TASSAJARA ZEN MOUNTAIN CENTER - SURFACE WATER TREATMENT SYSTEM
2000 - present
CLIENT: SAN FRANCISCO ZEN CENTER, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, also known as Zenshin-ji (Zen Mind Temple), is a Soto Zen Buddhist monastery established in 1966. Set in the rugged Ventana Wilderness, approximately 27 miles inland from Big Sur, Tassajara Creek and its mineral-rich hot springs have been in use for hundreds of years, first as traditional ceremonial grounds of the Esselen Indians before the road and original resort were built in the 1860s.

The water system supplies water domestic, irrigation, and fire protection for the facility. The springs were determined to be under the direct influence of surface water, and therefore required treatment under the State of California's Surface Water Treatment Rule. The site is remote and has limited land area. Due to these constraints, FCE designed a dual slow sand filter treatment system, with chlorination for disinfection. The dual slow sand filters run in parallel and provide approximately 8.8 gallons per minute of treated water. The sand filter has produced excellent water quality, with minimum power and operational requirements.

ESALEN INSTITUTE - SURFACE WATER TREATMENT SYSTEM 2000 to Present CLIENT: ESALEN INSTITUTE, BIG SUR, CALIFORNIA Esalen Institute (Institute) owns and operates a conference and retreat center on the Big Sur Coast of central California. The center provides accommodations for 250 guests, residents and employees. The center also operates a cafeteria, laundry facilities, natural hot baths, a large garden, and a 4.5-acre farm. The center utilizes a small gravity flow water system for domestic and irrigation supply. The water supply is from Hot Spring Creek and two springs in Hot Spring Canyon. Since these water sources are considered surface waters, they require treatment under the State of California's Surface Water Treatment Rule. FCE designed a Rosedale multiplex Giardia bag/cartridge filter system to treat the water for the facility. A bag filtration plant uses the physical screening process to remove particles. The bag filter system provides up to 60 gallons per minute of high quality treated water for the Institute with minimal operational requirements.

Esalen Institute Water Treatment System

PRUNEDALE MUTUAL WATER COMPANY - ARSENIC TREATMENT SYSTEM
2000 - present
CLIENT: PRUNEDALE MUTUAL WATER COMPANY, SALINAS, CALIFORNIA

The Prunedale Mutual Water Company (MWC) owns and operates a public water system in Langley Canyon Road in North Monterey County, California. The system serves approximately 84 service connections. Water for the system is provided by four deep wells also owned and operated by the MWC.

Groundwater used by the MWC has naturally elevated levels of iron, manganese and arsenic, due to the local geology. Routine water testing has detected concentrations of arsenic in two wells to be in excess of USEPA maximum contaminant levels set at 10 ug/l.

FCE has prepared engineering design plans for the construction of the new water treatment system. The system will include a Filtronic's Electromedia I selective media filtration system designed to reduce arsenic to less than 5 ug/L to meet state and Federal standards. The treatment system will use a sludge dewatering system to facilitate the management and disposal of treatment plant residuals. The system is designed to treat 150 gallons per minute of water, and allow for treatment expansion up to 225 gallons per minute.