No Wizardry In ‘Emerald City's' Dramatic Water Quality Improvement

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•Case Study: No Wizardry In ‘Emerald City's' Dramatic Water Quality Improvement

By Ali Giti

There is no Yellow Brick Road leading to South Carolina's "Emerald City." But residents of Greenwood, SC, would say that, like its mythical namesake, the city has plenty to offer, including the green landscape that earned Greenwood its nickname. The town of 22,400 residents has seen diversification in its business base in recent years — expanding from a largely railroad- and textile-driven economy to become the home of the South Carolina Biotechnology Incubation Program, the Greenwood Genetics Center, and other thriving businesses.

One particular point of pride is the city's commitment to delivering superior water quality to area residents. This commitment was recognized in 2006 when the town's utility became only the fourth U.S. water utility ever to receive a Phase IV Excellence in Water Treatment award from the Partnership for Safe Water.

A recent demonstration of the city's commitment to water quality is the new water disinfection system at the local W.R. Wise Water Treatment Plant. In 2006, the Greenwood Commissioners of Public Works approved installation of a system that improved water quality, significantly reduced total trihalomethanes and haloacetic acid levels, improved chloramine levels in the distribution system, and produced operational cost savings, among other benefits. A key component of the system conversion was an on-site sodium hypochlorite generation system.

The decision to undertake the conversion project at the Wise Plant was driven by the result of a vulnerability assessment in 2002. Based on assessment recommendations, the utility undertook planning for an alternative disinfection strategy throughout the plant to enable the facility to further ensure operator and community safety, reduce training for hazmat and personal protective equipment, and meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations for disinfection byproducts (DBPs). These regulations no longer allowed the use of free chlorine as the plant's primary disinfectant.

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•Case Study: No Wizardry In ‘Emerald City's' Dramatic Water Quality Improvement