Bemidji Water Treatment Plant Expansion – Phase 2 | PFAS Treatment

Project Overview

Construction of Phase 2 improvements to the City of Bemidji’s municipal water treatment plant, expanding the existing facility to treat PFAS contamination from the airport wellfield and increase system capacity. Rice Lake previously constructed the 8,500 SF Phase 1 facility, which was placed into operation in 2021.

The expansion increased treatment capacity from 1,500 gpm to 2,500 gpm and included installation of four granular activated carbon (GAC) treatment systems for PFAS removal and four green sand filters (GSF) for removal of iron and Manganese. Work also included upgrades and connections to existing process piping while maintaining continuous operations at the active water treatment facility. Additional improvements included chemical treatment systems and a new backwash recycle tank to support water reuse.

The project also included construction of a new administrative building, garage, shop space, lab, and electrical room. Miscellaneous upgrades were completed at existing wellhouse facilities, with all work carefully coordinated to keep the plant online and accessible to operations staff.