TMWA And WaterStart Announce Collaboration To Evaluate New Technology For Identifying Contaminants Through Pilot Program

One of Nevada’s statewide resources for water utilities, WaterStart, recently reached an agreement with Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) who has begun a pilot program to evaluate the performance of the biottta system for identifying contaminants that can be found in wells such as nitrate and arsenic.

The announcement comes following the completion of WaterStart’s request for proposal process and several meetings between WaterStart, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), and TMWA.

“We are looking forward to working with Truckee Meadows Water Authority to identify large-scale solutions to challenges in water treatment throughout Nevada,” said WaterStart Executive Director Nate Allen. “If successful, this could lead to the design and construction of many treatment facilities across the state, which means more job opportunities and, more importantly, can improve the ability of Nevada’s water utilities to provide a ready supply of high-quality water.”

“Obviously as a desert-based water utility we are always looking for ways to both increase and improve the sources of water available to our customers,” said TMWA Director of Operations and Water Quality Andy Gebhardt. "Working with WaterStart and the Carollo/AdEdge team will give us a chance to test a cutting-edge methodology for the removal of nitrates should we encounter them. The beauty of the biottta system—and the reason we are so interested in it—is that it literally destroys the nitrates through a biological process that produces only a fraction of the waste byproducts you would get from a conventional process such as reverse osmosis. Our hope is that it will provide a cleaner, less-expensive treatment solution in the instances that we need it. In the end, that will be better for our customers,” concluded Gebhardt.

“The plan to grow operations in Nevada is advantageous for AdEdge, as a significant percentage of our installations are located within an eight-hour drive to the state,” said AdEdge Water Technologies CEO Rich Cavagnaro. “As we grow our west coast operations, we are excited to build new relationships with local partners in Nevada and use the state as a platform for introducing new innovative water treatment technologies in the United States.”

Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., AdEdge specializes in the design, development, fabrication and supply of packaged treatment solutions, specialty medias and innovative technologies that aim to remove contaminants from process or aqueous streams.

“We are excited to help TMWA enhance groundwater supplies in their Spanish Springs service area as well as advance WaterStart’s mission to increase economic development by advancing cutting-edge water technologies in Nevada,” said Carollo Engineers Nevada Operations Manager Keli Callahan.

The innovative technology of the biottta system utilizes a low-energy system that eliminates contaminants rather than concentrating it, achieving water recover rates greater than 96 percent. The system can also remove multiple contaminants in a single reactor without having multiple add-on units.

About WaterStart
WaterStart operates in a region of proven first adopters, sitting at the nexus of technology, research and economic development. WaterStart provides channels for innovation for various stakeholders and water resource managers; including: technology companies, management agencies and policy makers and provides services ranging from commercialization funding to business development. As it continues to bring together strategic resources and expertise, its core mission will create quality job growth and help diversify the economy of the region. For more information, visit www.waterstart.com.

About Truckee Meadows Water Authority
Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) is a public authority providing water services in the Truckee Meadows of Washoe County in Northern Nevada, which serves more than 330,000 residents. The Authority provides a wide range of water services to households and businesses within its service area, ranging from potable water residential service, to irrigation, non-potable water and fire protection services.

About Ad Edge Water Technologies
Founded in 2002 and headquartered just north of Atlanta, Georgia, AdEdge Water Technologies specializes in the design, development, fabrication, and supply of packaged treatment solutions, specialty medias, innovative technologies, and membranes that remove contaminants from process or aqueous streams.

About Carollo Engineers
At Carollo Engineers, water is our focus, our business, and our passion. For more than 80 years, Carollo has provided a full range of innovative planning, design and construction management services to meet the water and wastewater needs of municipalities, public agencies, private developers and industrial firms. For more information, visit www.carollo.com.