Uranium removal

From WikiCover

The California Department of Health Services has licensed Water Remediation Technology to operate a new treatment system that will enable WRT to reduce high and unsafe levels of uranium currently in the water in one of five wells maintained by Bass Lake, California's water provider.

WRT's Z-92 system will treat the well water to remove the uranium to an amount that is below the federal Environmental Protection Agency maximum allowable limit. The system, which is designed to be added to any new or existing potable water system, allows water to pass through a series of treatment columns that contain the absorptive Z-92 media, which collects the uranium out of the water.

The current uranium concentration in the well at Bass Lake is roughly 165 parts per billion. The EPA's guidelines allow for a maximum uranium presence of only 30 ppb. According to the EPA, uranium is naturally present in water, but drinking high amounts of it over a long period of time can cause toxic effects to the kidneys and increase the risk of getting cancer.

As part of the twenty-year contract between WRT and Bass Lake Water Company, WRT will also be responsible for the environmentally safe handling and removal of the uranium from the area to a remote location, preventing any other contamination in the resort town.