What Is Water Treatment?
Water treatment, specifically wastewater treatment, is the process of converting wastewater into water that can be put back into the environment. A water treatment’s main job is to speed up the process of cleaning water.
Did you know that one of the most common forms of pollution control in the U.S. is wastewater treatment? Without wastewater treatment, it makes me wonder how much pollution control we would truly have…
The Purpose Behind Wastewater Treatment
I think we all have a good understanding of why wastewater treatment is so important to society. Without it, the pollution will negatively impact our health along with the environment that we live in.
Without wastewater treatment, there would be restrictions to our beaches, harm to fish and other wildlife, and oxygen depletion. The treatment of water is critical for the environment and for us to be able to live a healthy life.
The Formation of Wastewater
Wastewater is any water that is in use or that has been affected by domestic, industrial, or commercial use. Anything that you use water for including bathing, using the toilet, etc. is considered wastewater. Even rainwater is considered wastewater.
The unfortunate topic about wastewater is that not all wastewater makes it to treatment plants which leaves our environment filled with pollution by wastewater.
Something called “combined sewer overflow” is common in a lot of city areas. This is when a city has combined sewer systems and allows domestic sewage to flow through the same pipes as rainwater. Therefore, if there has been recent heavy rainfall, the sewer system can’t handle that much water so it gets released directly into the environment.
Process of Wastewater Treatment
The main part of understanding the process of water treatment is that there are two main parts to it. Those two parts include a primary and secondary treatment.
Primary Treatment
Primary treatment of wastewater will remove material that either settles out by gravity or floats. Firstly, when the water enters a treatment plant, it will enter through a screen. This screen allows the water to separate from any large objects and debris.
Secondly, after the water passes through a screen, it then goes through a chamber to remove any grit, stones, or sand. Although primary treatment is necessary and important, it’s more important that it goes through the secondary treatment to be completely clean.
Secondary Treatment
Secondary treatment is so important because it still contains other contaminants.
The importance that secondary treatment holds is that it will be there to remove any other soluble organic matter that made it through the primary treatment. The secondary treatment is able to remove about 85% of all organic matter that should no longer be there.
What is Effluent?
Effluent is liquid sewage or waste that goes into a river or sea. The word is actually a Latin verb that means “to flow out.” Otherwise, this word means wastes that pour into our water and air. Liquid factory waste, smoke, and others are effluent as well.
What are the Three Types of Wastewater?
The three main types of wastewater are domestic sewage, industrial sewage, and storm sewage. The differences between them are quite simple. All of them play a huge part in our wastewater treatment systems.
Domestic Sewage
This is any type of sewage that comes from houses or apartments. Domestic sewage is also considered sanitary sewage because the wastewater is disposed of in a way that protects people and the environment.
Industrial Sewage
Industrial sewage is water that has been in use from any manufacturing or chemical processing.
Storm Sewage
Storm sewage is any water or rainfall runoff that collects in a system of pipes that lead to a wastewater treatment facility.
Final Thoughts
Overall, wastewater treatment plays a huge role in the life that we live. Without water treatment facilities, we would not have access to clean water that doesn’t pose a risk to our own health.
Pollution control is an important factor when is comes to wastewater treatment. Consequently, our environment and all other wildlife living in it wouldn’t be able to survive.
Call 1-Tom-Plumber
Don’t hesitate to contact us or call us at 1-Tom-Plumber (1-866-758-6237) if you’d like help with any plumbing, drain cleaning, water damage, or excavation service. We will immediately handle any emergency plumbing, drain, and water damage problem, including excavation of underground water lines and sewer main lines.
