by Alex Brooks
The temporary water treatment system which will remove PFOA from the Hoosick Falls municipal water system was delivered on Tuesday, January 26.
After a pilot study requested by the Village showed a Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filtration system to be very effective in removing PFOA from the water, Village officials searched nationwide for GAC filtration equipment for immediate use in Hoosick Falls, and found one available from Calgon Carbon of Pittsburgh, PA. [private]
Village trustees authorized Mayor Borge to enter into a lease agreement for the equipment on January 7, 2016, at a cost of $300,000. The costs associated with leasing, installing, and maintaining the temporary system will be paid for by Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Company.
Mayor Borge said, “We are hopeful that, once confirmatory testing of the new system demonstrates the safety of the water, EPA will inform the community that it is acceptable to use the water for household purposes.”
The temporary system will be constructed on a concrete pad approximately 10 feet from the existing water treatment plant. It will be installed inside a heated enclosure to protect it from the elements. Water will be piped from the municipal supply wells to the existing water treatment plant, then through the new GAC filtration system, and out to local households via the existing 12-inch water main.[/private]