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Transcript: Bloomfield, NM Drinking Water Compliance

Communities across the nation have been required to conform to state and federal treatment rules, which regulate drinking water quality delivered to the tap.  As the rules get more restrictive, additional treatment is often necessary to comply.  Surveys regularly name Siemens Water Technologies the top water and wastewater company because we add value by exceeding customer expectations.  We deliver market advancing technology and provide prompt and reliable field support.  Many communities like Bloomfield, NM, have taken advantage of our industry-leading capabilities.

-Scott Eckstein, Mayor, Bloomfield, NM
“Well, the city of Bloomfield received an administrative order from the state of New Mexico that our water was not in compliance.  So, we had to make a decision to filter our water to a higher turbidity standard.  Had we not complied, we would have faced having our water plant shut down”.

Some treatment systems experience operational problems treating water sources, such as the San Juan River.

-Mike Brewer, Senior Project Manager, CH2M Hill
“The main reason it failed was because there wasn’t adequate pretreatment to address the rapid changes in turbidity that can be experienced with afternoon thunderstorms in the summer.  We get high fluctuations and we can get real big spikes that the Trident HS unit is able to accommodate”.

The Trident HS system represents the latest advancements in package treatment systems, producing exceptionally clear, filtered water through a multi-barrier approach, to ensure the highest quality water at the lowest possible cost”.

-Anthony Galvan, Technical Sales Manager, Siemens Water Technologies
“Siemens provided the Trident HS system with benefits of four barriers.  Those barriers were the tube clarification sections for bulk solids removal for flashier waters in upwards of 400 NTU, followed by an upflow adsorption clarifier, followed by a mixed media filter and UV disinfection”.

After exploring several treatment options, the Trident HS system from Siemens Water Technologies was chosen for its robust multi-barrier design, proven performance and speed of which it could be installed and commissioned.

-Mike Brewer, Senior Project Manager, CH2M Hill
“We looked a couple different alternatives and the Trident HS system – its compact package design and its ability to be rapidly deployed and get it here on time, quickly.  And minimal space requirements that were required to accommodate it, along with its lower overall life cycle costs were key decisions in why we chose the Trident”.

To meet the fast-track schedule of designing, delivering and commissioning a new water treatment plant, Siemens Water Technologies installed a temporary filtration system to bring the filtered water quality within the regulatory standards, while the project design and development continue.

-John Eckley, Operations Superintendent, Bloomfield, NM
“Our filtration system could not meet the demand, let alone the turbidity.  I had to do a cost feasibility, turn it into the council.  It was cheaper to rent the filters from Siemens than it was to purchase water from our neighbor.  So Siemens sent in two large trailers, each one putting out 700 gallons a minute.  And, we used those units until this system was built”.

The simplicity and automation of the Trident HS system make it easy to operate and maintain.  All functions, such as flush and backwash cycles are automated.

-John Eckley, Operations Superintendent, Bloomfield, NM
“I believe the reason its so easy to operate is the PLC.  The automation on it is very, very smooth.  And things happen – when you ask it to do something, it’ll do it.  There’s no waiting like the old system had”.

The Aquaritrol 3 controller monitors inlet and effluent water turbidities and automatically adjusts the coagulant and polymer feed to optimize performance.

-John Eckley, Operations Superintendent, Bloomfield, NM
“One of the main things I like best about this Trident unit is the pretreatment before the filters.  With the tube settlers and the bead chambers, you can handle low NTUs and high NTUs.  During heavy rains, runoff, we can get what they call flashy water, 400 NTUs, and the systems has handled those NTUs quite easily.  The operators like it very well because its friendly to them, too, and they’re happy with it”.

Meeting new drinking water regulations can be an overwhelming task.  Bloomfield, NM was able to reach its water quality requirements in a very short time, by selecting Siemens Water Technologies and the Trident HS multi-barrier treatment system.

-Scott Eckstein, Mayor, Bloomfield, NM
“I was really impressed with how quick we went from groundbreaking to having a plant that was operational and providing good, clean water to the citizens of Bloomfield that met the turbidity standards.  Being in government, a lot of times you’ll see things and know something needs to be done and you know that the wheels turn very slowly in government and, oftentimes, its years before you see the results. And with this system, truly, 13 months later, the citizens could see what their money was being spent on.  They knew we had an issue here, and in 13 months, the issue was resolved”.

Even under the most difficult conditions, the Trident HS system performs exceptionally well, providing safe and reliable drinking water to the people of Bloomfield.

-Scott Eckstein, Mayor, Bloomfield, NM
“The future looks great for the citizens of Bloomfield.  Not only do we now have water that’s in compliance with standards, but we have doubled the capacity of water that we can produce, which will allow for future growth so we can welcome new business, new citizens, new homes, more industry to Bloomfield with open arms because we have now the water to supply them”.

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