mmunochlorine

By Chris Post/Midwest Freelancer

       Chlorine is good for water treatment, but its potential to harm humans and the
environment has brought its use under increasing scrutiny from the Environmental
Protection Agency.

       Like many similar facilities across the country Marshall Municipal Utilities Water
Treatment Plant was faced with the option of upgrading its chlorine gas equipment or
finding an alternative means of disinfecting the city’s potable water supply.

       At its regular meeting this week, the MMU Board of Public Works voted to
accept the recommendation of engineers with Shafer, Kline and Warren to switch from
chlorine gas to sodium hypochlorite, the chemical commonly used in household bleach.

       MMU General Manager Kyle Gibbs said MMU plans to purchase the equipment
to manufacture the sodium hypochlorite on site at 0.8 percent strength. Gibbs estimated
the capital cost for generating sodium hypochlorite to be $639,500.

       While this cost might seem high, the utilities were faced with spending an estimated
$300,000 to $500,000 to upgrade the chorine gas equipment at the water plant to meet
the current standards expected by EPA.

       “We are seeing increasingly stringent federal regulations that make the continued
use of chorine gas less desirable,” Gibbs said. “Chorine gas is regulated as a hazardous
chemical. We expect to see additional requirements in the near future on both security
and handling of chorine gas.”

       By making the switch now to the less hazardous sodium hypochlorite, MMU is
also able eliminate the need for its previously mandated Risk Management Program at
the water plant.

       With the board’s approval, the project now moves into the design phase. Actual
construction at the water plant should start in the summer of 2008, Gibbs said..