Treatability Index Provides Operational Guidelines

1. Treatability Index Provides Operational Guidelines By Pam Benskin & Kevin Linder City of Aurora, CO City of Aurora

2. OVERVIEW • Where we started • The Challenge • Our Answer - The Treatability Index • How it Works • How it can work for you City of Aurora

3. Where We Started • Lab performing lots of analysis on source water quality • Data not being translated into an operational tool • We needed to make the connection City of Aurora

4. Utilities confront a common problem: • Laboratories perform a multitude of analyses • Data is complex and awkward • Data generated rarely reaches the operators until after the measured water parameters have changed. City of Aurora

5. The Challenge • Utilities face the challenge of getting relevant laboratory data on source water quality to the operators in a timely, concise, and understandable format. City of Aurora

6. Existing Indices weren’t the ticket • Existing technical descriptions of source water quality, do not relate quality level to treatability. • Trophic State Index (TSI), is a tool to indicate the overall condition of lakes or reservoirs. This index does not take into account many parameters, (such as problematic algae species), that may affect treatment. City of Aurora

7. What We Did • The city of Aurora, CO, water utility staff investigated the issue of timely transfer of relevant data from the laboratory to the operators. City of Aurora

8. Our Goal • Improve and increase usage of valuable, underused data generated in the laboratory to help optimize plant performance. City of Aurora

9. We explored several options • Giving operators copies of algal enumeration • This data provided limited insight because algal biomass is not reflected in an algae count, and if an operator isn’t familiar with algae identification, the data could be confusing. • Giving operators chlorophyll-a values • -This data reflects total algal biomass, but does not address the presence of individual problematic species of algae. City of Aurora

10. Back to the drawing board • Finding that none of the indices we investigated served our purpose, operations and laboratory personnel collaborated to develop a tool that considered many source water parameters that affect treatment. City of Aurora

11. Our Objective • Combine the effects of all these variables • Present the information in a format that is: • Comprehensive • Easy to understand • Timely • Concise City of Aurora

12. Our Answer • The tool we developed is called the Treatability Index. City of Aurora

13. How It Works • Define parameters with lab and operational staff • Parameters need to be measured in a timely manner • Determine relative weight of parameters • Develop effective format • Collect data • Generate report • Distribute to operators City of Aurora

14. Define Parameters Important To Your Treatment Process • Algae • Our important parameters are: • Chlorophyll-a • Ortho-Phosphate • UV-254 • Mn & Fe City of Aurora

15. Weigh Parameters • Weigh the parameters according to relevance to treatment • Produce two numbers relating treatability: • one number addresses taste and odor (T&O), • the other reflects filter clogging (FC) tendencies. City of Aurora

16. Ranges and weights Parameters of concern Scoring City of Aurora

17. City of Aurora

18. Ensure Parameters Can Be Measured in a Timely Manner • Find methods that allow for quick determination of parameter levels • Example- We use HACH methods, (rather than waiting for atomic absorption results), to determine the level of Fe and Mn in our source water. • Set a goal to summarize the data within 48 hours of sampling City of Aurora

19. Develop Format • Easy to read • Pictures and diagrams • Comments section • Try to keep it to one page City of Aurora

20. How It Looks Index value Gate data Parameters of Concern comments City of Aurora

21. Operations staff use this information to: • Decide which source to use • Change withdrawal gates • Prepare treatment for potential T&O problems. City of Aurora

22. Ideal Scenarios for Treatability Index: • Wildfire burn area in watershed City of Aurora

23. Ideal Scenarios for Treatability Index: Drought City of Aurora

24. How it Works - Burn in Watershed Scenario City of Aurora

25. Results • We immediately saw results • Quantitative data to operators to make solid source decisions • Improved and increased communication between lab and operations • Forces timely review of data so important changes do not go undetected • Learning tool City of Aurora

26. TI is flexible • The real beauty of the TI is the flexibility it allows any user. • Individual utilities can change and modify the weighting and parameters as required for their system. City of Aurora

27. Keys to success • Synergize • Identify the parameters that are most problematic • Weigh parameters according to their impact on treatment • Measure parameters in a timely manner • Re-evaluate parameters regularly for relevance City of Aurora

28. CONCLUSION • Lots of data not being utilized for optimization • We faced the challenge of getting this data to operations in a manner that is beneficial • Treatability Index - Qualitative as well as Quantitative • How to make it work for you City of Aurora