(Lawrenceville, Ga., Jan. 11, 2018) – The WateReuse Association selected a Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources research project as a winner in the 2018 WateReuse Awards for Excellence under the transformational innovation category.

Earlier this year, the same project won the Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science Grand Prize for research from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists.

The research project evaluated the feasibility and economics of using ozone/biological filtration treatment to produce drinking water directly from reclaimed water, compared to more expensive reverse-osmosis processes.

The project involved two different demonstrations operated simultaneously for nine months. While both demonstrations replicated the current full-scale drinking water treatment process, one pilot treated lake water only while the other pilot treated blends of lake water with advanced treated  reclaimed water from the F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center.

The pilot study demonstrated that drinking water standards could be achieved with a blend of the F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center’s advanced treated reclaimed water combined with water from Lake Lanier.

Denise Funk, division director for Research and Development at Gwinnett County, said, “The results show there are alternative treatment technologies that can be less expensive and more efficient than other standardized practices. This work allows other water utilities to evaluate water supply options that may not have been feasible before. It also opens the door for further research and applications that could optimize efficiency in our own county.”

The project was completed in collaboration with the Water Research Foundation which recently released the final report titled, “Ozone Biofiltration Direct Potable Reuse Testing at Gwinnett County (Reuse 15-11).

Link to awards video:https://watereuse.org/newswatereuse-awards/.