Most of the drinking water needs a very little water treatment, this
water treatment process comes from protected catchments which supply high quality water to us. This water is disinfected as it leaves our storage reservoirs and enters the water supply system. Water treatment process, protects our health by making sure safe drinking water is supplied to all the peoples. Some of the water comes from unprotected catchments and it is fully treated at our water treatment plants to improve quality of the water. Water treatment process has additional steps to remove impurities before water gets disinfected. This is similar water treatment process used throughout the world.
Basics of Water Treatment Process: Improve the quality of water enhances the disinfection and purification of untreated ground and surface water. Read the all the steps to improve how water treatment processes works.
Step 1: Coagulation Chemicals- This is a liquid aluminium sulphate, which is added in to the water to help bacteria, small solid particles stick together and forming larger particles.
Step 2: Clarification (and floatation), For settling mechanical basins called as clarifiers, use gravity to separate solid particles and remove color. Water at Tarago treatment plant undergoes into a floatation process, where a diffuser creates fine bubbles the stick to the solid particles. This causes float to the surface of the water where they can be removed.
Step 3: Filtration- Most of the remaining solid particles are removed from water and water passes through filters or membranes with the method varying between water treatment plants.
- Gravity Media Filtration uses filters containing layers of coal or sand.
- Membrane Filtration uses semi-permeable membrans with billions of microscopic pores.
Step 4: Disinfection- Chloramine(chlorine and ammonia), Chlorine or ultraviolet light are used to remove or destroy any disease-causing bacteria. The amount of chlorine added varies but typically less than one milligram per litre (0.0001%) or one sugar grain in a cup of water.
Step 5: Fluoridation – Small amounts or less than one milligram per litre Fluoride can be added in a water to help or prevent tooth decay.
Step 6: pH correction- Lime, soda ash or caustic soda is added to neutralise the pH of the water as chlorine and fluoride are kind of acidic. The minerals in lime helps to prevent household pipes and fittings from corroding.
