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Developing Design Standards to enable the use of innovative technology in Ohio Public Water Systems

Patterson, Megan E
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1578013204387712

Abstract Details

2020, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Civil Engineering.
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses the Ten State Standards (TSS) Recommended Standards for Water Works to grant Plan Approval for capital improvement projects for public water systems (PWSs). A series of guidelines were created over 20+ years that allow Plan Approval for emerging technologies, or those which are not addressed in the TSS Recommended Standards. These guidelines typically require a bench-, pilot-, or full-scale demonstration study for Plan Approval. This method of approval creates a barrier to installation of emerging technologies that is greater for small systems than for comparable large systems due to the increased relative costs of equipment rental, shipment, PWS labor, design professional labor and analytical labor for the demonstration study. For small systems, the cost and process to gain approval can be too restrictive to implement innovative but more appropriate technologies. Examples of emerging technologies with guidelines that require a demonstration study include low-pressure membrane (LPM) filtration, dissolved-air flotation, proprietary high-rate clarification, and ballasted flocculation. The Ohio Water Resources Center (Ohio WRC) at The Ohio State University (OSU) formed a partnership with Ohio EPA and the Ohio American Water Works Association (AWWA) Technology Committee to create a framework for developing design criteria for emerging technologies that would allow them to be adopted for use by Ohio EPA as a supplement to TSS. With this framework, we developed design criteria for LPM filtration. LPM filtration is an established treatment technology with over 280 U.S. installations, each treating more than 1 million gallons per day (MGD) of surface water. To develop design criteria for LPM filtration, we identified water quality and operational components critical to predicting and maintaining water production capacity. A core advisory committee was formed of water regulators, water utility professionals, design engineers, and membrane experts. Subcommittees composed of these professionals were established to conduct iterative round table discussions for input to the core advisory committee during each step of the design criteria development process. Operating flux was identified as a critical design parameter for calculating design capacity and as a component of membrane fouling. Fouling is an expected part of membrane operation which is controlled with appropriate pretreatment and cleaning. A critical concern for providing LPM filtration design criteria was that premature irreversible fouling, defined as fouling that decreases flux capacity below its design value prior to the end of the membrane’s expected design life, should be minimized. Membrane-influent water quality parameters with significant fouling potential included turbidity, total organic carbon, dissolved iron, and dissolved manganese. We sent a technical request for information (T-RFI) to LPM manufacturers to obtain recommended product-specific flux values for two water quality bins (good and medium). Water quality outside these limits was defined as poor and will still require a pilot-scale demonstration study for Ohio EPA Plan Approval. The manufacturer recommended flux values for good and medium water quality were validated by the Ohio WRC based on data provided by the manufacturer from existing studies that included membrane feed water quality, flux, transmembrane pressure, cleaning frequency, and duration of the study. These product-specific flux values for the two set water quality limits were the heart of the design criteria provided to Ohio EPA. The use of these design criteria allows a PWS to gain Ohio EPA Plan Approval for surface water LPM filtration without the currently required pilot-scale demonstration study. This is accomplished by providing product-specific flux values for the two defined membrane-influent water quality limits at which a PWS can receive Plan Approval for a proposed LPM filtration improvement. Manufacturers whose product-specific flux value and validation data is accepted into these design criteria by Ohio EPA will be able to respond to a PWS’s pre-selection bid document prior to detail design without having to conduct a pilot-scale demonstration study. This pre-selection bid document for an actual project will likely contain additional performance requirements from the individual PWS in addition to meeting the Ohio EPA requirements. Ohio EPA intends to adopt the design criteria developed for LPM filtration as a supplement to the TSS. The framework created here to develop design criteria for an emerging technology is to be implemented for subsequent emerging technologies.
Linda Weavers (Advisor)
Zuzana Bohrerova (Committee Member)
Timothy Wolfe (Committee Member)
Allison MacKay (Committee Member)
John Lenhart (Committee Member)
110 p.
Civil Engineering; Environmental Engineering
emerging; technology; design; criteria; membrane; filtration

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Patterson, M. E. (2020). Developing Design Standards to enable the use of innovative technology in Ohio Public Water Systems [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1578013204387712

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Patterson, Megan. Developing Design Standards to enable the use of innovative technology in Ohio Public Water Systems. 2020. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1578013204387712.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Patterson, Megan. "Developing Design Standards to enable the use of innovative technology in Ohio Public Water Systems." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1578013204387712

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1578013204387712
423
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