Processing your water: how water treatment works and what you can do to prevent pollution of the water supply.
Every town has some type of water treatment process,
which is somewhat different in each area, but follows the same basic procedure. The method depends on the type of ground water in the community that needs to be processed. Treating the water makes it safe for drinking, industrial, medical, and other uses. By treating the water, we can be ensured that any contaminants in the water have been removed or made harmless for daily use. The treatment process includes settling and filtration, disinfection and coagulation, aerated lagoons, activated sludge, and slow sand filters.
One step of the water treatment process is coagulation. This is when the dirt and other contaiminants are removed and suspended in the water. The cleaning chemicals, include Alum, for a sticky substance that attracts the particles and the combined weight of the chemicals and the dirt are then heavy enough to sink to the bottom during the sedimentation process.
Another step in the treatment process in most communities is sedimentation. This hahpens after the water has been coagulated. In this step, the heavy particles move to the bottom of the tank to be filtered.
Following the sedimentation process is filtration. In this process of water treatment the water goes through a series of filters that removes all the particles and chemicals from the water. These cleaning materials are made of sand, gravel and charcoal so that all the harmful items are removed.
Once all the sediment and other particles have been removed from the groundwater, it will have to go through the disinfection process. To be disinfected a small bit of chlorine or another form of disinfection is used to get rid of any bacteria that may live in the water.
After the water has been coagulated, filtered, and disinfected, it is then stored. This storage takes place in a large tank or aerated lagoon and then is hooked up to and flows to various buildings in the community.
Once it has been cleaned, it is important to keep the water clean. There are several ways that you can prevent pollution from getting into the groundwater. These include adopting your watershed, learning how to protect the water from pollutants after storms, being ready to protect the groundwater in an emergency, and making other people aware of what causes pollution to the water systems and preventing it.
When you take a drink of water, remember the amazing process that the water has gone through to be safe to drink and think about what you can do on your own to keep the pollutants and contaminants out of it.
