La Verne : Bacteria as Water Cleaner

Bacteria that eat harmful chemicals may soon be used to remove nitrates from underground water in La Verne. City officials and the Three Valleys Municipal Water District say they are studying the possibility of using the process, developed and used widely in the Netherlands to treat waste water. It would be the first such use in the United States.

Nitrates are the remnants of pesticides that seep into ground water after being sprayed on crops. La Verne currently imports water from Northern California to mix with its nitrate-laden ground water to keep it below the state Health Department’s standard of 45 parts of nitrates per million. But importing water is expensive, said Councilman Patrick Gatti, and the new process, in which bacteria existing naturally in the water are treated with a chemical that causes them to consume the nitrates, could save the city up to half of the $1.5 million it spends on imported water each year. “If this process proves to be successful it will substantially prevent water rates from going up,” Gatti said. He said he hopes to present the City Council with a proposal for a pilot program within a month.

The district operates a water treatment plant that serves La Verne, Claremont and parts of Pomona.