WATER QUALITY & TREATMENT

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Outline
Properties of Water
Types of Uses of Water
Sources of Water
Water Supply
Options for Meeting Water Demand
Water Quality Standards
Water Treatment

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Pollution
any undesirable change in the physical,
chemical or biological characteristics of
the air, water or land that can harmfully
affect the health, survival or activities of
humans or other living organism
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Polutant

• Point Sources
• Nonpoint Sources

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Polutant

• Point Sources
• include sewage treatment plants; oil refineries;
paper and pulp mills; chemical, automobile,
and electronics manufacturers; and factories.
Regulated pollutants from point sources include
wastes, soils, rocks, chemicals, bacteria,
suspended solids, heavy metals, pesticides, and
more.

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Polutant

• Nonpoint Sources
• Excess fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides from agricultural lands
and residential areas.

• Oil, grease and toxic chemicals from urban runoff and energy
production.

• Sediment from improperly managed construction sites, crop and

forest lands, and eroding streambanks.

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Properties of Water

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Types of Uses of Water
• Consumptive Use

• renders water unavailable for further use

• evaporation, extreme pollution, seepage underground

• Nonconsumptive Use

• leaves water available for reuse without going through the hydrologic
cycle

• industrial and thermoelectric power

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Sources of Water

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Water Supply

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Options for Meeting Water Demand

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Water Quality Standards
• Drinking Water Standards

• Surface Water Quality Standards

• Effluent Standards

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Water Treatment
Purpose of Water Treatment

to provide potable water that is palatable

Potable Water

water that is healthy for human consumption

free of harmful microorganisms and organic and inorganic

compounds

Palatable Water

water that is aesthetically acceptable to drink

free from turbidity, color, odor and taste

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Characteristics of Untreated Water

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Characteristics of Untreated Water
• Physical Characteristics

• Turbidity

• measures the optical clarity of water

• caused by scattering and absorbance of light by suspended particles in the

water

• reported in terms of nephelometric turbidity units (NTU)

• NTU < 5 is usually acceptable

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Characteristics of Untreated Water
Particles

• solids larger than molecules but are generally not distinguished by

the naked eye

• may absorb toxic metals or synthetic organic chemicals

• Suspended Particles – larger than 1 mm

• Colloidal Particles – between 0.001 and 1 mm

• Dissolved Particles – smaller than 0.001 mm

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Characteristics of Untreated Water
Color

Apparent Color - measured on unfiltered samples; includes

the color imparted by turbidity

True Color – measured on samples that passed through a

40mm filter; includes color imparted by dissolved constituents

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Characteristics of Untreated Water
Taste and Odor

originate from dissolved natural organic and inorganic

constituents and biological sources

may also come from water treatment processes

Temperature

affects physical and chemical parameters of water, such as

density, viscosity, vapor pressure, surface tension, solubility and
reaction rates

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Characteristics of Untreated Water
Inorganic Constituents

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Characteristics of Untreated Water
Inorganic Constituents

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Characteristics of Untreated Water
Inorganic Constituents

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Characteristics of Untreated Water
Organic Constituents

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Characteristics of Untreated Water
Microbial Constituents

• Pathogens

microorganisms that cause sickness and disease

• Coliform

indicator microorganisms used to monitor microbial water

quality

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Characteristics of Untreated Water
Microbial Constituents

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Characteristics of Untreated Water
Microbial Constituents

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Water Treatment Processes

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Water Treatment Processes
Removal Processes

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Coagulation and Flocculation
used to remove particles and a portion of dissolved organic matter

followed by sedimentation and/or filtration

• Coagulation

charge neutralization step that involves the conditioning of

suspended, colloidal and dissolved matter by the addition of
chemicals

• Flocculation

Aggregation of destabilized particles and formation of larger

particles (floc)

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Coagulation and Flocculation
Chemical Coagulants

Coagulant – chemical added to destabilize particles and accomplish

coagulation

Factors Affecting Coagulant Selection

characteristics of coagulant

concentration and type of particulates

concentration and characteristics of NOM

water temperature

pH

cost and availability

dewatering characteristics of solids produced

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Coagulation and Flocculation
Chemical Coagulants

Key Properties of a Coagulant

trivalent cation

nontoxic

insoluble in the neutral pH range

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Coagulation and Flocculation
Types of Coagulants

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Coagulation and Flocculation
Coagulant Addition Using Alum

Alum, being a weak acid, consumes alkalinity (HCO3-). If the natural

alkalinity of water is not sufficient, it may be necessary to add lime or
soda ash to react with the alum to maintain the pH in the appropriate
range (5.5).

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Hardness Removal
Carbonate (Temporary) Hardness

associated with alkalinity anions: CO32- and HCO3-

Noncarbonate (Permanent) Hardness

associated with nonalkalinity anions: SO42- and Cl-

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Hardness Removal
Hardness

caused by divalent cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+ )

secondary standard

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Hardness Removal
Chemicals

Quicklime 90% CaO

Hydrated Lime 70% CaO

Soda Ash 98% Na2CO3

Mechanism

Excess Lime Treatment

First Stage Recarbonation

Second Stage Recarbonation

Recarbonation is done to reduce pH and precipitate excess Ca

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Hardness Removal
Soda-Lime Process Reactions

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Hardness Removal
Soda-Lime Process Reactions

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Sedimentation
• Sedimentation

• process in which the majority of the particles will settle by gravity within a
reasonable time and be removed

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Filtration
• Filtration

• process in which the majority of the particles will settle by gravity within a
reasonable time and be removed

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Disinfection
• Primary Disinfection

• inactivation of microorganisms in the water

• Secondary Disinfection

• maintaining a disinfectant residual in the water distribution system

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Questions?

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