BIOFOULING OF PVD-1 REVERSE-OSMOSIS ELEMENTS IN THE WATER-TREATMENT PLANT OF THE CITY OF DUNEDIN, FLORIDA

Camp, Dresser and McKee Consulting Engineers, in May of 1993, requested the University of South Florida's Civil Engineering Department to assist them in solving the biofouling problems at the City of Dunedin's Water Treatment Plant. The City had identified the biological foulants to be Pseudomonos a and a variety of yeasts. A biofilm was forming on the lead elements in the first stage of all their reverse osmosis skids. A program consisting of a series of laboratory and field studies was developed to find a method for cleaning the fouled elements. A solution for preventing further contamination of the system was also to be developed in the second phase of the study.