What Kalamazoo’s $60M Water Project Tells Us About Modern Treatment Strategy

Earlier this month, the City of Kalamazoo, Michigan, broke ground on a $60 million multi-year investment to improve water treatment and distribution across its Eastside neighborhood. The plan includes new treatment facilities, main replacements, and upgrades to address PFAS, iron, manganese, and aging system limitations.

While the spotlight is on Kalamazoo, the story is universal: municipal utilities nationwide are facing aging assets, rising regulatory complexity, and growing expectations for water quality.

At Pinnacle Ozone Solutions, we believe these projects represent a turning point. The systems being designed today must go beyond minimum compliance; they must be flexible, efficient, and chemically capable of meeting tomorrow’s standards. This is where ozone-based oxidation can play a critical role.

What Is Kalamazoo Treating For?

According to public documentation, the Eastside Water Treatment Project focuses on:

• Iron (Fe²⁺) and manganese (Mn²⁺) removal
• PFAS and emerging contaminants
• Addressing aesthetic issues like color, taste, and odor
• Replacing outdated mains and storage structures

The source water contains elevated dissolved metals and trace organics. PFAS is present at levels that require multi-barrier mitigation. The treatment strategy includes media filtration, process control upgrades, and potentially advanced treatment integration.

Where Ozone Excels: Fe, Mn, and PFAS Precursor Control

1. Oxidation of Iron and Manganese

   Ozone reacts rapidly with dissolved Fe²⁺ and Mn²⁺ to form insoluble hydroxides:

   • Fe²⁺ + O₃ + 3H₂O → Fe(OH)₃↓ + O₂ + 3H⁺
   • Mn²⁺ + O₃ → MnO₂↓ + O₂

   Compared to chlorine or permanganate, ozone offers:

   • Faster oxidation kinetics
   • No persistent residuals
   • Reduced oxidant demand downstream
   • Less staining and improved filterability of Mn solids

   Reference: Knocke et al. (1990); Langlais et al. (1991)

2. Improving PFAS Treatment Trains

   While ozone does not directly break down long-chain PFAS, it plays a critical role in:

   • Oxidizing PFAS precursors (e.g., fluorotelomer alcohols, FTOHs)
   • Enhancing activated carbon performance by reducing NOM fouling
   • Supporting advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) when combined with H₂O₂ or UV

   Reference: Xiao et al. (2020); USEPA PFAS Treatment Train Guidance (2024)

   Ozone pre-treatment can extend GAC lifespan, reduce changeout frequency, and improve TOC removal in PFAS-affected systems.

Why Ozone Is a Fit for Aging Infrastructure

Municipal systems like Kalamazoo often face:

• Variable source water quality due to weather or blending
• Decades-old pipelines that contribute to secondary contamination
• Pressure to limit chemical handling and storage risks

Ozone:

• Stabilizes water chemistry before distribution
• Supports biofilm control without forming chlorinated by-products
• Has on-site generation — no storage or transport risk
• Leaves no chemical residuals, reducing downstream treatment complexity

Pinnacle’s Footprint-Focused Solutions

Kalamazoo, like many cities, is building treatment into constrained footprints. Pinnacle systems address this via:

• Modular ozone generators (QuadBlock®) with small form factor
• Pressurized contactors replacing large atmospheric tanks
• High mass transfer efficiency (≥95%) = less ozone wasted, smaller destruct systems
• Integrated ORP, ozone residual, and SCADA controls

These features allow our systems to deliver high oxidation performance within retrofitted buildings, pump houses, or underground vaults.

Looking Forward: A Future-Proof Water Strategy

Kalamazoo’s investment is about more than fixing pipes; it’s about preparing for future contaminants, regulatory change, and public expectations. Ozone provides:

• Chemical flexibility for changing water chemistry
• Low operational cost per mg/L treated, especially in metal-heavy water
• Compatibility with PFAS, manganese, TOC, and color treatment

“Modern utilities are no longer building for the past; they’re building for the chemistry of the future. Ozone belongs in that design.”

— Pinnacle Ozone Engineering Group

The Modern Utility Needs Oxidation That Evolves

Kalamazoo’s Eastside Water Project is a template for how cities must think in 2025 and beyond: smart, scalable, and chemistry conscious. As iron, manganese, PFAS, and emerging contaminants converge in complex ways, ozone is uniquely positioned to bridge gaps between regulatory, aesthetic, and operational demands.

At Pinnacle Ozone Solutions, we engineer oxidation systems that don’t just check boxes; they adapt, perform, and deliver.

Technical References

• Langlais, Reckhow & Brink (1991). Ozone in Water Treatment: Application and Engineering
• Knocke, W.R., et al. (1990). Oxidation of Iron and Manganese with Ozone. JAWWA
• Xiao, F., et al. (2020). Ozone for PFAS Precursor Oxidation. Environmental Science & Technology
• USEPA (2024). PFAS Treatment Train Optimization Technical Brief
• City of Kalamazoo (2025). Eastside Water Project Documentation