Peter Maraccini, Engineer at Water Quality and Treatment Solutions, Inc., will present: How to reduce waste generated during SBA treatment of hexavalent chromium. And will this be the first time aquatic herbicides are applied to Lake Tahoe?

Summary:
In July 2014, the California Department of Public Health adopted a maximum contaminant level for hexavalent chromium of 10 µg/L, immediately causing more than 500 entry points into community water systems to be in violation. As more water utilities implement chromium treatment, they must decide which of the current treatment technologies most efficiently and cost-effectively remove chromium. Often, the key deciding factors are the limitations and costs associated with waste disposal from each treatment technology. This presentation explores various waste minimization techniques for strong base anion (SBA) resin treatment of hexavalent chromium and estimates the cost savings if those techniques were employed.

Eurasian watermilfoil and Curlyleaf pondweed are two aquatic invasive species (AIS) plaguing the Tahoe Keys, a 172-acre marina on the southern edge of Lake Tahoe. The Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association argues that current mitigation techniques have failed to control the AIS and proposes the application of aquatic herbicides, the first such application in Lake Tahoe’s history. However, Lake Tahoe is designated as an Outstanding National Resource Water by the USEPA, which merits an extreme emphasis on non-chemical methods before any aquatic herbicides are considered. Furthermore, the Tahoe Water Suppliers Association are against any such chemical application, as their members’ treatment systems are not designed for removing chemical compounds. This presentation discusses the current state of affairs.

Biography:
Dr. Peter Maraccini is an Engineer with WQTS.  He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish Studies, and recently graduated from Stanford University in early 2016 with Masters and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Science and Engineering.  His Ph.D. dissertation research focused on the disinfection kinetics and mechanisms of bacteria in water irradiated with sunlight, with an emphasis on how the water properties and cellular characteristics would influence the disinfection rates. During his graduate studies, Dr. Maraccini also organized several student-orientated activities such as seminars, social events, and career panels. Since joining WQTS in January 2016, Dr. Maraccini has worked on a wide variety of projects, including those involving sanitary surveys, corrosion control, regulatory compliance, TOC removal, sulfides removal, nitrification control, and metals adsorption.