Water Treatment

Maine’s water district to use Evoqua’s activated carbon system

The Kennebunkport & Wells Water District (KKWD) of  Kennebunkport in Maine, US, has announced its plans to remove perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) from its water source using Evoqua Water Technologies’ Activated Carbon System.

PFOS is a chemical used in manufacturing products as it has stain-resistant, waterproof and/or nonstick properties; however, this man-made chemical is not safe for consumption beyond a permissible level. Kennebunk River Well (KRW) was found to contain PFOS and PFOA at levels of 50 parts-per-trillion (ppt) in 2016. Even though the well had less than the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recommended combined limit of 70 ppt, KRW officials decided to not use the well unless treated and closed it as a precautionary measure.

KKWD has chosen Evoqua’s patented AquaCarb 1230CX, which is an enhanced coconut-based carbon, along with Evoqua’s HP1220SYS high-pressure liquid-phase adsorption system. Scheduled to come online and treat water in time to meet peak demand in summer, this system will be installed at the well site in Kennebunkport, Maine.

KKWD superintendent Norm Labbe said: “Our initial goal was that if we couldn’t continuously reach non-detect levels of both PFAS and PFOA, we would still produce drinking water with levels below that of any regulated limit anywhere in the nation. Our goal now is to continuously produce drinking water with non-detect levels. With Evoqua’s lead-lag system we should have no problem.”