Whitley Burchett

Spice Up Your Chlorine Contact Basin: Using Salt As A
Tracer to Evaluate Basin Hydraulics

(Presented at the CWEA Annual Conference, Palm Springs, CA, April 2001)

Paul Friedlander: Whitley, Burchett & Associate

ABSTRACT

A chlorine contact basin tracer study can provide important information to evaluate and optimize the disinfection process. Common table salt (sodium chloride) has many advantages for use as a tracer, including ease of use and monitoring, availability, and cost. The only equipment and materials required are salt, a suitable container for mixing the salt with water, an electroconductivity (EC) probe, and a wrist watch. This presentation offers a step-by-step, do-it-yourself procedure for conducting a salt tracer study on your chlorine contact basin and evaluating the results, including modal contact times and contact time distribution.