Advanced Water Treatment Research --> Water Supply

Brackish Water Desalination

Brackish water desalination focuses on the use of alternative water resources that exhibit higher TDS levels than potable water, but lower TDS levels than seawater (in the range of 1,000 mg/l TDS to 25,000 mg/l TDS). Brackish waters can be found in coastal areas (bays and estuaries, where fresh water mixes with salt water), in aquifers (where it is usually referred to as saline water), and in surface waters (salt marshes, for instance, contain brackish water).Brackish water sources produce a number of challenges for use:

Brackish water desalination

Water salinity allows for a broader range of applicable treatment technologies than seawater desalination
Water composition can include large concentrations of sparingly soluble carbonate and silica salts that can cause scaling
The affect of long term pumping of brackish ground water aquifers on fresh groundwater resources is unknown
Issues of concentrate discharge are related to inland concentrate management

Desalination and Water Purification Research Program Reports

Report Title	Performing Agency	Date	Report #	See also
Nanofiltration of a High Salinity Groundwater on the Hopi Reservation	Northern Arizona University; Flagstaff AZ	May 1995	3
Brackish Groundwater Treatment and Concentrate Disposal for the Homestead Colonia El Paso, Texas University of Texas at El Paso	El Paso TX;	April 1999	32
Reverse Osmosis Treatment of Central Arizona Project Water for the City of Tucson Tucson Water Department	USBR; Denver CO	January 2004	36
The Role of Riverbank Filtration in Reducing the Costs of Impaired Water Desalination Carollo Engineers	Broomfield, CO	April 2006	122	Economics

RO/NF Pilot Studies since 1995

PI	Research Program	Location	Source Water	Processes	Reference	Report number
W. Boegli	AWTR	Lake Havasu, AZ	Brackish Groundwater w/ Manganese	Greensand & Nanofiltration	Boegli et. Al., 1995	DWPR #8
D. Williams	AWTR	Brighton, CO	Brackish Groundwater w/ Nitrate	Electrodialysis	Williams, 1995	DWPR #14
R. Jurenka	AWTR	Maricopa Cty, AZ	Brackish Groundwater w/ Nitrate	Electrodialysis & RO	Jurenka, Chapman-Wilbert, 1996	DWPR #15
W. Boegli	AWTR	San Jacinto Basin, CA	Brackish Groundwater	Reverse Osmosis & Constructed Wetlands	Boegli, Thullen, 1996	DWPR #16
J. Lozier	DWPR	McAllen, TX	Wastewater	MBR & RO	Lozier, 1997	DWPR #26
C. Turner	DWPR	El Paso, TX	Brackish Groundwater	RO and Concentrate Disposal	Turner, 1999
C. Moody	AWTR	Tucson, AZ	Brackish surface water	MF and RO	Moody, 2003
F. Leitz	Title XVI	Port Hueneme, CA	Brackish Wastewater	ED, RO, and NF comparison	Leitz, 2001
C. Moody	AWTR	Tucson	Brackish surface water	Slowsand pretreatment for RO	Moody, 2002
S. Cheah	DWPR	Mesquite, NV	Brackish surface water	Photovoltaic operation of RO	Cheah, 2004
M. Chapman	AWTR	Mesquite, NV	Brackish surface water	Pre and post treatment alternatives with NF and RO.	Chapman, 2006	DWPR #148
Sirkar	DWPR	East Hartford, CT	City Water	MD	Sirkar, Rayman, 2008	DWPR #134 (abstract)
G. Juby et. Al	DWPR	Perris, CA	Brackish Groundwater	RO, EDR, FO MD, Seeded RO	Carollo Eng, 2007	DWPR #149
T. Davis	DWPR	Panoche, CA	Irrigation Return Flow	ZLD	Davis & Rayman, 2008	DWPR #135 (abstract)
M. Chapman	AWTR	Big Bear, CA	Brackish Wastewater	MF and RO	Chapman & Benko, 2008	DWPR #154
T. Worthen	DWPR	Riverton City, UT	Brackish Groundwater	EDR & RO	Worthen & Olsen, 2009	DWPR #131
Liu	DWPR	Oahu, HI	Brackish Groundwater	Wind driven RO	Liu, 2009	DWPR #128