How a Mid Atlantic Water Utility Achieved Zero PFAS Breakthrough with ResinTech SIR-110-HP

Industry

Municipal Water Treatment

Challenge

Culligan Sharp Water was charged with designing and implementing a PFAS remediation system for a Mid-Atlantic water utility. The system needed to treat groundwater containing 35.2 ppt total PFAS to meet EPA drinking water standards while handling challenging water chemistry including 452 ppm chloride. This was their first PFAS treatment system and required predictable, long-term performance.

Results

After 23 months of operation, the system has treated 82 million gallons with zero PFAS detects—performing at 90% of predicted capacity with no breakthrough. The utility is now converting all existing GAC systems to ion exchange technology.

Key Product

ResinTech SIR-110-HP

82M+

Gallons of Water Treated

Non-detect Months

2.67x

Smaller that GAC System

90%

Capacity Utilization

ResinTech has helped us deliver water treatment solutions for decades. This PFAS project demonstrates what we've come to expect—their products perform exactly as their modeling predicts, giving us confidence in every installation.

DJ Shanahan

Owner / Operator @ Culligan | Sharp Water

About Sharp Water

Culligan Sharp Water is the premier water treatment company in the Delmarva Peninsula specializing in residential and commercial water treatment solutions. Backed by Culligan's global resources, Sharp Water Culligan provides installation, maintenance, and ongoing support for industries such as municipal, agriculture, manufacturing, and hospitality.

The Challenge

The utility faced multiple PFAS compounds totaling 35.2 ppt in their groundwater, well above EPA's new 4.0 ppt limits for PFOA and PFOS. The water chemistry presented additional challenges with high chloride levels (452 ppm) that could interfere with treatment performance.

They needed a solution that could consistently remove PFAS to non-detect levels while providing predictable service life for operational planning. With limited experience in PFAS treatment, accurate capacity modeling was critical for confident system sizing and budgeting.

The Solution

The utility partnered with Sharp Water to implement a ResinTech SIR-110-HP ion exchange system. After evaluating multiple technologies including GAC and reverse osmosis, they selected ion exchange based on its superior selectivity for PFAS compounds and proven performance in high-chloride environments.

ResinTech's 4-model average methodology projected the 100 cubic foot system would treat 91 million gallons before breakthrough—providing the predictable performance timeline the utility required for operational planning.

The system went online in September 2023 with a straightforward design: single-vessel configuration sized for 200 gpm with expansion capability to 700 gpm using modular vessel additions.

"ResinTech performance projection accuracy gave us confidence in our capacity planning. After 23 months of operation exactly as predicted, we're moving all our PFAS treatment to ion exchange technology."

The Results

The system has exceeded all performance expectations. After treating 82 million gallons over 23 months, all PFAS compounds remain at non-detect levels—well below the 4.24 ppt design endpoint. The system is operating at 90% of its predicted 91 million gallon capacity with no signs of breakthrough.

Performance Validation:

Modeling Accuracy: 90% capacity utilization matches projections within 10%
Treatment Quality: Consistent non-detect results for all PFAS compounds
Operational Reliability: Zero maintenance requirements over 23-month period
Space Efficiency: 2.67x smaller footprint than equivalent GAC system

Strategic Impact: The success has driven utility-wide adoption of ion exchange technology. The utility has committed to converting existing GAC-based systems and is planning expansion to 700 gpm capacity at this facility.

"We've proven that accurate modeling combined with selective resin technology delivers exactly the predictable performance utilities need for PFAS compliance planning."

Future Applications:

Conversion of all existing GAC PFAS systems to ion exchange
State funding secured using performance data from this installation
Additional sites planned using identical system design
Industry-leading collaboration driving continued technology improvements

The project validates ResinTech SIR-110-HP as the reliable solution for municipal PFAS treatment, delivering superior capacity, consistent performance, and operational simplicity in a compact footprint.