The Solar Bee circulation equipment has been installed in the town’s four water reservoirs to curb the water discolouration Drumheller residents saw pouring from their taps last fall.
“They’ll initiate some savings in power, chemical and hopefully down the road some time,” said Director of Infrastructure Allan Kendrick. It will reduce chemicals used to treat the water by treating it the natural way by keeping the water circulating.
“We’re not necessarily quitting the chemical but we’re certainly reducing the dosage and time we’d have to use that chemical. From that standpoint we look at it in energy savings and a reduction in energy costs.”
Potassium permanganate, citric acid and copper sulfate are the chemicals used to treat the water.
The Solar Bees work by slowly circulating the water so temperatures remain somewhat constant and the water is not allowed to sit. One of the causes of the discolouration last year was from organic matter, such as blue-green algae, dying and releasing manganese into the reservoir. The Solar Bee helps combat this by not allowing the algae to gain energy from the sun by sitting on top of the water in the day, and gaining nutrients from the bottom at night.
“If you reduce the food for it, it helps reduce particular strains of algae. Once it dies off, it disperses the chemical that was in it. We’re avoiding promoting that type of growth and it keeps the water fresher,” said Kendrick. “There are a few things logistically we have to work on, but we’re going to continue to work toward the best possible product.
“The logistics are continuously reviewed by staff to make sure we’re doing the best we can with the best we have.”
Manganese levels rise in hotter weather and had naturally dropped off as temperatures cooled into the fall of 2010.
The colouration also wasn’t seen at the water treatment plant. Summer’s high temperatures and prolonged contact time with the chlorine caused the water to become darker as it travelled along water lines.
