Radium Removal in Seneca, Illinois

by Gary Warner

Tonka Equipment Company

It’s a fact that contaminants exist, but there are some places where they cannot be allowed.

Water is one of them.

Naturally occurring radium, hydrogen sulfide, and iron kept reappearing in well two and three of Seneca, Illinois. With the leadership of Seneca's water operator, Paul Rivett and the engineer, Chamlin and Associates, the village renovated the existing facility, bringing contaminant levels greatly below EPA standards. 

The equipment for the project included three vertical pressure filters, one Forced Draft Aerator, a Detention Chamber and an HMO Chemical Feed System. Because of the renovations, the village's water system can safely be taken off the watch list for radium. The plant’s new HMO System utilizing a pre-mixed solution guarantees to remove the radium. As for the hydrogen sulfide in well two and the iron in well three, the new system also removes them. The turbulence and airflow from the tower pushes the hydrogen sulfide out into the atmosphere while simultaneously oxidizing the iron to an insoluble ferric hydroxide state that forms a floc, allowing it to be filtered. 

With their new hydrous manganese oxide (HMO) radium removal plant, the Village of Seneca won’t have to worry anymore about water contaminants. Everyone involved with the plant made sure of it!     

Read the WSO article here:  Right At Home | Water System Operator