Groundwater Extraction and Treatment System

Client

Confidential Client

Services Provided

Treatment Technology Evaluation; Bench-Scale Testing; Treatment System Design; Regulatory Permitting and Approvals; System Construction; City Council, Regulatory Agency, and Stakeholder Communication

Industrial facility with large blue tanks, pipes, and metal structures. Three people wearing safety helmets and vests are standing and talking among the equipment inside a spacious, well-lit building.

Location

Midwest United States

Project Practice Areas

Contaminated Sites, Water & Wastewater, Water and Natural Resources

Type of Facility

Research Facility

Project Specifics

Our client operates an aqueous-film-forming foam research and development and fire-training facility in the Midwest. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were detected in groundwater collected on and around the property; this groundwater discharges to a surface-water drainage ditch. The client retained Geosyntec to design, construct, and commission a groundwater extraction and treatment system (GETS) to intercept groundwater before it discharges to the ditch, treat the captured water, and reintroduce the treated water to the ditch.

Geosyntec Scope of Services

Geosyntec reviewed the conceptual design, which was prepared by another consultant, and determined both that the proposed treatment was appropriate and that additional pretreatment would be required. Next, Geosyntec designed the GETS, which consisted of two parallel trains of six vessels each for treatment with granular activated carbon followed by two vessels for ion exchange treatment. The system includes duplicate trains to minimize downtime during maintenance and optimize operational flexibility.

In addition to the granular activated carbon and ion exchange treatments, the system also includes pretreatment to remove iron, manganese, and total organic carbon via chemical oxidation using sodium permanganate and enhanced coagulation. This pretreatment improves the performance of the main system reduces the frequency of media changeouts.

After design, Geosyntec applied for and received approvals using a collaborative approach with the city and regulatory agencies. The system is operational and is currently in startup and optimization phases.

Notable Accomplishments

Geosyntec worked with the state regulators to rapidly obtain all construction, design, and engineering approvals and permits and obtain a discharge permit with a precedent-setting phased process. Geosyntec worked with regulators for phased approvals of the engineering design so construction could start as early as possible, before the full system was designed.

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