What is water treatment?

Question

Im in High School and I have to write and essay about Water Treatment.I have an idea of what it really is but can someone help me be more explanatory? N0T write and essay for me explaining it just give me notes and ideas so that I will know what I'm going to do about the topic and importantly know what it really is. THANK YOU

Answer 1

Water treatment is the treatment of water for potable usage. Wastewater treatment is the treatment of sewage. These 2 terms are the basic industry standard.

Basic water treatment for any large city, in the midwest part of the USA, that would use a river as it's source of water.

Bar screens at the intake.

Maybe addition of Potassium Permanganate for taste and odor control at this point

Polymer added to water. It causes the silt in the water to collect together and fall out as sludge.

Pre chlorine added to water.

Primary sedimentation occurs.

water heading for secondary treatment

Activated carbon added for further taste and odor control if needed.

Lime or soda ash added for softening by raising pH

Water is agitated to mix softening chemicals

secondary settling

Water then heading to final basins

Carbon dioxide gas added to water through diffusers to lower pH

Ferric Chloride, Alum, or another coagulant added to water and mixed

Final basin settling

Water then heading to filtration

Filtration

Post chlorination

Flouradation of water if added

This is the water treatment in a nutshell for a metropolitan water treatment process. No mention of sludge draw offs during settling processes and some cities use ozone or other chemical combinations.

Pre means before filtration - post means after filtration.