This West Valley city opened a new groundwater treatment facility. Here's what we know

Goodyear has opened a new groundwater treatment facility that uses a new, more efficient technology from California company Microvi. The facility lowers the amount of nitrates from the groundwater, which are a contaminant caused by agricultural runoff.

The facility, which cost $3.7 million to construct, is located at 1761 N. Palo Verde Drive in Goodyear.

The new Goodyear facility is the first of its kind in Arizona, with Microvi's new technology losing less water during nitrate removal than more common methods.

Why does Goodyear want to upgrade its groundwater treatment?

Goodyear Mayor Joe Pizzillo said the city is always looking for new partners to expand its water portfolio while also staying as sustainable as possible.

"We've got staff that's second to none that's always looking for efficient ways to move us forward in this community," Pizzillo said.

The new facility will be treating about 3% of Goodyear's water, said Barbara Chappell, Goodyear water services director. Previously, Goodyear simply blended water from multiple wells in order to dilute the amount of overall nitrates, so that the water would be safe to consume.

What does the plant do?

The Microvi plant is designed to remove nitrates from groundwater. Nitrates are a groundwater contaminant caused by agricultural fertilizer and commonly seen in the western and southern Phoenix area, said Ali Dorri, vice president of business development for Microvi.

The Goodyear facility has three wells. Only one of them is currently being treated, but the facility has the capacity to expand to treat the water in all three wells. The well puts out about 500 gallons of water per minute, Dorri said, which then goes through the nitrate treatment system.

Water can have no more than 10 milligrams of nitrate per liter, Dorri said. If the water has any more than that, it cannot be sent out to residents. Water that comes out of the well has 12 to 13 milligrams per liter before it is treated.

The technology involves natural organisms or bacteria that use nitrate as a food source. They are found in the soil and break down nitrate by turning it into nitrogen gas. So instead of removing the nitrates from the water, it is converted, making the technology a greener solution, Dorri said.

Microvi's technology is called MicroNiche Engineering, according to the company's website.

More common methods for removing nitrates from water include ion exchange and reverse osmosis, or simply diluting water to lower the concentration of nitrates. There are physical and chemical processes where the nitrate is pulled out of the water, Dorri said.

But that results in a concentrate that must then be disposed of, typically at a specific disposal facility since the water cannot just be released into the sewer. With MicroNiche Engineering, the gas is released into the atmosphere, which Dorri said is not harmful.

Microvi's technology also results in less water being lost through the process. With reverse osmosis, 15% to 20% of the water is lost as the nitrates are removed. At the new Microvi facility, about 1% of the water will be lost in the process when it goes through a filter after treatment, Dorri said.

What is the history of the company that built the plant?

Microvi, which is a private company, was founded in 2008 by Fatemeh Shirazi based on the idea of MicroNiche Enigineering. The company has expanded throughout California and is looking to grow further east.

Microvi also has received interest from other cities in the Phoenix area, particularly ones that are in historically agricultural areas, Dorri said.

Microvi also has developed a technology that treats wastewater. Wastewater treatment plants have to convert ammonia to nitrate, and the nitrate then has to be removed from the water before it is then discharged into another body of water.

Microvi recently opened an office in Michigan and plans to expand into the Midwest and East Coast. The company also has an office in the United Kingdom and plans to use its technology there as well.

Reach the reporter at ahardle@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @AlexandraHardle.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Goodyear opens new groundwater treatment plant