Municipal and Industrial Water Treatment Consulting
SERVICES
Reverse Osmosis
Lee Durham has over 45 years of hands on experience in reverse osmosis systems for municipal and industrial water treatment.
His experience includes R/O system design, support, pretreatment strategy, membrane protection, antiscalant corrosion - control programs, and performance troubleshooting. Lee is known for practical, field-proven solutions that improve reliability, extend membrane life, and reduce operating cost.
Reverse osmosis (RO) is a water treatment process that uses pressure to force water through a semi-permeable membrane, removing dissolved salts, minerals, metals, organics, and many contaminants. The membrane allows water molecules to pass while rejecting most dissolved solids, producing high-purity water.
Nanofiltration
Lee brings decades of hands-on experience with nanofiltration systems in municipal and industrial water treatment, covering design, membrane selection, startup, optimization, and long-term troubleshooting. His operator-focused approach helps utilities use NF as a cost-effective middle ground between conventional treatment and reverse osmosis, delivering consistent water quality while reducing fouling, scaling, and operating costs.
Nanofiltration removes hardness, sulfate, color, organics, and other larger ions while allowing some dissolved salts to pass, making it well suited for softening, color control, and partial desalination with lower energy use than RO. Choosing between NF and RO depends on source water chemistry, treatment goals, and operating costs, making proper evaluation essential.
Ultrafiltration
Riverbridge Water provides independent technical support for UF system selection, pretreatment design, and operational optimization. We help clients reduce fouling, improve downstream membrane performance, and lower lifecycle costs.
Ultrafiltration (UF) is a pressure-driven membrane process that removes suspended solids, bacteria, protozoa, and high-molecular-weight organics. With pore sizes typically between 0.01 and 0.1 microns, UF provides a consistent physical barrier that delivers low-turbidity, high-quality effluent.
UF is widely used as pretreatment for reverse osmosis, primary filtration for surface and groundwater sources, and for industrial and reuse applications where performance reliability is critical.
Membrane Bioreactors
Riverbridge Water provides independent expertise in membrane bioreactor systems, supporting municipal and industrial facilities with performance optimization, fouling control, and strategies to extend membrane life while reducing operating costs. Our approach is practical and grounded in real-world operating experience.
Membrane bioreactor technology combines conventional biological wastewater treatment with advanced membrane filtration, replacing traditional secondary clarifiers. Submerged membranes physically remove suspended solids, bacteria, and many pathogens, producing consistently high-quality effluent in a compact footprint. MBR systems are widely used for water reuse, decentralized treatment, and applications facing increasingly stringent discharge requirements.
ABOUT
Lee Durham — Founder & Principal Consultant
Lee Durham is the founder of Riverbridge Water Consulting and a nationally recognized expert in reverse osmosis and membrane-based water treatment. With more than 45 years of hands-on experience, Lee supports municipal and industrial clients with practical solutions for RO system performance, pretreatment optimization, membrane protection, and corrosion control.
His career has focused on solving real-world operating challenges: scaling, fouling, chemical program selection, and regulatory compliance through field-proven, cost-effective strategies. Known for his straightforward approach and deep technical knowledge, Lee helps clients extend membrane life, improve system reliability, and operate with confidence.
CONTACT
Inquiries
For any inquiries, questions or commendations, please email: lee@riverbridgewater.com or fill out the following form
Head Office
Tel: 760-902-7394
President/CEO - Lee Durham