Water treatment is one of the proven ways to remove elements that affects water quality. It is hard to imagine potable water from homes without going through filtering and water purification. Municipalities use a treatment facility to distribute unadulterated supplies, while agricultural and industrial settings use similar processes.
Nonetheless, Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment has been working tirelessly since the early 1970s to provide the Queensland state with a convenient and efficient way of harnessing the precious element.
There are four essential stages of water treatment. And it’s important to note that before drinking water reaches your home, they are ensured free from contaminants and other undesirable components.
Water Treatment Starts with Sourcing and Collection
The initial stages of the treatment process start with sourcing and collection. More often, municipal water treatment facilities get the supply from local rivers, reservoirs, and lakes.
The only way to collect water is to use water pumps and pipelines, which effectively transport water to the treatment facility. There are several treatment facilities in Queensland, with most plants located in the south-western tip of the region.
Large pumps are typically used for transferring water to the treatment facility. Many treatment plants in the state gather their sources from different points of supply, sometimes combining ground and surface water.
Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment has partnered with water treatment facilities around Queensland to improve water quality to every home.
Screening of Surface Water Sources
When water is sourced from its original point, there are various materials, including dissolved and suspended particles, which affect water quality. It often includes organic and non-organic compounds like plants, tree branches, microorganisms, and various elements affecting turbidity, taste, and odour.
Screening and filtration is one way of removing elements that dilute water consistency. Large metal screens are often used to trap large particles, routinely raking, and cleaning the running water supply.
A chemical coagulant like aluminium sulphate or ferric chloride is added to flowing water, which suspends floating particles so they clump together. The reaction is called flocculation, which causes sedimentation and settles at the bottom of the basin.
Clarification and Filtration Ensures a Clean Flow
Water clarification happens once the floc process is completed. It passes through the flocculator weir and enters the sedimentation basin. Continuous scrapping and raking of the water ensure quality supply as settling sludge is pulled away from the clarifier.
Water passes through the filters where the next process of the cycle begins. But before that, the majority of suspended debris is excreted from the filtration system to avoid problems that might cause contamination.
Collected sludge travels to disposal ponds and clean water is re-filtered through the process of backwashing.
Disinfection Clears and Cleans the Water Supply
Disinfection is the common process of chlorinating water to remove viruses and bacteria that might still be present after the filtration process. There are many types of chlorine used during the final process, including chlorine gas, hypochlorite, and chlorine dioxide.
The only consideration that needs to be ensured in the last stages of water treatment is the right amount of chlorine disinfect and treat water effectively. Making sure the right amount of chlorine falls under the guidance of specialist engineers and tradespeople. This is ensured not to affect the taste and odour of water distributed from the facility.
Author Bio: Julian Carter is a farmer of words in the field of creativity. She is an experienced independent content writer with a demonstrated history of working in the writing and editing industry. She is a multi-niche content chef who loves cooking new things.