Glendale Water & Power (GWP) has started construction on two new chromium 6 water treatment and testing facilities. This phase of testing at the Glendale Water Treatment Plant is a critical part of an ongoing research project that will benefit cities and water agencies faced with chromium 6 in their water supplies.

Hexavalent chromium was detected in the year 2000 in the ground water supplies in the San Fernando Valley due primarily to past industry practices relative to disposal of industrial waste products. The San Fernando Valley ground water is a source of drinking water supply for the cities of Los Angeles, Burbank and Glendale. Glendale Water & Power owns and maintains eight wells in the San Fernando Basin that have varying amounts of hexavalent chromium.

Peter Kavounas, Assistant General Manager of Water Services for GWP says Glendale has taken a leadership role in this effort. “The Glendale City Council has been concerned with any significant chromium 6 in its water supplies even though the City’s water meets all federal and State drinking water regulations,” says Kavounas. “The City’s goal is to not only to find a solution to local water quality issues, but to produce results that are applicable to other communities desiring to remove chromium 6 from their drinking water supplies.” Based on the results of recent research, indications are that the State may lower the acceptable chromium 6 levels in the future.

Working with Congressman Adam Schiff’s office in 2002, GWP embarked on a three phase study to develop technologies to remove chromium 6 from drinking water supplies. The first two phases of the project consisted of bench testing at the University of Boulder and pilot testing at the City’s water treatment plant and well site. These two phases have been completed and Glendale is now in phase 3, the construction of the demonstration scale facilities.

In the latest phase of testing, the two facilities known as the Weak Base Anion (WBA) and the Reduction Coagulation Filtration (RCF) treatment plants will test and treat a total of 525 gallons of water per minute and pump the water through the City’s water system to the different reservoirs that deliver water to GWP customers. The facilities are scheduled for completion in late August of this year, followed by a significant start-up phase before delivering the water to the public.

Kavounas added that the importance of this research accounts for the significant contribution by federal, state, and other agencies. The demonstration facilities are funded primarily from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from three grants provided by Congressman Schiff and Senator Boxer, State of California, American WaterWorks Research Foundation, and San Fernando Valley Industry. The cost of the overall research effort is about $5 million. Funding from the state was recently withdrawn because of the State’s financial problems but we anticipate reinstatement in the future.

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