Pilot Scale Evaluation of Treatment Technologies for Salt-Contaminated Runoff at Road-Salt Storage Facilities

About the project:

Based on the findings of an earlier study, reverse osmosis (RO) appears to be a promising method for treating the salt-laden stormwater runoff captured at VDOT’s 292 salt storage facilities. The purpose of this project is to perform a pilot-scale study of the reverse osmosis treatment technology. By actually using RO technology to treat some of VDOT’s salt water, questions related to the efficiency and costs of salt water treatment will be answered. A bench scale test will be conducted using a small RO system and a larger RO unit will be used in the field to treat the salt water captured at a VDOT Area Headquarters. To further aid in the implementation of the RO technology, researchers plan help with the setup, operation, and monitoring of the first units actually purchased by VDOT following the completion of the pilot phase of the study.

Project Team

Co-Principal Investigators

Other Investigators