The City of Norman will keep a water well fitted with an elaborate arsenic removal apparatus in the eastern part of the city up and running after a yearlong demonstration proved the technology lowers levels of the poisonous metalloid in a cost-effective manner.
Michael Graves, an engineer with Garver Engineers of Norman, shared the news during the city's water forum Thursday night as he discussed the findings of an arsenic removal demonstration that had recently been completed at city-owned Well No. 31, located at Porter Avenue and Tecumseh Road.
During Tuesday's Norman City Council meeting, the council will be asked to approve the purchase of the treatment equipment for $125,000.
During its demonstration period, the well produced about 75 million gallons of water and generated $155,000 in revenue for the city.
Graves said once the equipment and start-up costs are removed, the cost of removing the arsenic from the well water ($1.11 per 1,000 gallons of water) is comparable to the cost of treating water at the Lake Thunderbird water treatment plant (94 cents).
In 2006, the city lost 14 of its wells fed by the Garber-Wellington aquifer when the Environmental Protection Agency lowered what were considered acceptable levels of arsenic in drinking water. The loss of those sites dropped the City of Norman's well water production by 50 percent, city documents show, paving the way for the arsenic removal demonstration.
During a January study session at City Hall, when Graves presented his findings to members of council, Utilities Director Ken Komiske said as arsenic removal technologies improve, the wells become even more of an asset, adding that each one is worth "about $200,000."
Komiske said the city will keep looking at supply alternatives as the price of water continues upward and its availability moves downward.
"We have the wells; we should use them," Komiske said. "It would be a shame to throw them away."
Graves said the removal system uses granular ferric oxide to attract arsenic as it passes through three 6-foot by 5-foot tanks. The granular media, he said, is safe to dispose of in landfills once it becomes too saturated with arsenic to effectively remove it from the underground water.
Andrew Knittle 366-3540 aknittle@normantranscript.com
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City moving on arsenic removal technologies
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