07.30.25 -- The Chemistry Of A Bloom: What Water Tests Reveal About Toxic Algae

Whether a water treatment plant (WTP) is evaluating a new granular activated carbon (GAC) solution to deal with contamination problems such as PFAS, DBPs, and VOCs or looking to enhance existing GAC performance, it is important to assess treatment processes in the full context of source water quality. Here are some ideas to help decision-makers achieve the best outcomes at the lowest total lifecycle cost.

Municipal water utilities throughout the U.S. are increasingly grappling with the need to address PFAS once they are detected in source water. Because standards are a moving target while treatment options are limited and can represent a massive expense, addressing PFAS can be especially challenging for small water systems. The key to finding an optimal solution requires a thorough investigation of the available options.

Everyone wants good-tasting water, but most water treatment plants (WTPs) are hostages to the composition of their local source water supplies. One of the components involved in taste is total dissolved solids (TDS), which can affect both the acceptability of finished water taste and its likelihood to corrode or clog pipes and fixtures. Here’s how to quantify the problem and what to do about it if it is excessive.

Years of evolving chemical complexity, industrial operations, and short-sighted disposal methods have taken a toll on groundwater sources. The lowering of maximum contaminant levels (MCL) for contaminants such as chromium and the drilling of new wells into different geologic structures add to source water pressures.