Maayong aga!

Water
Treatment
and
Testing
 Water Treatment
Public water systems often
use a series of water
treatment steps that include
coagulation, flocculation,
sedimentation, filtration,
and disinfection.
 Coagulation
• Coagulation is often the first step in water
treatment. During coagulation, chemicals with
a positive charge are added to the water.
• The positive charge neutralizes the negative
charge of dirt and other dissolved particles in
the water.
• Particles bind with the chemicals to form
slightly larger particles.
• Common chemicals used in this step include
specific types of salts, aluminum, or iron.
 Flocculation
• Flocculation follows the coagulation step.
• Flocculation is the gentle mixing of the
water to form larger, heavier particles
called flocs.
• Often, water treatment plants will add
additional chemicals during this step to
help the flocs form.
 Sedimentation
• Sedimentation is one of the steps water
treatment plants use to separate out solids
from the water.
• During sedimentation, flocs settle to the
bottom of the water because they are heavier
than water.
 Filtration
• Once the flocs have settled to the bottom of the water, the clear
water on top is filtered to separate additional solids from the water.
• Clear water passes through filters that have different pore sizes and
are made of different materials (such as sand, gravel, and
charcoal).
• These filters remove dissolved particles and germs, such as dust,
chemicals, parasites, bacteria, and viruses. Activated carbon filters
also remove any bad odors.
• Water treatment plants can use a process called ultrafiltration in
addition to or instead of traditional filtration. During ultrafiltration, the
water goes through a filter membrane with very small pores. This
filter only lets through water and other small molecules (such as
salts and tiny, charged molecules).
 Disinfection
• After the water has been filtered, water treatment
plants may add one or more chemical
disinfectants (such as chlorine, chloramine, or
chlorine dioxide) to kill any remaining parasites,
bacteria, or viruses.
• To help keep water safe as it travels to homes
and businesses, water treatment plants will make
sure the water has low levels of the chemical
disinfectant when it leaves the treatment plant.
 What is Wastewater?

Wastewater is water that has

been used and must be treated
before it is released into another
body of water, so that it does not
cause further pollution of water
sources. Wastewater comes from
a variety of sources.
How do Cities Treat Wastewater,
to Make it Safe for Discharge?

There are several levels of

wastewater treatment; these are
primary, secondary and tertiary
levels of treatment.
• The primary level of treatment uses screens and settling tanks
to remove the majority of solids. This step is extremely
important, because solids make up approximately 35 percent of
the pollutants that must be removed.
• The water is then put into settling tanks (or clarifiers), where it
sits for several hours, allowing the sludge to settle and a scum
to form on the top. The scum is then skimmed off the top, the
sludge is removed from the bottom, and the partially treated
wastewater moves on to the secondary treatment level.
• Secondary treatment of wastewater uses bacteria to digest the
remaining pollutants. This is accomplished by forcefully mixing
the wastewater with bacteria and oxygen. The oxygen helps the
bacteria to digest the pollutants faster.
• The water is then taken to settling tanks where the sludge again
settles, leaving the water 90 to 95 percent free of pollutants.
• The water is then disinfected with chlorine, ozone, or ultraviolet
light, and then discharged.
Settling Tanks at the Winnipeg Wastewater Treatment Plant
Types of Water Testing
Methods
There are a wide range of water
quality tests used to help
determine how safe, or even
drinkable, water is to be used in a
household setting or otherwise
that water test labs perform.
 Bacteria Tests

There are a range of potential bacterial

contaminants that can plague water. One of
the most common and most looked for is E.
coli bacteria, which comes from fecal matter
exposure and can result in serious health
issues when consumed.
 Mineral Tests
• A few common and important mineral tests
include chlorine and chloride, nitrate and nitrite,
lead, copper, iron, zinc, potassium, and sodium.
• This wide range of mineral testing is essential
and relevant in determining water quality, as
different regions or areas of terrain may have
more of a buildup of certain types of minerals,
which informs what kind of mineral treatments
the water actually needs in order to be purified.
 pH Testing
• pH is a measure of the concentration of
hydrogen ions in a solution. The more of these
hydrogen ions there are in a solution, the more
acidic that water is.
• Acidity effects taste of water, but it can also
affect how health water is to consume. Drinking
water that’s not neutral enough in acidity can
make people sick!
 Other Types of Testing
• There are some basic water tests that don’t have
anything to do with chemical testing:
conductivity, odor, sediment, and turbidity.
• Is it clear, or clouded with sand and silt?
• Does it smell swampy, or fresh?
• How well does it convey electricity—and what
does that say about the mineral content?
THANK YOU!