Drinking Water Treatment

The main source of drinking water for the citizens of Khabarovsk - and of water used for heating - is the Amur River. The river is contaminated with a broad range of toxins and carcinogens (including polyaromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, pesticides and heavy metals) as well as bacteriological pollutants from untreated sewage. Contaminant concentrations are variable and Khabarovsk Vodokanal has a many layered system for preventing their introduction to the municipal water supply but the primary means of protection are the filters used to treat the water before it is distributed within the city. Vodokanal engineers and technicians visited Portland in May 2007 to investigate water treatment technologies. With the assistance of the Portland Water Bureau (PWB) and Murray Smith and Associates, Inc.(MSA), Vodokanal identified the Leopold underdrain system for possible use in its filters. In June 2007 PWB Principal Engineer David Peters and MSA Senior Engineer Andy Szatkowski visited Khabarovsk in part to continue assessing the possible use of this technology in Khabarovsk. At right the Portland delegation inspects an operating filter at one of the Khabarovsk drinking water treatment facilities.

The Vodokanal delegation visits the Willamette River Drinking Water Treatment facility in Wilsonville, Oregon. The facility uses the Leopold underdrain technology that was first introduced to Vodokanal by the PWB and MSA in June 2006. Vodokanal requested that its delegation be given a full briefing on the technology in Portland, and afterwards the Vodokanal engineers requested that PWB and MSA evaluate the suitability of the technology for its filter basins in Khabarovsk.

MSA Senior Engineer (middle) Andy Szatkowski inspects an out of service filter basin at the Khabarovsk central water treatment facility. Vladimir Sidorov (right) assists. Andy is trying to determine whether the basin manifold can accomodate the Leopold underdrain.

Vodokanal Chief Technologist Elena Arkhipova discusses the Leopold filter underdrain product with Vodokanal Chief Engineer Konstantin Domnin while PWB Principal Engineer David Peters (left) and MSA Senior Engineer Andy Szatkowski look on. It is important to note that MSA does not market Leopold products. The technology was evaluated by Vodokanal as a possible substitution for perforated pipe technology available in Russia. The presentation image in the background illustrates the principles of air flow utilized in the high efficiency underdrain.