Borough of Ramsey
Arsenic and PFAS Water Treatment System
Ramsey, NJ
Six customized containerized arsenic treatment systems were manufactured, delivered, and installed as water treatment upgrades to existing wells. Two of the six containerized systems also remove PFAS to non-detect levels via ion exchange vessels to meet the NJDEP newly issued MCLs.
The Borough of Ramsey utilizes groundwater wells for drinking water supply. Some of these wells incorporate a proprietary treatment system that uses packaged zirconium oxide media filters to remove arsenic from the water. In the fall of 2018, the treatment equipment manufacturer informed Ramsey that they were stopping production of the media filters immediately. Ramsey retained us to quickly identify an alternative arsenic treatment system that could be designed, permitted, and installed at six well sites within 18 months before Ramsey ran out of filters.
The configuration of the existing arsenic treatment equipment and media did not allow for a simple change out to an alternative media. Consequently, a completely new arsenic treatment system needed to be designed and installed at each well site. Each site has unique challenges and design considerations, including restricted land space and environmental restrictions. One well is situated in a highway interchange loop, another is partially located in a protected wetland area, others are in dense residential neighborhoods, and several are located in flood hazard areas. Faced with these realities and an incredibly tight timeline, Ramsey relied on our rationale and design criteria to pre-purchase six custom containerized treatment systems that could be quickly manufactured, factory tested, and delivered to each site for installation and hookup by a general contractor.
While gathering detailed water quality data for design of the treatment systems, Ramsey discovered PFOA concentrations in two of the six wells at levels near the 14 ppt MCL proposed by the State of New Jersey. PFOA is one of many PFAS substances receiving intense focus due to health concerns. The treatment system design for these two wells was expanded to include ion exchange resin for the removal of PFOA to non-detect levels.
In early summer 2019, Ramsey received a treatment permit from the NJDEP for the project, including one of the first of its kind for an ion exchange PFAS treatment system in New Jersey. Manufacture of the six custom containerized treatment systems were publicly bid in July 2019 and the project was awarded in August 2019. All six containerized units have been installed and operational since the summer of 2021.
