The heat is ON: Startup at ECCV’s 10.8 mgd inland RO facility during record breaking temperatures and demands

This paper describes the start-up of the East Cherry Creek Valley Water and Sanitation District (ECCV) 10.9 million-gallon-per-day (MGD) brackish water reverse osmosis (RO) treatment facility in 2012 during record breaking temperatures. The plant provides a renewable water source to areas of southeast metro Denver currently served exclusively by non-renewable groundwater. ECCV selected a combination of brine minimization and deep well injection as the concentrate management and disposal approach for the RO treatment facility. System startup, tuning and operational adjustments needed to be performed without interrupting production and while meeting the new treatment goals. This presentation will focus on the coordination and methods used to troubleshoot and optimize the system while maintaining plant operations. This presentation will revisit O&M requirements as well as production costs for long term operations.