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Since the discovery of perchlorate contamination in a number of California groundwaters in1997, it has been detected in many other locations across the country. The United StatesEnvironmental Protection Agency (USEPA) estimates that groundwaters in 40 states have thepotential to be contaminated with perchlorate, and actual drinking water contamination with thischemical has been documented in approximately half of them. Perchlorate (ClO4-) appears to belinked to the historical manufacturing, usage, or processing of ammonium perchlorate(NH4ClO4), a solid rocket fuel. In March 1998, the USEPA formally added perchlorate to thedrinking water contaminant candidate list (CCL). Its monitoring in drinking water supplies wasmandated in 1999 under the Unregulated Contaminants Monitoring Rule (UCMR). The primaryconcerns over perchlorate toxicity include its known adverse effect on the thyroid gland, as wellas possible carcinogenic, developmental, reproductive, and immunotoxic effects.As a collaborative effort between MWH and the University of Houston, the two primaryobjectives of this on-going research are to:demonstrate the long-term performance of conventional ion-exchange technology forperchlorate removal; and,evaluate three disparate alternatives (chemical, biological, electrolytic) for brine treatmentand reuse.While addressing these objectives, the underlying requirement of the pilot-scale system is toensure that the treated water perchlorate concentration remains below the recently loweredCalifornia Department of Public Health Services perchlorate Advisory Action Level of 4 ug/L. Includes tables, figures.

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Edition: Vol. - No. Published: 06/15/2003 Number of Pages: 8File Size: 1 file , 680 KB