin Linder
• City of Aurora, CO

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OVERVIEW

• Where we started

• The Challenge

• Our Answer - The Treatability Index

• How it Works

• How it can work for you

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Where We Started

• Lab performing lots of analysis on source water
  quality

• Data not being translated into an operational
  tool

• We needed to make the connection

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Utilities confront a common problem

• Laboratories perform a multitude of analyses
• Data is complex and awkward
• Data generated rarely reaches the operators until
  after the measured water parameters have changed.

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The Challenge

• Utilities face the challenge of getting relevant
  laboratory data on source water quality to the
  operators in a timely, concise, and
  understandable format.

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Existing Indices werent the ticket

• Existing technical descriptions of source water
  quality, do not relate quality level to
  treatability.
• Trophic State Index (TSI), is a tool to indicate
  the overall condition of lakes or reservoirs.
  This index does not take into account many
  parameters, (such as problematic algae species),
  that may affect treatment.

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What We Did

• The city of Aurora, CO, water utility staff
  investigated the issue of timely transfer of
  relevant data from the laboratory to the
  operators.

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Our Goal

• Improve and increase usage of valuable,
  underused data generated in the laboratory to
  help optimize plant performance.

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We explored several options

• Giving operators copies of algal enumeration
• This data provided limited insight because algal
  biomass is not reflected in an algae count, and
  if an operator isnt familiar with algae
  identification, the data could be confusing.

• Giving operators chlorophyll-a values
• -This data reflects total algal biomass, but
  does not address the presence of individual
  problematic species of algae.

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Back to the drawing board

• Finding that none of the indices we investigated
  served our purpose, operations and laboratory
  personnel collaborated to develop a tool that
  considered many source water parameters that
  affect treatment.

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Our Objective

• Combine the effects of all these variables

• Present the information in a format that is

• Comprehensive

• Easy to understand

• Timely

• Concise

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Our Answer

• The tool we developed is called the Treatability
  Index.

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How It Works

• Define parameters with lab and operational staff

• Parameters need to be measured in a timely manner

• Determine relative weight of parameters

• Develop effective format

• Collect data

• Generate report

• Distribute to operators

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Define Parameters Important To Your Treatment
Process

• Our important parameters are

• Algae

• Chlorophyll-a

• Ortho-Phosphate

• UV-254

• Mn Fe

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Weigh Parameters

• Weigh the parameters according to relevance to
  treatment
• Produce two numbers relating treatability
• one number addresses taste and odor (TO),
• the other reflects filter clogging (FC)
  tendencies.

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Ranges and weights
Parameters of concern
Scoring
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Ensure Parameters Can Be Measured in a Timely
Manner

• Find methods that allow for quick determination
  of parameter levels
• Example- We use HACH methods, (rather than
  waiting for atomic absorption results), to
  determine the level of Fe and Mn in our source
  water.

• Set a goal to summarize the data within 48 hours
  of sampling

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Develop Format

• Easy to read

• Pictures and diagrams

• Comments section

• Try to keep it to one page

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How It Looks
Index value
Gate data
Parameters of Concern
comments
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Operations staff use this information to

• Decide which source to use
• Change withdrawal gates
• Prepare treatment for potential TO problems.

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Ideal Scenarios for Treatability Index

• Wildfire burn area in watershed

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Ideal Scenarios for Treatability Index
Drought
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How it Works - Burn in Watershed Scenario
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Results

• We immediately saw results

• Quantitative data to operators to make solid
  source decisions

• Improved and increased communication between lab
  and operations

• Forces timely review of data so important
  changes do not go undetected

• Learning tool

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TI is flexible

• The real beauty of the TI is the flexibility it
  allows any user.
• Individual utilities can change and modify the
  weighting and parameters as required for their
  system.

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Keys to success

• Synergize

• Identify the parameters that are most problematic

• Weigh parameters according to their impact on
  treatment

• Measure parameters in a timely manner

• Re-evaluate parameters regularly for relevance

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CONCLUSION

• Lots of data not being utilized for optimization

• We faced the challenge of getting this data to
  operations in a manner that is beneficial

• Treatability Index - Qualitative as well as
  Quantitative

• How to make it work for you