How Fallon Improved Sodium Hydroxide Dosing Reliability

APPLICATION

The City of Fallon, Nevada implemented an iron-basedcoagulation and filtration treatment plant that can reliablyreduce arsenic levels below regulatory limits. This plantserves City of Fallon residents and the Fallon Naval AirStation.

CHALLENGE

The plant relied on duplex diaphragm pumps to dose 50%sodium hydroxide during treatment. Sodium hydroxide iswidely used in water treatment to adjust pH and optimizecoagulation and filtration processes for arsenic removal.However, the original pumps struggled to operate reliablyand required constant maintenance. The city begansearching for alternatives.

SOLUTION

The facility upgraded to a Blue-White® duplex wallmountedskid system featuring two FLEXFLO® M3peristaltic metering pumps. These pumps can provide up to30 feet of suction lift and use a gentle, low-shear pumpingaction to help maintain a consistent chemical feed. TheM3 design also includes Tube Failure Detection (TFD) forsafety purposes, and its modular roller assembly allowsoperators to quickly replace tubes without tools, reducingmaintenance time.

RESULTS

Following the installation of Blue-White’s M3 duplex skidsystem, the City of Fallon Water Treatment Plant eliminatedpriming issues that had affected its sodium hydroxidedosing pumps. The new system reduces maintenancerequirements, simplifies servicing with tool-free tubereplacement, and improves safety with built-in tubefailure detection. The wall-mounted skid also reduced thesystem’s footprint, freeing up valuable space.