10.2190/J6P4-RUBM-HKNG-GQML J6P4RUBMHKNGGQML 3 A Systems Approach to Nitrate Removal from Groundwater Supplies 291 303 20020509 20020509 20020509 20020509 J6P4RUBMHKNGGQML.pdf http://baywood.metapress.com/link.asp?target=contribution&id=J6P4RUBMHKNGGQML 4 Mohamed F. Dahab Istvan Bogardi Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Nitrate concentrations in groundwater supplies in many areas have steadily increased past the standard established by the Safe Drinking Water Act. Nitrate contamination is linked to infant methemoglobinemia as well as the formation of n-nitroso compounds which are etiologic agents for gastric cancer in humans. This article discusses the feasibility of removing nitrates from groundwater supplies. Systems analysis is used to determine the best (i.e., optimal) scenarios under which one, or a combination, of several available processes can be applied. A systems methodology for selecting cost-effective nitrate treatment strategies is outlined. Nitrate removal relationships and cost of treatment functions are developed. The systems methodology is illustrated for a typical midwestern community facing nitrate contamination problems. S. S. Mirvish, Progress in Water Technology, <i>8</i>:4/5, p. 195, 1977. H. I. Shuval, et al., Progress in Water Technology, <i>12</i>, p. 173, 1980. D. Clifford et al., Nitrate Removal from Drinking Water in Glendale, Arizona, <i>USEPA Report EPA/600/S2-86/107</i>, March 1987. M. F. Dahab, Proceedings of the ASCE National Conference on Environmental Engineering, Boston, MA, July 1985. M. F. Dahab, Treatment Alternatives for Nitrate Contaminated Groundwater Supplies, <i>Journal of Environmental Systems, 17</i>:1, pp. 65-75, 1987. J. M. Montgomery, Consulting Engineers, Inc., Water Treatment, Principles and Design, John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY, 1985. W. J. Weber, <i>Physicochemical Processes for Water Quality Control</i>, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, NY, 1972. C. S. Beightler, et al., <i>Foundations of Optimization</i>, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1979. I. Bogardi, L. Duckstein, and A. Bardossy, Regional Management of an Aquifer under Fuzzy Environmental Objectives, <i>Water Resources Research, 19</i>:6, pp. 1394-1402, 1983. A. Goicoechea, D. Hansen, and L Duckstein, <i>Introduction to Multi-Objective Analysis with Engineering and Business Applications</i>, John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY, 1982. Y. Haimes, et al., <i>Multi-Objective Optimization in Water Resources Systems: The Surrogate Worth Trade-Off Method</i>, Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, New York, NY, 1975. R. Keeney and H. Raiffa, <i>Decisions with Multiple Objectives: Preferences and Value Tradeoffs</i>, John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY, 1976. D. Major, Multi-Objective Water Resources Planning, <i>Water Resources Monograph No. 4</i>, AGU, Washington, D. C., 1977. P. J. Ossenburgen, <i>Systems Analysis for Civil Engineers</i>, John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY, 1984. M. Zeleny, Compromise Programming, in <i>Multiple Criteria Decision Making</i>, M. K. Starr and M. Zeleny (eds.), University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, SC, 1973. M. Zeleny, <i>Multiple Criteria Decision Making</i>, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 1982. U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, <i>Innovative and Alternative Technology Assessment Manual</i>, Office of Water Program Operation, EPA, Washington, D. C., 1980. Johnson Erickson O'Brien and Associates, Inc., <i>City of Milford, Nebraska Water Supply Review</i>, April 1986. G. A. Guter, <i>Nitrate Removal from Contaminated Water Supplies: Volume I. Design and Initial Performance of a Nitrate Removal Plant</i>, USEPA Report EPA/600/S2-86/115, April 1987. R. P. Lauch and G. A. Guter, Ion Exchange for the Removal of Nitrate from Well Water, <i>Journal of the American Water Works Association, 5</i>:78, pp. 83-88, 1986.