EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The filter media at two arsenic treatment facilities operated by the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority (CRRUA) will be replaced, increasing the efficiency of the arsenic removal process and providing consumable water that meets government standards to the Sunland Park and Santa Teresa area, according to a press release from the CRRUA.
CRRUA provides water and wastewater services to Sunland Park and Santa Teresa, NM.
“We are replacing the filter media at two arsenic treatment facilities,” said Juan Crosby, CRRUA executive director.
“Filter media is organic material placed inside large filter chambers that help remove arsenic as water passes through it. I identified this project as a priority when I took over this past January and fast-tracked it. In March, the CRRUA board of directors approved $444,000 in reserve funds for filter media replacement at the Sunland Park and Santa Teresa Industrial Park (STIP) arsenic treatment facilities,” Crosby said.
“The filter media consists of varying sizes of river rock, sand, and anthracite coal,” said Paul Cashion of South Carolina-based C & C Environmental Services.
“The arsenic removal process using this media is similar to the way river water is purified in nature as it flows over rock, gravel, and sand. It’s a process used to remove naturally occurring arsenic in treatment facilities across the country,” said Cashion.
Cashion said the filter media is placed in the filter chambers in layers with the anthracite coal at the top followed by a layer of sand and varying sizes of river rock. Cashion also said each chamber uses 12,800 pounds of sand, 8,050 pounds of stones, and 4,394 pounds of anthracite coal.
“As water flows through the layers of rocks, it loosens the arsenic, trapping it in the sand. The sand is then removed and properly disposed of […] The anthracite coal is part of the filtration process. It also helps with the taste of the water and controls odors.”
Since January of this year, the CRRUA says it has passed 10 arsenic water tests, including the New Mexico Environment Department’s quarterly test and CRRUA’s voluntary tests last taken last month.
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