RICHLAND, Wash. - EM’s Richland Operations Office (RL) recently upgraded the Hanford Site ’s oldest operating water treatment facility, ensuring a dependable water source for the Central Plateau cleanup.
Built in the 1940s, the 283W Water Treatment Facility is a conventional water treatment facility that produces potable water using four gravity-based filter beds controlled by hydraulic valves.
To maintain drinking water standards, RL contractor Mission Support Alliance (MSA) replaced all four filter bed valves and changed the filter media in three of four filters. Filter media are fine and coarse sand that filters water to remove impurities, much like water filter systems found in households.
A filter bed is about the size of a living room. Replacing the four filter beds, each containing hundreds of nozzles, required strategic planning and help from several MSA organizations and subject-matter experts.
Edward Lerma, plant supervisor, worked closely overseeing the maintenance activities.
“After this work, our filters are performing even better than expected," Lerma said. “Potable water is extremely important to the Hanford Site and is used for facility fire systems, firefighting, demolition, drilling activities, cleanup activities, and drinking water."
MSA sequenced the replacements to minimize disruptions to operations and the site’s water supply.
“Replacing the filter media required careful attention to the layering of the three different types of media in each bed," Lerma said. “As the corroded valves were replaced, electronic actuators were installed, allowing for easier operation and integration into the computerized control system."
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
