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High-Tech Ways of Municipal Water Treatment
By DavePF | July 2, 2009
At the onset of its existence, no one had to worry about treating America’s wastewater. Left to nature, the purification process happened slowly but surely. However, now that the populace has grown by leaps and bounds and additional contaminants are being pumped into the water supply, steps need to be taken in order to augment nature’s cleaning process. The Clean Water Act of 1972 was designed to be used as a foundation for maintaining the United States’ most valuable resource, clean water. Municipal water treatment has become a part of our daily lives.
Up until the mid 1900s, the nation’s waterways in highly-populated places were loaded with pollutants, but no one was really concerned about it. In today’s world, however, we not only realize that clean drinking water is a precious resource but also that clean water is critical in maintaining the ecosystems of our world and vital in maintaining national health. Cities, then, have had to become responsible for taking the steps necessary to clean up the wastewater generated in their community and eradicating unhealthy pollutants. Municipal water treatment plants were constructed to handle the issue of filtering the water and making it clean enough for drinking again.
An assortment of types of filtration have been tried with varying amounts of success. In the year 1892, there were only 27 American cities that supplied wastewater treatment for their citizens. Now in the 21st century we have more 16,000 water treatment facilities located throughout the country. Municipal water treatment systems start when wastewater enters the treatment plant where it is filtered through screens of varying densities. Some screens with holes about ½” square remove large contaminants from the water, while screens with finer mesh remove even exceptionally tiny particulates.
Ion-exchange resins are usually a part of the water purification process. These are made up of insoluble beads with a surface covered with highly-structured pores where ions are easily ensnared and released. Ion-exchange resins are used successfully to take the poisons and heavy metals from water. Once in awhile the resins are mixed with an activated-charcoal filter which has the capabilities to remove organic contaminants from water.
The filtration processes used by municipal water treatment plants are complicated. After all, wastewater can be loaded with microorganisms or pathogens that cause human diseases. Therefore, the methods used to sanitize the water are all of great importance in the lives of everyone.
In the U.S., there have been different types of filtration with varying degrees of success dating back tp 1892. Today, we have sophisticated Municipal water treatment systems that ensure our water will be free from parasites and other toxic organisms that could pose a hazard to our health and well being.
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