"The East Bay Municipal Utility District's newest $325 million addition to the Orinda Water Treatment Plant centers around a high-tech plan to use ultraviolet light as the primary decontamination strategy to combat rising organic matter found in the Mokelumne watershed. The project seeks to protect against future increases in run-off, flooding and water temperatures that lead to more pathogens, viruses and natural organic matter. When organic matter is treated with chlorine, it can create harmful byproducts, known as trihalomethanes (THMs), which can impact human health."
"The Orinda Water Treatment Plant was the first building commissioned by EBMUD in 1935, and it has historically treated raw water from the Mokelumne watershed using chlorine decontamination to kill bacteria and viruses, according to EBMUD Senior Engineer Tim Karlstrand. However, this process can create chemical byproducts that can be harmful to human health. In the 2010s, EBMUD sensors detected a rise in THMs from environmental changes, and officials adopted a plan to implement a new water-quality system"
EBMUD constructed a $325 million annex at the Orinda Water Treatment Plant to make ultraviolet light the primary disinfection method. The UV system aims to address rising organic matter, pathogens and viruses resulting from increased run-off, flooding and warming temperatures in the Mokelumne watershed. Chlorine treatment of organic matter can form trihalomethanes (THMs), chemical byproducts that pose health risks. Sensors in the 2010s detected rising THMs, prompting adoption of a new water-quality approach. UV decontamination destroys pathogens by breaking down DNA as water passes fluorescent lights, while chlorine remains as a secondary disinfectant.
Read at The Mercury News
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