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CONTRACT K-1617-43: A CONTRACT BY AND BETWEEN THE NORMAN UTILITIES AUTHORITY AND CAROLLO ENGINEERS, INC., IN THE AMOUNT OF $334,254 FOR THE WATER TREATMENT PILOT PROJECT TO EFFICIENTLY REMOVE CHROMIUM FROM GROUND WATER.
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BACKGROUND: Approximately 35% of the City of Norman's water comes from wells drilled into the Garber-Wellington aquifer. The water in the aquifer contains varying amounts of metals, including chromium. As provided by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website, chromium (total) levels have been regulated for safe drinking water since 1992 at a maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 100 parts per billion (ppb). The EPA has reviewed relevant data at 6 year intervals and continues to support the 100 ppb MCL as protective of human health. Recently, various entities have challenged the existing MCL and the EPA is reviewing the new information and will make a final determination of the proposed MCL in the next 3 to 4 years. If the allowable MCL for total chromium (or Chromium VI) is significantly lowered, the City of Norman may have to treat all of its groundwater supplies for chromium and/or find a new source of water.
For several years, the Norman Utilities Authority (NUA) has been researching treatment options for chromium and other metals. The Fiscal Year Ending 2017 (FYE17) budget includes funding to perform a one-year pilot study on biological treatment of the well water. This treatment would remove chromium at a potentially more affordable cost compared to other treatment options such as ion exchange, reductive coagulation/filtration, or reverse osmosis.
The NUA, with assistance from Carollo Engineers, applied for a grant from the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), Desalination and Water Purification Research and Development (DWPR) on February 18, 2015. On July 28, 2015, the NUA was informed that although the application was highly ranked, it was not funded due to budget constraints. On December 10, 2015, BOR advised the NUA ...
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