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City plans pilot test of ceramic membrane filters at water plant; state requires pilot data
Summary
City staff recommended a pilot study for ceramic membrane filters at the water treatment plant; staff estimated the pilot would cost about $50,000 for an eight‑week skid rental and said it is required by state engineers before approving a full installation.
Crossville — City water resources staff presented a recommendation to contract with Wofford Engineering to run a pilot test of ceramic membrane filters at the municipal water treatment plant, saying the state requires site‑specific pilot data before approving ceramic membrane installations.
Joe Kirby, the city’s water resources supervisor, told council that existing filters at the plant are beginning to fail and that ceramic membranes offer potential benefits including water and chemical reductions and longer warranties. Kirby said the pilot would rent a membrane skid for roughly $50,000 and operate it for about eight weeks so the state can collect performance data and approve a design standard for the technology on this water source.
Kirby and staff said scheduling the pilot is subject to vendor availability; he said even if the city approved the pilot immediately, it could be April–June next year before a skid could be installed because manufacturers and vendors are backlogged.
Council members asked whether the project would increase plant capacity. Kirby responded that a prior suggestion that capacity would increase from 3.5 million to 7 million gallons per day was incorrect; the contract scope includes engineering that could lead to an ability to expand the plant in future phases, but the pilot itself is to demonstrate membrane performance with the city’s water quality.
Council added the contract for the pilot study to the formal agenda for approval.
