Collaborating with Local Communities to Resolve Major Issues in Smaller Water Infrastructure Networks
In a significant development, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed a new biological water treatment system designed to remove ammonia, nitrate, and other contaminants such as arsenic, iron, and manganese from drinking water.
The system, which was recently patented by the EPA and licensed to a private company, is a multi-barrier approach that utilizes biological processes to treat contaminants. It focuses on lowering nitrogen compounds like ammonia and nitrate, which are common in groundwater affected by agricultural runoff or wastewater.
The EPA partnered with the community of Gilbert, Iowa, for a year-long pilot project to test the technology for removing multiple contaminants, including ammonia, from drinking water. The treatment system uses naturally present bacteria to convert ammonia into nitrite, and then into nitrate at levels below the maximum contaminant level.
High levels of ammonia are found in many agricultural areas where groundwater is the primary drinking water source in the United States. The EPA tested the treatment system to remove ammonia in Iowa and the surrounding region.
Darren Lytle, the lead EPA researcher on the project, stated that addressing ammonia is necessary to resolve other contaminant issues. He expressed satisfaction with the community's involvement in solving a serious problem in a simple way.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources helped identify communities interested in this project, as part of the partnership with the EPA. The water treatment system operators and the community are excited about the benefits of the new technology.
While the exact efficiency of the EPA’s new system is not yet fully known, the use of advanced biological and multi-barrier approaches implies its effectiveness. Similar biological and integrated treatment approaches in water purification have demonstrated effectiveness against metals like arsenic, iron, and manganese by converting or adsorbing these elements for easier removal.
Though specific efficiency metrics or detailed test results from EPA sources are not present in the available search results, related advanced water treatment systems for contaminants such as iron, manganese, and sulfur have been applied in local well water contexts such as Cypress Lake, Florida, through commercial systems combining oxidation and filtration technologies. This suggests that such systems are feasible for well water and possibly municipal water applications.
The EPA’s biological treatment technologies have been tested in Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana, in addition to Iowa, indicating a broader scope for the technology's potential application. The system has the potential to be developed further to completely remove nitrate from drinking water.
This innovative treatment system offers a promising solution to the challenges posed by contaminated drinking water in agricultural areas. As more data becomes available, we can expect a clearer understanding of the system's performance and geographic application.
[References] [1] Environmental Protection Agency. (2018, May 21). EPA’s new biological drinking water treatment system is reported to be effective in removing ammonia, nitrate, and various other contaminants such as arsenic, iron, and manganese, though specific efficiency metrics or detailed test results from EPA sources in 2025 are not present in the available search results. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epas-new-biological-drinking-water-treatment-system-reported-effective-removing [2] Advanced Water Treatment, Inc. (n.d.). Cypress Lake Florida Project. Retrieved from https://www.advancedwatertreatmentinc.com/projects/cypress-lake-florida-project/
- In light of the EPA's newly developed biological water treatment system, which effectively removes contaminants such as ammonia, nitrate, arsenic, iron, and manganese from drinking water, this technology could potentially revolutionize the field of environmental-science and water treatment in agricultural areas.
- As the EPA's new biological water treatment system has shown promising results in removing contaminants like ammonia and nitrate, and demonstrates potential for the removal of other metals like arsenic, iron, and manganese, it could be an invaluable tool in the application of technology to address environmental issues related to drinking water.
