Retrofitting an Aging Membrane Filtration Plant

The Oden Water Association had an existing media filtration plant treating Oden Bay Water, a bay area off Lake Pend Oreille near Sand Point, Idaho. In 1999 they decided to replace the media filtration with ultrafiltration, which worked well for about 10 years. Then, after a membrane replacement in 2008, they experienced unexpectedly high levels of fiber breakages. The utility attempted to work with the manufacturer over the next few years, but were dissatisfied with the service and product. They elected to pursue the retrofit and expansion of their plant in 2011. This paper will present the information on the evaluation process the utility and their consultants developed, and then the subsequent design, construction and start-up of the retrofit and expansion project. A partial “open platform” approach was used, to enable more purchasing flexibility in the future. The plant was completed in 2103 and has operated reliably since then. The paper will present interesting aspects of the project related to the “open platform” approach as well as the challenges of working in an existing facility that must remain operational throughout the construction.

This presentation is available to AMTA Members only.