Crested Butte Gets Tough on Water Filtration Issues

Situated in the Rocky Mountains is the small community of Crested Butte, CO. Its location and natural beauty attract skiers, snowboarders, fishermen, trail bikers and outdoor enthusiasts. Crested Butte faced unique water chemistry and seasonal demand challenges. Every spring, water treatment issues caused by mountain runoff and increased demand from local agriculture and resorts coincide to challenge the production capacity, quality and effectiveness of the town’s water treatment facility.

Tough new regulations

Community leaders needed to understand water treatment challenges, to reliably serve the town’s ever-growing water demands with quality that meets EPA regulations today and into the future.

 

A progressive consulting engineering team led by Jim DeWolfe, Senior Technical Leader, performed a comprehensive performance evaluation of Crested Butte’s water treatment needs.

Their evaluation identified and quantified performance-limiting factors for the plant including:

• water quality requirements
• demand trends  
• hardware reliability
• regulatory and demographic requirements
• human resource requirements  
• system support
• current and future needs  
• ease of operation

A key recommendation from the engineering team focused on the difficulties in treating west slope water by conventional coagulation and separation methods. In order to meet treatment demand and quality regulations and reduce the impact of new construction, advanced membrane microfiltration technology was recommended. The search was on for the best membrane system including membrane compatibility, system reliability and manufacturer responsiveness and support.

"During the testing phase, Pall demonstrated an acute appreciation for all the unique operating requirements of the application and the customer.” Jim DeWolfe, member of the Crested Butte engineering team.

As part of a rigorous protocol, all prospective membranes were tested throughout the spring runoff period to establish  full-scale design water production rates for each. This would also demonstrate the ability of each membrane system to reliably produce a superior level of water quality despite variability in source water conditions. Throughout the testing phase, the Aria^TM Small Flow System from Pall, incorporating a highly crystalline, highly permeable PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) microfilter membrane, proved the most oxidant resistant. The operating reliability of the Pall microfiltration system also established the highest level of customer confidence.

What impressed the engineering team most was Pall’s commitment to client satisfaction that went beyond superior technology, training and start-up phase. This included 24/7 remote monitoring link aboard the pilot unit (a service feature common to all Pall systems). The unit allowed Pall support personnel to interact in real time with operators on site.

“The Pall membrane system provided three times the output of the conventional system from the same footprint.” Larry Adams, Utilities Director at Crested Butte.

Cost was a big issue; in calculating chemical consumption costs, the type and quantity of the chemical used were considered. Power costs were calculated based upon raw water pumping and the supply pressure requirements of each of the competitors. Waste costs were based upon worst-case recovery rates for each supplier.

Pall outperformed all others on cost.

Here’s how:
• recovery rate stabilized at 97% – 7% greater than competitive technology –  with the highest peak daily flow rate

• waste generation 75% lower than other membrane systems

• power consumption close to 60% lower than competitors’

In the final analysis, projected operating costs favored Pall by more than 50%. Total evaluated present worth cost pointed to the Pall system as the logical technology choice.

Once selected, Pall and the Crested Butte engineering team designed the new treatment system with a very small footprint so it would fit into a small space, thereby maximizing production while minimizing construction.

Crested Butte remains a frontier town for the many travellers that ride its trails and ski its mountains. Pall Corporation remains the vanguard of major filtration advancements. High in the Rockies, these two pioneers have joined forces to bridge frontiers, providing the highest quality drinking water to visitors and residents of Crested Butte.