City Of West Palm Beach: Cyanotoxin Expert Panel Announces Near-Term Actions

West Palm Beach FL

27 August, 2021

10:16 AM

Description

Press release from the City of West Palm Beach: 08/26/2021 4:30 PM   Cyanotoxin Expert Panel tours the Water Treatment Plant along with representatives from the Town of Palm Beach WEST PALM BEACH, FL (August 26, 2021) –  During a Mayor/Commission Work Session on August 26, 2021, the City of West Palm Beach Cyanotoxin Expert Panel ("the Panel"), presented their recommended near-term actions to address potential water quality risks from cyanotoxins. For 60 days, the Panel has been digging into the city's vast and well-documented water quality data and conducting additional studies to analyze source water, treatment infrastructure, and operations. Assembled by Mayor Keith A. James in June, the Panel, which is comprised of water quality industry leaders and experts in their field, was tasked with making near-term and long-term recommendations to Mayor, City Administration, and the Department of Public Utilities. Short-term recommendations provided by the Panel include, but are not limited to: Continue to understand and better manage source water through enhanced monitoring, modeling, and advanced data analytics. Optimize powdered activated carbon treatment using bench-scale testing and revised procurement strategies. Optimize chlorine oxidation by collecting additional bench- and full-scale data to balance chlorine oxidation of cyanotoxins and disinfection byproduct formation. Collaborative effort between the Panel and the city's Water Evaluation and Planning and Groundwater Model team to evaluate water quantity, quality, and source management strategies. A source water study to determine the best depth from which to pull water from Clear Lake to improve water quality entering the treatment plant. Treatment: Looking at water treatment plant operations to maximize the effectiveness of existing powdered activated carbon and chlorine treatment steps. Early results show good potential to remove cyanotoxins. A water treatability study to identify the best-suited type of powdered activated carbon to optimize treatment performance. This press release was produced by the City of West Palm Beach. The views expressed here are the author's own.