Washington » For more than a decade, Ed Hansen has tried to figure out an environmentally friendly way to strip contaminants from wastewater, giving one of the driest states in the nation access to a new source to help irrigate the land.
With the help of some special bacteria and high tech "bioreactors," Hansen says he's figured it out. Now the general manager of the Magna Water District hopes Congress comes through with money to build the equipment needed to clean as much as 3.8 million gallons a day.
The House overwhelmingly passed a bill recently that Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, sponsored to give Magna Water $12 million. Now it's up to Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, to see if he can get his proposal through the Senate.
"This bill provides funding to take the process to the next level," Hansen said. "To return the clean water back to the environment."
After Magna treats its drinking water, it is left with a pool of contaminated wastewater loaded with arsenic and old rocket fuel from the early days of Hercules and later ATK. Defense contractors have since cleaned up their act, but the contaminants from decades ago remain in underground wells.
For years, Magna Water has had to dispose of millions of gallons of leftover water, but that was before they teamed with an engineering company to create BIOBROx. The system attacks the contaminants with tiny bacteria, breaking apart the unwanted molecules. What comes out is millions of gallons of decent irrigation water, and a sludge that can be turned into compost.
