The city of Longueuil, located on the South Shore of Montreal QC, Canada, uses Kemira technology to ensure its water meets drinking guidelines even in the toughest conditions.
Just over ten years ago, the water treatment plant in Saint-Lambert (today Longueuil) faced a real challenge.
The facility had just been upgraded with a ballasted sand system capable of treating water at very high speed. They continued to use aluminum sulfate as the main coagulant. However, this proved to be a serious problem because in that same year, Montreal got heavy runoff that severely affected the quality of intake water. The aluminum sulfate reacts very slowly in cold temperatures, and as a result, the plant was unable to meet drinking water guidelines.
To help Longueuil obtain a faster and more effective reaction, Kemira introduced a new type of coagulant: Polyaluminum Silicate Sulfate (PASS). PASS is a pre-hydrolyzed, aluminum sulfate-based coagulant that works well in both warm and cold temperatures. As soon as PASS was added, the water quality improved significantly and allowed the city of Longueuil to fulfill the guidelines with ease.
PASS benefits
“The key added value we have seen with Kemira technology is that it ensures we meet the drinking water guidelines,” remarks Alain Turcotte, Longueuil plant superintendant. Since PASS is very effective when the intake water is cold, it was the perfect solution for the plant in Saint-Lambert. The plant also discovered that by using PASS, they were able to get a higher pH level in the water. This had the added benefit of reducing the amount of lime needed, which lowered operational costs.
“The beauty of this solution is that PASS and aluminum sulfate are fully compatible,” says Manuel Moreau, Director of Sales for Kemira, Municipal, Canada. As soon as the weather turns cold or there is a major storm, the plant can change to Kemira PASS. They switch back to aluminum sulfate during the summer, although other plants in the region stay on PASS year round.
Transparent and trustworthy
Kemira has built strong relationships with its customers in the Montreal area, making the company the largest manufacturer of coagulants in the region. Trust and transparency are the key values on which the business model has been developed. “Kemira has contacted us on a regular basis to evaluate their new technology to make sure we have the right chemistry in use,” says Alain Turcotte.
Manuel Moreau was the Longueuil account manager at the time PASS was introduced. That role has now been taken over by Mélanie Lefebvre, Senior Sales Manager, who continues a very close relationship with the customer. “We believe that if something is not working, we can be open about it and learn from it,” say Lefebvre.
Confidence in Kemira has increased dramatically at Longueuil. They have now called on Kemira to help them as they implement the Excellence Program for Drinking Water to achieve significantly higher quality standards.