WRT Kicks Off Operations In Wisconsin With Award-Winning Radium-Removal System In Brookfield

Brookfield, WI - Water Remediation Technology, LLC, (WRT) has begun operations of its first water treatment system in Wisconsin to remove select contaminants from drinking water sources. WRT will use its award-winning system to remove radium from two water wells in Brookfield, Wis., under a 20-year contract between the company and the city, which is located approximately 10 miles west of Milwaukee. It will remove the radioactive contaminant to a level below EPA requirements, ensuring that the city has safe drinking water.

“We looked at several different technologies that could suit our needs,” said Tom Grisa, director of public works for the city of Brookfield. “WRT’s process was cost-effective, was much easier to control and much more stable than the others. For us, it was an easy choice.”

WRT will also be responsible for the environmentally safe handling and removal of the radium from the treatment site to a licensed facility, preventing future contamination in Brookfield. The installation of WRT’s system in Brookfield was awarded the 2007 Environmental Project of the Year for projects under $2 million by the Wisconsin section of the American Public Works Association.

In March, the Wisconsin Department of Health & Family Services issued a new radioactive material license to WRT, allowing the company to remove radium and uranium from drinking water in the state.

The current radium concentration in the wells is roughly 7 pCi/L (Pico curies per liter). The EPA’s guidelines allow for a maximum radium presence of only 5 pCi/L. According to the EPA, radium can be found in soil, water and food at low concentrations naturally, but if consumed over a period of time, the radioactive material could lead to health problems.

The two wells, part of 22 that supply water to some 30,000 residents in Brookfield, will pump roughly 1,100 gallons per minute. About 3.8 million gallons of water are pumped from the wells every day.

SOURCE: WRT - Water Remediation Technology