Algae Control and Taste and Odor Reduction – Water Treatment Plant – South Texas

When a south Texas water treatment plant became overwhelmed by algae and the taste and odor problems associated with contamination, they turned to Earth Science Laboratories (ESL). Drought, high heat and water usage spikes had caused record-low flows in the system, helping create the conditions for algae growth in the plant’s clarifiers and filters. During peak demand, plant operators were using 100 pounds of copper sulfate and 5,000 pounds of powdered activated carbon (PAC) per day to reduce taste and odor problems caused by algae.

The utility ultimately saved $3,500 per day in treatment costs and took control of the taste and odor problems by treating their raw water with EarthTec, ESL’s advanced liquid copper algaecide/bactericide*. EarthTec eliminates harmful algae and compounds such as geosmin that can cause taste and odor problems in drinking water. EarthTec is EPA registered, approved for use in open water or in pipelines and NSF Certified to ANSI Standard 60.

To learn more, read the full case study below.