How Fallon Improved Sodium Hydroxide Dosing Reliability

APPLICATION

The City of Fallon, Nevada implemented an iron-based coagulation and filtration treatment plant that can reliably reduce arsenic levels below regulatory limits. This plant serves City of Fallon residents and the Fallon Naval Air Station.

CHALLENGE

The plant relied on duplex diaphragm pumps to dose 50% sodium hydroxide during treatment. Sodium hydroxide is widely used in water treatment to adjust pH and optimize coagulation and filtration processes for arsenic removal. However, the original pumps struggled to operate reliably and required constant maintenance. The city began searching for alternatives.

SOLUTION

The facility upgraded to a Blue-White® duplex wall-mounted skid system featuring two FLEXFLO® M3 peristaltic metering pumps. These pumps can provide up to 30 feet of suction lift and use a gentle, low-shear pumping action to help maintain a consistent chemical feed. The M3 design also includes Tube Failure Detection (TFD) for safety purposes, and its modular roller assembly allows operators to quickly replace tubes without tools, reducing maintenance time.

RESULTS

Following the installation of Blue-White’s M3 duplex skid system, the City of Fallon Water Treatment Plant eliminated priming issues that had affected its sodium hydroxide dosing pumps. The new system reduces maintenance requirements, simplifies servicing with tool-free tube replacement, and improves safety with built-in tube failure detection. The wall-mounted skid also reduced the system’s footprint, freeing up valuable space.