Sediment Filters Play Important Role In Huge Water Project
Posted by William Vander Plaats on Thu, Jan 07, 2010 @ 02:20 PM
As water supplies tighten around the world, everyone must be more creative in thinking of ways to make the most of this precious resource. The City and County water works of Santa Fe in New Mexico came up with a unique idea back in the late 1990's, and their dream finally took early steps to become a reality in 2009. Not surprisingly, a key component of the solution is an industrial water filtration system which uses centrifugal separators to efficiently remove sand from water.
The Buckman Direct Diversion Project
Due for completion in 2011, the Buckman Direct Diversion project (BDD) takes water directly from the Rio Grande River so it can be used for domestic use in Sante Fe. For years the amount of rainfall in the area has been dropping and the water table now rests hundreds of feet lower, leading Santa Fe city and county planners to consider alternate sources of water to support population growth. When completed, the BDD will include a sediment removal facility to return sand to the Rio Grande, 11 miles of underground raw water pipeline to convey the water to a lifting station with booster pumps to move the water uphill, a treatment plant with capacity to filter 15 million gallons of water per day, and two new booster stations to deliver treated water to city and county customers.
Separators Used For Filtration
To keep the other components of this elaborate water pumping system operating efficiently, a total of nine (9) LAKOS centrifugal separators are being used to remove the sand so it can be returned to the Rio Grande. LAKOS Separators were the choice because they feature:
- no moving parts to wear out or replace
- minimal water loss, and a
- low and steady pressure loss
Want to learn more? Download the complete Buckman Direct Diversion Project article.