Liberty has completed its water treatment system

By WILL SHEELINE wsheeline@liherald.com

Liberty American Water has recently completed construction of a new water treatment system at the Gen Head Well Station following two years of work. The granular activated carbon treatment system will play a pivotal role in removing “forever chemicals,” microplastics and other undesirables from the area’s water supply.

The designing and construction of the treatment system began in 2020 when the area was still operated by New York American Water, as the Environmental Protection Agency and state governments were starting to crack down on forever chemicals that were, and unfortunately continue to be, endemic to the country’s water supply. John Kilpatrick, Liberty’s director of engineering, explained that they had begun the work before the new regulations had been rolled out.

The goal of the project, which cost a little under $3 million, was to remove chemical pollutants such as perfluorooctyl sulfonate and perfluorooctanoic acid, commonly referred to as PFO’s. The new regulations require there be no more than 10 parts chemicals per one trillion gallons of water.

Kilpatrick explained that these chemicals have been in local water systems for decades, and with growing awareness of the issue it was important for Liberty to get ahead of the problem and help address it.

“They’re like forever chemicals. I believe they show up in the blood of most people in the developed world, so they don’t break down easily and are very persistent,” Kilpatrick said. “In New York there’s really just a move to eliminate these chemicals from our environment.”

The chemicals will be removed using granular activated carbon, an advanced yet simple process designed to remove even the most microscopic traces. When the water comes out of the well it runs through four vessels, which hold roughly 40,000 pounds of carbon altogether.

As the water runs through the vessels, the chemicals adhere to the carbon while the cleaned water flows into the system. As the carbon carpet becomes more and more saturated Liberty’s engineers will eventually replace it as needed.

“We have the vessels set up in the lead leg formation, so it goes through