Assessment of Filter Ripening at a Direct Filtration Plant, Halifax, NS

Abstract

Filter-to-waste infrastructure is now commonly incorporated in recently constructed treatment plants and is required by many jurisdictions, including the Nova Scotia Standard for Surface Water Treatment. In the absence of filter-to-waste, operational backwash procedures, such as filter resting, decreased backwash duration, and extended terminal subfluidization wash (ETSW), have shown promise for decreasing ripening time and intensity. Halifax Water’s J.D. Kline Water Supply Plant (JDKWSP) is not equipped with filter-to-waste. Due to the high cost associated with implementing this infrastructure an assessment of filter ripening was performed at this facility to determine if filter-to-waste was needed. The assessment consisted of four studies, including microbial monitoring during filter ripening, testing backwash procedural concepts and backwash water chemistry concepts, and an analysis of the current full-scale procedure.