City of Arcadia, California – Design of a Trichloroethylene (TCE) Treatment Solution

Opportunity

The Live Oak Well, operated by the City of Arcadia, draws groundwater from the San Gabriel Basin at a capacity of 3,000 gallons per minute and supplies water to the City’s potable water supply. Measured TCE concentrations in the well were observed to be increasing above the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL).

Challenge

In order to maintain operation of the supply well and meet standards set by Department of Drinking Water (DDW), the City retained the Montrose team to assess the issue, recommend a solution, and then design a treatment system that would allow the City to maintain compliance with the MCL.

Solution

Following a review of the available technologies and careful consideration of technical feasibility and cost constraints, a Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) system was selected over an air stripping system. The Montrose design included the optimum layout of pipes and equipment at the project site as well as the detailed design of the treatment system, itself, including all site modifications. And, in order to partially defray the cost of treatment, the Montrose team also helped the city apply for Proposition 1 funding from the State of California.