News Release

Tests Progressing for Arsenic Treatment Technologies for Small Communities

Release date: 02/12/2004

Contact: Jane Ice (513) 569-7311

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CINCINNATI, OH (February 12, 2004) – EPA’s Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program recently completed the initial verification testing of two arsenic treatment technologies at two rural community water systems in Pennsylvania. These technologies are designed to help small communities comply with the reduction of the arsenic drinking water maximum contaminant level (MCL) from 50 part per billion (ppb) to 10 ppb by 2006.

The testing is being done in collaborative partnership with National Sanitation Foundation International (NSF International), and in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Innovative Technology Program.

The purpose of the tests is to provide credible, high-quality data on the performance of these new technologies. The data will be used by equipment buyers and regulators responsible for making technology purchasing and permitting decisions for small communities.

Two adsorptive media technologies were tested in Pennsylvania. Initial results from these tests showed that both technologies reduced arsenic levels to less than the new MCL.

Participating vendors were Kinetico, Inc., Alcan Chemicals, and ADI International, Inc.

The ADI arsenic adsorption media, MEDIA G2, consists of an inorganic, natural substrate with which iron (ferric hydroxide) is chemically bonded. The Kinetico Para FloTM PF60 Model AA08AS uses the Alcan Chemicals’ Actiguard AAFS50, a proprietary granular iron-enhanced activated alumina adsorption media.

The ETV program will also begin arsenic treatment technology testing at a community in Alaska in February and in Nevada this spring. These tests are being performed under a partnership with NSF International, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and the University of Alaska at Anchorage.

The technology being testing in Alaska uses ozonation and cartridge filtration, and relies on co-precipitation. Ion exchange resin beads, which are added to conventional coagulation with filtration water treatment, will be tested in Nevada.

ETV is a public-private partnership that provides quality-assured, peer-reviewed test data about the performance of new environmental technologies. The information is used by purchasers and regulators in their decisions to select innovative environmental technology. More than 260 technologies have been verified across a wide spectrum of environmental science and engineering categories.

EPA also relies on this quality science as the basis for sound policy and decision making.

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