Enabling THM Control At The Badger Filtration Plant Using The AMS THM-100 Analyzer

By Timothy Bailey and Cor Shaffer

The R.E. Badger Filtration Plant is a 40 MGD Conventional Filtration plant that treats water for the Southern California cities of Rancho Santa Fe, Encinitas, Solana Beach and Fairbanks Ranch. Built in 1970 the treatment plant treats water from local sources as well as imported water from the San Diego County Water Authority aqueduct raw water lines. The local sources (San Dieguito Reservoir and Lake Hodges) consist of local runoff and are consistently challenging sources to treat compared to the imported source. Because of the relatively large watershed and high nutrient loading found in these sources, both are subject to large algae blooms, lake turn-over and high turbidity during rainfall events. These events subject the treatment plant to difficulties ranging from shortened filter run times, chemical demand fluctuations, taste and odor problems associated with 2-Methylisoborneol (MIB) and Geosmin compounds, high Disinfection By-Products (DBPs) resulting from high levels of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC), all of which result in higher treatment costs and lower customer satisfaction.