Company:

Yorba Linda Water District

Status:

Awarded

Awarded:

Project of the Year, Water Project of the Year

Additional Files

Close up of Ion Exchange Vessels
Ion Exchange Vessels
Pre-Filter Vessels
Pipes Connecting Ion Exchange Vessels
Booster Pumps
Construction Photo
Drone View of Pre-Filter Vessels and Ion Exchange Vessels
Drone View of Pre-Filter Vessels

Additional Information

The YLWD facility is among 35 PFAS treatment facilities being designed and constructed in Orange County over the next two years. The total project budget for the plant and other project improvements was $27 million.

Yorba Linda Water District Ion Exchange PFAS Water Treatment Plant

Project Location:

1717 E. Miraloma Avenue, Placentia CA 92870-6623

Project Description:

The Orange County Water District (OCWD) and the Yorba Linda Water District (YLWD) recently began operation of the nation’s largest ion exchange treatment plant to remove per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from local well water. In response to the State of California establishing lowered advisory Response Levels for two PFAS chemicals, PFOA and PFOS, YLWD decided to temporarily shut down all 10 of its active groundwater wells. The transition to purchasing 100% treated imported surface water sourced from the Colorado River and Northern California had almost doubled YLWD’s water costs. Therefore, a quick and cost-effective solution was needed.

Working collaboratively with its design and construction partners, OCWD and YLWD swiftly began construction of the PFAS treatment plant at the YLWD headquarters in March 2021 and the plant became operational within the year.

The plant was designed to utilize an ion exchange resin treatment that consists of 6 pre-filter units, 22 vessels (11 resin-filled trains) arranged in lead-lag configuration, a 25 MGD booster pumping station, and a 1000 kW natural gas back-up generator. The fully automated plant is located at YLWD’s headquarters and will be closely monitored by staff with the help of its robust SCADA system. YLWD and OCWD independently conducted separate pilot treatment testing in the same vicinity of the basin, thereby utilizing groundwater with similar water quality characteristics. Two of these top-performing resins included Evoqua’s PSR2+ and Purolite’s PFA694E resin. YLWD will initially be using these two proven resins and will compare the full-scale results to the two pilot tests.

Project Justification:

This PFAS Water Treatment Plant is the largest in the nation with 22 ion exchange vessels.The plant was completed in record time due to the close collaboration of two water agencies, designers and contractor.

YLWD looked at many options for treating the groundwater wells impacted by PFAS.YLWD evaluated different treatment methods, including reverse osmosis, granular activated carbon, and ion exchange. The most common method of an ion exchange treatment is a small set of vessels at affected wells. YLWD was more impacted than most, with all 10 active wells needing treatment. Using the traditional method, YLWD would have needed to build three facilities using a total of 28 IX Vessels.

Fortunately, YLWD’s wells are all located within a mile of the headquarters and the property had available space. By having all groundwater flow to the headquarters for treatment, YLWD was able to use less vessels and reduce the operation costs.

Special Circumstances:

OCWD and YLWD collaborated to overcome an emerging contaminant issue. The partnership should be a model for retailers and groundwater managers working together.

Project Attachments:

The Orange County Water District and the Yorba Linda Water District recently began operation of the nation’s largest ion exchange treatment plant to remove PFAS from local well water.

Award Citation::

The Orange County Water District (OCWD) and the Yorba Linda Water District (YLWD) recently began operation of the nation’s largest ion exchange treatment plant to remove PFAS from local well water. Working collaboratively, the Districts constructed the fully automated plant at the YLWD headquarters, consisting of 6 pre-filter units, 22 vessels (11 resin-filled trains) arranged in lead-lag configuration, a 25 MGD booster pumping station, and a 1000 kW natural gas back-up generator.

Suggested Award Summary:

The Orange County Water District (OCWD) and the Yorba Linda Water District (YLWD) recently began operation of the nation’s largest ion exchange treatment plant to remove per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from local well water. In response to the State of California establishing lowered advisory Response Levels for two PFAS chemicals, PFOA and PFOS, YLWD decided to temporarily shut down all 10 of its active groundwater wells. The transition to purchasing 100% treated imported surface water sourced from the Colorado River and Northern California had almost doubled YLWD’s water costs. Therefore, a quick and cost-effective solution was needed. 

Working collaboratively with its design and construction partners, OCWD and YLWD quickly began construction of the PFAS treatment plant at the YLWD headquarters in March 2021 and the plant became operational within the year. 

The plant was designed to utilize ion exchange resin treatment, and consists of 6 pre-filter units, 22 vessels (11 resin-filled trains) arranged in lead-lag configuration, a 25 MGD booster pumping station, and a 1000 kW natural gas back-up generator. The fully automated plant is located at YLWD’s headquarters and will be closely monitored by staff with the help of its robust SCADA system. YLWD and OCWD independently conducted separate pilot treatment testing in the same vicinity of the basin, thereby utilizing groundwater with similar water quality characteristics. Two of these top-performing resins included Evoqua’s PSR2+ and Purolite’s PFA694E resin. YLWD will initially be using these two proven resins and will compare the full-scale results to the two pilot tests.