Environmental Impact of a Filtration Plant
Filtration Requires Additional Chemicals
While the Portland Water Bureau (PWB) continues to describe the treatment plant simply as a 'filtration facility', they never bring attention to all the different chemicals that must be added to make the filtration facility function. Contrary to how it might sound, they won't be just running our water through filters, they will be mixing in an array of chemicals in the process! Documents provided by PWB consultants and other similar facilities across the U.S. shed light on what these plants typically use:
While the Portland Water Bureau (PWB) continues to describe the treatment plant simply as a 'filtration facility', they never bring attention to all the different chemicals that must be added to make the filtration facility function. Contrary to how it might sound, they won't be just running our water through filters, they will be mixing in an array of chemicals in the process! Documents provided by PWB consultants and other similar facilities across the U.S. shed light on what these plants typically use:
- Sodium Hypochlorite
- Sodium Hydroxide
- Aluminum Sulfate
- Polymers
- Flocculating agents
Chemicals being used at other filtration facilities in the region include:
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Seattle Tolt Filtration Facility (2019 Data)
− Carbon Dioxide − Chlorine − Lime − Cationic Polymer − Ferric Chloride − Anionic polymer − Hydrofluorosilic acid |
Tacoma Green River Filtration Facility (2018/19 Data)
− Bisulfate CO2 − Chlorine − Alum − PACl − Clarifloc C-359 CAT − Clarifloc N-6310 Filter Aid − NaOH |
Based on documents from the PWB, typical granular media water treatment plants of this size and type can be expected to use over 16,000,000 pounds of chemicals, generate thousands of cubic yards of waste and result in unnecessarily adding CO2 and diesel emissions into our atmosphere.
Chemical Hauling and Waste
Buried in PWB documents that few in the general public are likely to read, written memorandums from a filtration plant consultant give insight into the chemical, waste, and pollution impact from typical granular media water filtration treatment plants.
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Chemical Safety Zone Assessment
Chemicals for filtration will be transported down the public roads and through our towns. The PWB hasn't released an evacuation radius or plan in the event of a chemical accident, but there are schools, residences, and productive farms in the immediate vicinity of their proposed filtration plant.
Chemicals for filtration will be transported down the public roads and through our towns. The PWB hasn't released an evacuation radius or plan in the event of a chemical accident, but there are schools, residences, and productive farms in the immediate vicinity of their proposed filtration plant.
