AWWA ACE59846

Cost-effective integration of low-pressure membrane filtration systems into existing large water treatment facilities depends upon many site-specific goals and constraints, but there are several key issues that generally apply. This paper reviews several of these key issues in the context of a project that will integrate a 60-million-gallons-a-day (mgd) submerged ultrafiltration (UF) membrane system into the existing treatment processes at the Racine Water Utility (RWU). This project, currently under construction, will be achieved at a total project cost of less than $0.40/gal of capacity, one of the lowest unit costs to date in the industry. Five examples of key issues in the cost-effective implementation of the submerged membrane system at Racine include the following: preliminary screening of proprietary membrane systems; reuse of existing facilities; customization of membrane system and equipment; cost-conscious design to meet regulatory and redundancy requirements; and, well-designed membrane system procurement process. The methods by which these issues were utilized for the benefit of a cost effective implementation at RWU are discussed in detail. Includes tables, figure.