Learn About Water Treatment
Water treatment is the process used to make water safe for use and consumption by human beings. Water treatment facilities employ multi-step processes in order to filter and disinfect local water supply before it is distributed through the city’s waterways. Although individual processes may vary by region, they all follow a basic set of guidelines and regulations mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The routine disinfection of community drinking water in the United States was first put into effect in 1908. Through water treatment, the U.S. saw a dramatic decrease in the occurrence of diseases. As such, water treatment is considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century.
Need For Water Treatment
Community water treatment facilities were first developed decades ago when the concentration and variety of contaminants were less. In the early years of water treatment, the spread of diseases such as cholera or typhoid fever was among the main concerns. Today, however, due to increasing advancements of chemicals and pharmaceuticals along with improvements and discoveries of harmful substances, water can carry a wide array of harmful contaminants.
The water making its way into your home has likely been recycled through water treatment facilities countless times. This is often necessary, especially with increasing populations and higher demands on local water supply. The EPA has established strict standards in order to ensure safe water quality. However, these standards do not ensure optimal purity in drinking water.
The EPA regulates 100 contaminants, yet studies have found an estimated 2,100 possible contaminants in municipal water supplies. Among the most common contaminants in tap water are lead, chlorine, pesticides, agricultural waste or runoff, and many other forms of bacteria and impurities.
The Municipal Water Filtration Process
Despite the fact that the United States has some of the highest and safest water quality standards in the world, contamination continues to be an issue. Although national tap water standards remain under the supervision of the EPA, individual regions may require variations in methods and intensities in order to effectively address local water supply concerns. Typical water treatment processes continue to rely on a few basic methods for initial screening, filtering, and disinfecting the water.
- Screening
Water that’s destined for the homes of the public has more rigid standards than water bound for industrial applications. Regardless of the destination, however, all water first passes through a large screen to remove larger impurities.
- Coagulation and Flocculation
At this stage of purification, chemicals that have a positive charge are added to the water. The positive charge helps dissolved dirt particles to bind with toxic chemicals to form what’s called floc.
- Sedimentation
In the sedimentation phase, the floc is allowed to settle at the bottom of the container where it becomes easier to isolate and filter.
- Filtration and Disinfection
Once settled, the clearer water on top passes through a variety of filters of different sizes and materials, including charcoal, sand, and gravel. After the water has gone through several phases of filtration, it is then disinfected (usually with chlorine) before being moved to storage where it sits for a length of time to allow the disinfection to take maximum effect.
The Need For An In-Home Filtration System
As mentioned, the EPA regulates about 100 contaminants, but there are around 2,100 possible contaminants in your local water supply. While water treatment facilities filter out the majority of harmful impurities, they cannot provide the purest quality of water. This is simply from an overwhelming demand for continual supply. Traces of toxins found in water have the potential to accumulate over time. The water you drink today might not make you feel sick tomorrow, but it could result in life-altering health complications later in life. Through in-home water treatment systems, you provide yourself and your loved ones with an additional layer of protection from harmful particles.
When you treat your water at home with additional processes such as reverse osmosis and enhanced water purification and filtration, you are able to reduce levels of hard-to-remove toxins. This includes things like pharmaceuticals and any additional impurities the water may have picked up in transport from the treatment plant.
Home Water Solutions LLC provides in-home water treatment systems specially designed to strip water of contaminants and impurities, leaving your home’s water with the highest level of purity. Through water treatment, filtration and purification enhanced with reverse osmosis and an alkaline filter, Home Water Solutions LLC removes the contaminants that pass through municipal water treatment facilities.
Contact us today for more information about the benefits of our in-home water treatment system.
