Acidic Water

Acidic water usually attain its acidity from the seepage of acid mine waters, or acidic industrial wastes. Acid mine waters are frequently too low in pH to provide suitable drinking water even after neutralization and treatment. Acid in drinking water has no collective MCLG for acidic water, although, there are individual MCLGs for some of the individual acid contaminants; dichloroacetic acid (zero); trichloroacetic acid (0.02 mg/L); monochloroacetic acid (0.07 mg/L). Bromoacetic acid and dibromoacetic acid are regulated with this group but have no MCLGs.
 
Acidic Water Treatment - Acidic water can be treated and or corrected by injecting soda ash or caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) into the water supply to raise the pH. Utilization of these two chemicals slightly increases the alkalinity in direct proportion to the amount used. Acidic water can also be neutralized up to a point by running it through calcite, corosex or a combination of the two. The calcite and the corosex both act as a acid water neutralizer by dissolving and they add hardness to the water as the neutralization takes place; therefore, they both need to be replenished on a periodic basis.