By: Donovan, Garrett, Emi, Jalee Water Treatment By: Donovan, Garrett, Emi, Jalee WE NEED FILTRATION BEFORE HYDRATION!

Water Treatment Process Step 1: Screening- Screening is when water from rivers, lakes, or the ground passes through a screen to before it enters a water treatment plant. When the water is coming from a lake or river, screening is important because it will keep out natural contaminants such as wood, plants, or fish. When groundwater is used, screening isn’t as important because the water had to pass through layers of dirt and sediment, which is like a natural screening process. http://www.canoncity.org/departments/departments/water_treatment_plant_process.php https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/water_treatment.html https://www.livestrong.com/article/128483-steps-water-purification/

Water Treatment Process con’t Step 2: Coagulation and Flocculation- Flocculation is when particles combine due to an added substance. In water treatment, chemicals are added to water that cause dirt and other dissolved particles in the water to bind together and create a larger clump, called floc. Step 3: Sedimentation- Floc settles to the bottom of the water, because the water is at rest and because of its weight. The process of the floc settling is called sedimentation.

Water Treatment Process con’t Step 4 : Filtration- Chlorine settles into the water, then flows into the filtration facility. It’s also the process when water passes through materials such as, a bed of coal, sand, and other types of substances. This will further filter the water and remove larger chunks of material that may have ended up in the water. Step 5: Disinfection- When water enters a filtration plant it has chlorine or various other chemicals added to it in order to kill any remaining parasites, viruses or bacteria. It also prevents more germs from entering the water once it reaches your pipes. This process removes the chlorine from the water so that it is safe to drink. http://www.canoncity.org/departments/departments/water_treatment_plant_process.php https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/water_treatment.html https://www.ecwa.org/treatmentprocess

How a Septic System Treats Water Wastewater from a home exits by a drainage pipe and into a septic tank. The septic tank is a water-tight, buried container that holds wastewater to be separated and treated. Solids in the tank settle to the bottom, which is called sludge, and oil, fats, and grease float to the top, which is called scum. Compartments and a T-shaped outlet prevent the scum and sludge from exiting the tank. https://www.epa.gov/septic/septic-systems-and-drinking-water https://inspectapedia.com/septic/tank.gif

How a Septic System Treats Water con’t Water then leaves the tank and enters the drainfield. The drainfield is a shallow and covered pit above the water table. The wastewater is released by entering porous ground. The soil lets the water through it, and treats it while it slowly filters through the soil. As the water filters through the soil, it disperses and eventually makes its way into the groundwater. Not all houses have septic systems. Even though these septic systems are good way to treat water for individual houses in a residential or rural area, we still need water treatment plants for houses that don’t have these septic systems and also to help treat water from industrial plants.

Non Point Source Pollution Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution generally occurs when runoff or precipitation gets polluted because it picks up through the ground in polluted areas. The pollutants that are generally in the water are fertilizers and insecticides in more agricultural areas, toxic chemicals like oil and grease from more power and energy production areas. Other places where pollutants can be include mines, and many other places. The government says this is the leading cause of water quality problems. Why do you think NPS pollution would be a big problem in rural areas? https://www.epa.gov/nps/basic-information-about-nonpoint-source-nps-pollution

Point Source Pollution Point source pollution is pollution that enters water from a source that is known. It’s typically sewage flowing from a pipe or chemicals spewing out of a factory. The pollution is easy to spot and it can be stopped by enforcing pollution laws. Examples of Point Source Pollution: Drainage from combined domestic sewer systems and waste dumpage from bug industries https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/pollution/03pointsource.html https://www.epa.vic.gov.au/your-environment/water/protecting-victorias-waters/point-and-nonpoint-sources-of-water-pollution https://soils.ifas.ufl.edu/campuswaterquality/sources/

What is worse? We believe that nonpoint source pollution is worse than point source pollution because nonpoint source pollution is harder to find the source and you may not find out about it until after you or someone else is affected. Also, in the case of point source pollution, if a pipe is broken you can fix it; but if pollutants are in the air and they rain down, there is no way to prevent this.

According to this picture, how does nonpoint source pollution enter the water? https://www.google.com/search?q=diagram+of+point+and+nonpoint+pollution&rlz=1CAHPZV_enUS821&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiK58X0ir7eAhXN6lMKHfhcBDcQ_AUIEygB&biw=1517&bih=695&safe=active&ssui=on#imgrc=GST7Jr8PsLvstM:

Interesting facts Approximately 40% of lakes in America are too polluted for fishing, hosting aquatic life, or swimming. Everyday, six billion gallons of treated water is lost due to leaking pipes in the U.S. Less that 1% of water treated by public suppliers is used for drinking and cooking, the rest is usually used for irrigation and various other uses https://www.espwaterproducts.com/water-facts/

Questions Why do you think the water treatment process is so important? Why do you think NPS pollution would be a big problem in rural areas?