The City of Bloomington is moving quickly to improve water treatment by adding powdered activated carbon (PAC) to the system. Instead of waiting for a shipment to arrive, the city sent a semi-truck to West Virginia this week to pick up the PAC directly achieving a 24-hour turnaround. Thanks to this swift action, PAC began entering the system late Wednesday afternoon.
PAC is used to eliminate or reduce compounds responsible for the taste and odor issues arising from the City’s use of surface water.
Currently, the city is feeding PAC at a lower dose than the target level, but crews are working to increase it. This morning, they began replacing equipment in the feed system to bring a larger unit online. The smaller system was adding PAC at 7 ppm, while the ideal level is 20 ppm. The City continues to work toward this target.
“These steps will help, but it will still take time for the effects of the PAC to reach homes in Bloomington,” said Ed Andrews, Water Director.
The city will continue to make adjustments and provide updates as work progresses.
