Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID NV_2023_Bandala

Removal of Fluoride from Groundwater in Rural Communities of Nevada

Institute: Nevada
Year Established: 2023 Start Date: 2023-09-01 End Date: 2024-08-31
Total Federal Funds: $34,768 Total Non-Federal Funds: $34,768

Principal Investigators: Erick Bandala

Project Summary: Presence of inorganic minerals (e.g., fluoride) in groundwater has been reported at alarming high levels in communities around the United States. Despite its benefits at low concentrations, long term exposure to fluoride at concentrations higher than 1.5 mg/L cause dental and skeletal fluorosis, with significant negative health impacts on water users. Water defluoridation is complex, especially in rural communities that lack access to central public water system and the necessary resources and technical support for water treatment. The goal of this project is to assess the feasibility of scaling up electrocoagulation (EC) technology developed in the past by DRI to reduce fluoride concentration in groundwater and estimate its implementation feasibility in rural communities using Beatty Nevada as a pilot case of other communities with similar conditions. This project will evaluate operational variables to produce groundwater with reduced fluoride concentration, scaling up parameters and feasibility for field application in rural communities.