Tonka Water is Hiring!

Looking for a highly technical job in a green industry?  The water industry directly contributes to the quality of life for communities everywhere.  Tonka Water has been in the business of blending technology and service to provide safe, clean drinking water for communities for over 56 years, and has a consistent track record of growth and new product development.  Tonka Water has designed and manufactured customized water treatment and water conservation solutions for more than 2200 water systems in operation throughout the US and abroad which provide the quality water millions of people need every day.  Tonka Water has several open positions.  For more information, visit the specific job posting or our careers page.

• Principal or Senior Application Engineer
• Applications Specialist - Controls

President's Corner: Introducing Tonka Water

by Tom Davis

As a leader in the design and manufacture of customized water treatment systems since 1956, we are proud to announce our change in name from Tonka Equipment Company to Tonka Water. This change is part of a larger rebranding effort to emphasize our commitment to the water treatment industry, and reflects the continued growth and evolution of our company.

We pride ourselves on our ability to provide quality systems with innovative technology solutions to meet a wide variety of water needs, and so we needed to create a name and associated brand that tells our story and sets us apart. We’re proud to be Tonka Water with a new name and image that speaks to our historical roots while emphasizing our core competencies.

Innovation Through Pilot Testing

by Pete Betts

A Tonka Water pilot study can provide the answers a city needs for a unique full-scale process design or state regulatory approval.  Tonka Water’s pilot capabilities include on-site bench testing, preliminary assessment testing, performance testing and process equipment simulation for the removal of contaminants.  Tonka Water pilots test new and innovative products, processes and technologies to remove unwanted contaminants.

Every pilot study is treated differently and with its own custom equipment solution.  Tonka Water’s complete systems can be crated and shipped to be erected on-site for all applications and includes necessary chemical feed systems.  Some demonstrations require less than one week or as long as your program requires.  Pilot trailers are fully equipped and available for remote sites and/or to meet any spacing constraints.

Mining Technology

by Mark Machacek, PE

The mining industry continues to play a vital role in the development of natural resources.  Assisting the industry with its mining treatment needs is a role that Tonka Water has played since the early 1980’s, providing process solutions for discharge compliance to USEPA standards in northern Minnesota, as well as contaminant removal systems and waste treatment for large industrial projects throughout the United States.

With a wide variety of equipment solutions, Tonka Water can assist the mining industry to increase future productivity while complying with all environmental regulations.  Our treatment solutions include metal removal and recovery; contaminant treatment and removal, acid mine waste treatment, discharge treatment or reuse applications and potable water production. 

Ravi Shankar, Tonka Water’s mining representative in Canada, believes the mining industry will be an ever-increasing market for water treatment processes as more complex and demanding mining operations develop. 

Customer Service: Water Hammer: What is it & How to Avoid it?

by Jeff Emerson

The sound of a loud, abrupt knocking or booming vibration of the piping is caused by an immediate increase in pressure from the liquid either changing direction or velocity.   

There are many common causes of a water hammer.  First, being when a valve is opened or closed too quickly. This creates shockwaves that move back and forth through the pipes. The waves move backward until they hit a solid obstacle, then forward to the next obstacle and repeat until the pressure is equalized. Other situations include the movement of air pockets in a pipe, in which air is compressed in low spots and carried through the pipeline and expand in high spots, causing pressure variation.  A quick pump startup can also cause a water hammer by inducing the collapse of an empty space downstream.

If left unresolved a water hammer can cause damage to the pipeline and other components.  Solutions to control a water hammer include: locating the source, appropriate startup and shutdown procedures, adjusting speed control valves, the installation of pressure relief valves and air release valves and the use of equipment such as air chambers or expansion tanks.

Ion Exchange Softening and Oxidative Ion Exchange Treatment: Arcadia, FL

by John Berrigan, Jr. PE

Arcadia, Florida chose dual-stage ion exchange treatment to address hardness, radium, sulfide and TOC. The treatment process removes hardness and radium through ion exchange softening. The second stage converts the sulfide to sulfate while adsorbing natural organic matter (NOM) on regenerable ion exchange media.