The City of Tyler has released the results of an independent review of its water treatment process conducted by Enprotec/Hibbs & Todd, Inc. The study looked at the causes and possible remedies for high levels of haloacetic acids in the water. Haloacetic acids are a disinfection byproducts (DBP) which are regulated by the US EPA. They are formed when organic compounds in raw water react with chlorine to form chlorinated organic compounds such as haloacetic acids and trihalomethanes. In October of 2015 the city had received notification of high haloacetic acid levels in its drinking water.
The study recommended some operational changes to reduce the haloacetic acid levels, but some of the issues are due to the age of the water plant where the acid levels are the highest. The facility was constructed in 1950s before the onset of increased regulations on water quality. A newer facility uses ozone as a pre-treatment. The study recommends utilizing the ozone at the older water treatment plant, thereby reducing the amount of byproducts created by chlorine.
Ozone has been used extensively in the US and Europe to reduce the formation of chlorine based DBP’s.