Treatment of Wastewater Essay Treatment of wastewat refers to removing all harmful and wasteful substances through chemical processes to obtain water that ean be reutiized. In this paper, will compare the secondary treatment tothe tertiary treatment of wastewater. Secondary and Tertiary treatment of wastewater After the wastewater has passed through the primary treatment, in which most of the suspended solid materials are removed, it then goes through a series of biological processes; this being the secondary treatment stage. In tis stage, microorganisms ‘such as bacteria are used to feed on and break down the organic substances in the wastewater, Those broken down substances along with the bacteria are collected as sludge. (CPPIC-Glossary-secondary treatment); (water water secondary ‘The third treatment stage is Tertiary of Advanced treatment of wastewater. Water coming from the second stage through the ‘aerated tanks may not be completely suitable for reuse. It may stl have suspended substances or other chemicals which further need to be removed, There may also be chemical that need to be added to the effluent water, This isthe job of the tertiary treatment processes. It wil remove substances such as phosphorous or pethaps add chlorine. Ultraviolet radiation to make the water suitable for reuse purposes. (Water treatment and management) ay also involve Uses of reclaimed water Reclaimed water can be of great advantage to our society, especially in areas where there is a shortage of freshwater supply. Some areas use reclaimed water for purposes where health risks are not involved such es nonpotable uses; these may include cleaning, irigation tollets, firefighting, and cooling water in industries, (Reclaimed utilization) ‘The use of reclaimed wat for purposes such as drinking, bathing, and cooking is questionable in certain areas. People feel that the treated water because it has gone through such severe stages of chemical and biological treatments, may have heath risks. However, in other areas, ifthe water has been through advanced treatment, peopl feel tis good to be used for drinking and cooking. (Household reclaimed water) What treatment must be used if reclaimed water is for drinking purposes? If after the treatment of wastewater, tis being recharged into the ground and then belng used for drinking purposes, | would say that tertiary treatment methods should be used. The mala reason is that primary and secondary treatment may not be ‘successful in removing all the waste, and since the water is being used for drinking purposes, it needs to be completely harmless. For example, if the wastewater contains chemicals such as phosphorous, then secondary treatment will be unable to remove those, hence making it harmful for drinking Furtnermare, in the tertiary treatment, if the disinfect n process is included, this makes the water safer for drinking til remove the microorganisms which may be therein the water due to the previous trestments it went through. This stage will ensure that safe waters being recharged into the ground for various purposes. Hence, | feel that secondary treatment of wastewater is nol enough to make the reclaimed water safe for dinking purposes, since health risks are involved, tis always best to ensure that wastewater passe (ough all three stages of treatment, along with disinfection, before it used again Works Cited (CPPIC-Glossary-secondary treatment. Web. Household Reclaimed Water. 2008, Web. Reclaimed Utilization, Wee. Water Treatment and Management. 2008, Web. Weterwater Secondary Treatment, Web