Your Water Treatment Facilities

Maine Street Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) Treatment Facility

Both the Maine Street East Well and the Maine Street West Well were drilled in 1961 to approximately 600 feet below the grounds surface. In June 1990, Valley County Water District installed 6 granular activated carbon (GAC) vessels for the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), specifically trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE), which were detected in the Maine Street East Well and the Maine Street West Well. In 2003, Valley County Water District expanded the treatment process and installed two additional GAC vessels.

GAC is effective and reliable in removing water contaminants because of its chemical and physical properties, which provide tremendous adsorption capacity for a wide variety of dissolved organics. Once the water is extracted by the Maine Street East Well and/or Maine Street West Well, it is then treated by filtering it through the GAC vessels. GAC treatment removes the contaminants of concern for the enhancement of the water quality as required by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). The Maine Street GAC Treatment Facility is capable of treating up to 3,000 gallons per minute, which requires continuous monitoring and sampling of the water passing through each of the large vessels. Various water quality samples are collected weekly at the Maine Street GAC Treatment Facility to ensure the highest quality of water is being delivered to residents and businesses.

Clinton O. Nixon East Well Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) Treatment Facility

Both the Clinton O. Nixon East Well and the Clinton O. Nixon West Well were drilled in 1966 to approximately 600 feet below the grounds surface. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), specifically trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE), were first detected in August 2002 at levels below their maximum contaminant level (MCL) in the Clinton O. Nixon East Well and the Clinton O. Nixon West Well. By 2003, Valley County Water District constructed and installed both the Clinton O. Nixon East Well Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) Treatment Facility, consisting of 8 GAC vessels, and the Clinton O. Nixon West Well GAC Treatment Facility, consisting of 6 GAC vessels, for the removal of VOC contamination.

GAC is effective and reliable in removing water contaminants because of its chemical and physical properties, which provide tremendous adsorption capacity for a wide variety of dissolved organics. Once the water is extracted by the Clinton O. Nixon East Well or the Clinton O. Nixon West Well, it is then treated by filtering it through the GAC vessels. GAC treatment removes the contaminants of concern for the enhancement of the water quality as required by the California Department of Public Health.

The Clinton O. Nixon East Well GAC Treatment Facility is capable of treating up to 2,750 gallons per minute, and the Clinton O. Nixon West Well GAC Treatment Facility is capable of treating up to 2,700 gallons per minute. Both GAC treatment facilities require continuous monitoring and sampling of the water passing through each of the large vessels. Various water quality samples are collected weekly at the Clinton O. Nixon East Well GAC Treatment Facility and the Clinton O. Nixon West Well GAC Treatment Facility to ensure the highest quality of water is being delivered to residents and businesses.

Baldwin Park Operable Unit Sub-Area 1 Treatment Facility

Contamination was first detected in the groundwater basin in 1979. By 1984, 59 wells operating in the Main San Gabriel Basin were found to be contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). By the late 1990s, additional contaminates, including perchlorate (ClO₄), N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), and 1,4-Dioxane were detected in the groundwater basin. As a result of the contamination, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) declared the contaminated areas as Superfund Sites, which were then further divided into operable units charged with mitigating the spread of the contaminate plume while promoting the beneficial use of the treated water produced during the mitigation process.

As such, Valley County Water District coordinated with public agencies, including the Main San Gabriel Basin Watermaster and the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority, and with the Cooperating Respondents, including Aerojet Corporation, Azusa Land Reclamation Company, Inc, Fairchild Holding Corporation, Hartwell Corporation, Huffy Corporation, Oil and Solvent Process Company, Reichhold, Inc, and Wynn Oil Company, for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the Baldwin Park Operable Unit Sub-Area 1 (BPOU SA1) Treatment Facility

The BPOU SA1 Treatment Facility is a state-of-the art water supply and water treatment project. All costs associated with the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the facility are fully funded by the Cooperating Respondents under the BPOU Project Agreement. Valley County Water District maintains an open rapport with the Cooperating Respondents in an effort to monitor and manage the reasonable and necessary costs of the operation. The BPOU Project Agreement was executed in 2002 and is set to expire in 2017. Negotiations are currently in the beginning stages amongst all parties for the development of an extension to the BPOU Project Agreement beyond 2017.

Construction

Construction of the water supply and water treatment facilities was completed in 2005. In November 2005, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued the operating permit for the BPOU SA1 Treatment Facility. Water for the project is produced from three groundwater extraction wells, including the SA1-1 Well, the SA1-2 Well, and the SA1-3 Well (formerly the Valley County Water District Lante Street Well). All water produced is treated for the removal of VOCs using air stripping towers and granular activated carbon (GAC), the removal of perchlorate using ion separation vessels, the removal of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) using low energy ultra violet light, and the removal of 1,4-Dioxane using peroxide blending.