There are more than 50,000 municipal water systems in the United States and most of these systems rely on a variety of towers and tanks to store their treated drinking water. Many operators rely on mixing via normal cycling of water in and out of the tank to limit water age and deterioration of disinfectant chemicals.

This is known as “passive mixing” and in most cases it is not enough to prevent thermal stratification. This can lead to a drop in residual chlorine and a resultant growth of bacteria.

When bacteria contamination occurs in a tank, a common response is to set the tank for deep drawdown. In extreme cases, a complete drain, flush and refill of the tank is performed. Not only is this strategy a big waste of water resources, it also increases cost for labor and chemicals.

When active mechanical mixing is combined with frequent sampling and periodic chlorine boosting (when needed), water quality is maintained and less disinfectant overall is required.

This paper explores many of the common problems experienced in distribution tanks and how active mixing can solve them, as well as active mixing technologies available from Ixom Watercare that can completely mix distribution tanks from the very smallest tanks (<10,000 gallons) to the very largest mega-reservoirs (100 million gallons or more). These technologies have the additional benefits of reduced labor and chemical expenditures as well as providing a means for EPA regulatory compliance. 

Download the white paper to learn more.