Michigan Utilities Choose Co-Precipitation Arsenic Removal

by Rick Mann 
Tonka Equipment Company

There are several Best Available Technologies (BAT) for arsenic removal from potable water, and after careful consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of each, many Michigan water utilities have chosen Oxidation/Filtration, specifically in the form of Iron Co-Precipitation Filtration. Recently, Tonka has provided systems for Michigan communities that treat over 50 million gallons of water per day.

Arsenic Removal in Holly, MI

Airwash Blowers Operating Tips

by Dave Mielke
Field Service, Tonka Equipment Company


Moisture in your airwash blower?  This is the Number 1 cause of blower failure. 


The Sutorbilt or Turbotron blowers used by Tonka are large volume air supply blowers with pressure under 7 psi. These blowers are designed to run 24/7; however, when used as an airwash blower for the Simul-Wash™ cycle, their cycle duty is very infrequent and poses a different maintenance schedule.  The Tonka airwash blower is always started and stopped "dead headed" to  prevent water migration to the blower unit. 


The following simple maintenance rules should provide you with many years of trouble free operation of your airwash blower: 

How Good is Your Pilot Study?

by Tom Davis
President, Tonka Equipment Company


A good design starts with a careful and complete water analysis – because all waters are different and respond differently to treatment.  Frequently, a water analysis alone may not be sufficient information to conclusively move toward a final design, and in these cases, a pilot study is required.  A dependable, high quality pilot study, like many services encountered in the water industry, is reflective of the ultimate relationship an engineer or City may have with a chosen responsible manufacturer.

When Should Filter Media Be Cleaned?

by Dave Anderson
Customer Service, Tonka Equipment Company

Tonka has been asked this question by plant operators: 
"Should I chemically clean my filter media?"

On the surface this sounds like something that should be beneficial, but it may not be right for your filter.  This is especially true if you have Greensand™ or Ironman Sand™ filter media.


Greensand™ and Ironman Sand™ are coated with an active, beneficial coating of manganese dioxide which, when charged, oxidizes manganese as water flows through the filter. Unfortunately, chemicals that are used
to clean media of other precipitated compounds (calcium and magnesium hardness deposits, for instance) will remove the beneficial active coating on the Greensand™ or Ironman Sand™. For this reason Tonka strongly recommends against chemically cleaning filters that have Greensand™ or Ironman Sand™.


If you have concerns about media cleaning or your media not performing, please call our customer service department at 1-800-530-1887, and we’ll help you assess your needs and evaluate your filter operation.

Delivering High Rate Media and Low Backwash Waste

by Alan Schneider
Tonka Equipment Company



The Spanaway Water District, located near Tacoma, Washington, needed a solution to manganese problems at a 900 GPM well, and a filter design that would fit into their new treatment building layout. They also wanted to minimize the backwash waste set up for discharge into a small infiltration basin. The District had previous failures of off-the-shelf standardized skidmounted vertical pressure filter systems, so they contacted Tonka, looking for a fresh, more robust approach.