Water worries: Utah officials aren't testing for chemicals

His organization is working to gain public support in favor of setting pharmaceutical guidelines for Utah's water while the division's triennial review of its water-quality standards is under way. The review, which takes place every three years, will be available for public comment in July.

"We need to establish numeric standards and limits so we can control the wastewater treatment plants and they can be forced to put in the right technology and remove these (chemicals) 100 percent from the waste stream," Salt said.

He says implementing membrane technology, like the system that will be installed in the South Valley Sewer District's new sewer plant in Riverton, is a key to removal of pharmaceuticals. There are other, similar systems functioning in Utah, but Riverton's will be the largest.

"That's the type of thing that we need to see everywhere in the state of Utah," Salt said.

The membrane system has been touted as producing higher-quality wastewater with its ultra-filtration system that wards off solids and organic materials, such as phosphorus, but allows water to pass through. Because the pharmaceuticals are often dissolved with low levels of chemicals mixed into the water stream, it might be impossible to filter pharmaceuticals out of the water with the system, said Larry Bowen, project engineer for the South Valley Sewer District.

"I think you have to have some other mechanism to attack it," Bowen said. "It won't hurt, but I don't know how much it will help."

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