researc
                                      evelopment
                                                              www.epa.gov/ord
                          FACT SHEET
 EPA's Water Treatment Demonstration Project to Reduce
    Amount of Arsenic in Okanogan, WA,  Drinking Water

Researchers from EPA's National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL),
headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, are working in partnership with Okanogan, WA and a
contractor to install and operate a water treatment technology aimed at reducing the
level of arsenic in local drinking water. Operation of the demonstration project began in
2008, and is being regularly monitored to determine progress.

Background

Arsenic is a naturally occurring contaminant found in ground water in various locations
throughout the United States. Research and development efforts at EPA have identified
certain technologies that remove arsenic from drinking water. Some community water
systems often face challenges in choosing the right technology to reduce the level of
arsenic. Therefore, in select demonstration projects across the country, just like this one
in Okanogan, EPA is partnering with municipalities and equipment producers to bring
the most appropriate drinking water technology into the field and demonstrate their
effectiveness.

The Project

New water treatment equipment is installed to reduce arsenic in a community's drinking
water. The water quality is then monitored to verify the effectiveness of the treatment. The
equipment used in Okanogan installation is produced by Filtronrics Coagulation, Inc.,
working under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. The equipment was
matched to characteristics of the source water. While Okanogan will operate the new
equipment, scientists from Battelle, an EPA contractor in Ohio, will track the operation of the
arsenic removal technology by analyzing weekly water samples. EPA will use the results
from this project and others like it to demonstrate new methods for arsenic removal from
drinking water.

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 The Goal

 The goal of this project is to demonstrate and verify the effectiveness of Filtronrics
 Coagulation, Inc., technology in reducing levels of arsenic in Okanogan's drinking water
 from around 17 parts per billion (ppb) to 10 ppb or lower. Operational cost is also being
 studied.

 Expected Outcomes

    •  Other small communities will gain knowledge about the performance of arsenic
       removal technology through the results of the demonstration project. The results
       will assist them in selecting the most appropriate and cost effective technology to
       use at their sites.
    •  Residents will benefit by having arsenic levels in their drinking water reduced
       below 10 ppb, complying with the new EPA standard for arsenic in drinking
       water.

Details about these demonstration projects can be found at this Web site:
http://www.epa.gov/ORD/NRMRL/arsenic.

Technical Contact: Tom Sorg - (513) 569-7370 - sorg.tom(S)epa.gov

June 27,  2006

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