Air Scouring Solves Old Buildup Problem

Abstract

This article describes the incident of overflowing filters at the West Carrollton, Ohio, water treatment plant. The investigation into the cause is outlined, and the article describes how after one of the wells was cleaned, the increased flow caused 40 years of iron and manganese buildup to slowly break loose from the interior pipe wall, thus clogging the filters. It was found that air scouring caused huge quantities of the iron and manganese buildup to break loose and flow out of the hydrant, thus solving the problem all at once.