Microvi Restores Critical Community Drinking Water for the City of San Juan Bautista
Microvi, a developer of next-generation biotechnologies for the water, wastewater and renewable chemical industries, announced today that a Microvi MNE nitrate treatment system will be installed for the City of San Juan Bautista, California. The City will be working with CSG Consultants Inc. as the consulting engineer. This system will allow the city to ensure a supply of clean drinking water in a region that has seen consistently high levels of nitrate in their water sources.
Nitrate is one of the most widespread contaminants in groundwater globally, and its human health impacts, such as methemoglobinemia “blue baby syndrome,” are disproportionately felt in rural communities where groundwater contamination with agricultural runoff is pervasive.
“In the past four years, the City has had to shut-down two wells, and last March it had to shut down its newest well. After spending $750,000 on this new well, we are looking for a miracle,” said Don Reynolds, City Manager of San Juan Bautista.
The City of San Juan Bautista relies on three wells to provide drinking water to a population of just over 2,000 residents. In March 2020, one well was taken offline due to nitrate contamination. To better secure its source of drinking water, the City and the San Benito County Water District have partnered to import surface water 6-miles to the City’s system to blend with the ground water. While importing water from nearby treatment plants is an option, treating water locally is significantly more cost-effective for the city.
“As a Mayor, and as a water quality specialist, I am beyond excited about implementing Microvi’s nitrate treatment system for the City of San Juan Bautista,” said San Juan Bautista’s Mayor Leslie Jordan.
“We are pleased to offer the City of San Juan Bautista an effective and economical solution to treat the pervasive challenge of nitrate contamination,” said Dr. Fatemeh Shirazi, CEO of Microvi. “This installation exemplifies our company’s commitment to bring sustainable solutions to communities that need it most.”
Unlike most nitrogen treatment solutions that come at a substantial cost, Microvi’s MicroNiche Engineering (MNE) technology provides a cost-effective, scalable method that allows the utility to use existing infrastructure and staff to implement and maintain the system.
The project with the City of San Juan Bautista is funded in part through Microvi’s partnership with climate-tech nonprofit Elemental Excelerator. Microvi joined Elemental Excelerator’s seventh cohort to participate in the Equity and Access track in November 2018.
“This initiative reflects just one example of the acute need to scale innovations that provide equitable access to clean, drinking water in communities across Central California,” said Kim Baker, Director of Water Innovation at Elemental Excelerator. “We are honored to continue supporting the critical work that innovative companies such as Microvi are pioneering to address water contamination efficiently, locally and sustainably."
About Microvi
Microvi is a transformative biology company based in the San Francisco Bay Area that delivers next-generation biotechnologies for the water, wastewater, bio-based chemicals, biofuels and biopharma industries. Microvi offers commercial technologies around the world to reduce waste, increase productivity and provide disruptive economics across the value chain. Learn more at www.microvi.com.
About Elemental Excelerator
Elemental Excelerator is on a mission to redesign the systems at the root of climate change. In 2009, the non-profit launched a new model for funding climate tech deployment. Breaking down barriers to innovation alongside entrepreneurs provides Elemental unique insight into the policy, market, and technology innovation needed to build systems to uplift people and communities around the world. Elemental has invested in over 100 growth-stage companies and celebrated more than a dozen exits, funded more than 70 technology projects, and built a platform for scaling equitable, market-driven solutions to climate change. For more information, please visit elementalexcelerator.com.
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