Poughkeepsies’ Water Treatment Facility selected a system that uses ozone and biologically activated carbon to upgrade the facility at a cost of $18 million. the new process will reduce the organic material that serves as a precursor for potentially dangerous disinfection byproducts. One of these byproducts, trihalomethanes, has been found at high levels in the Greenbush water district in the Town of Hyde Park and the Hopewell Glen district in the Town of East Fishkill.
Ozone water treatment breaks down organic molecules to smaller more biodegradeable compounds while oxygenating the water. This creates an environment where aerobic bacteria can readily consume the organics. The biologically activated active carbon serves as a place for the bacteria to live. This type of carbon has a large surface area so that the number of bacreria is high for the volume of the carbon bed. Thus large amounts of organic material can be removed efficiently.
The process will ensure that each distribution system that receives treated drinking water from the plant remains in compliance with stiffer testing procedures mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency. Those new procedures will roll out this fall.
Water drawn from the Hudson River is treated at the plant and then sent to water systems in the Town and City of Poughkeepsie, the Town of Hyde Park and the Town of East Fishkill.