WATER TREATMENT PROCESS

To supply their communities with clean drinking water, public drinking water systems employ a
variety of water treatment techniques. Coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, and
disinfection are common water treatment processes used in public water systems.

Steps of water treatment process includes;

 Screening
 Coagulation and Flocculation
 Sedimentation
 Filtration
 Disinfection

Screening

Large debris, including branches, logs, leaves, fish, and rubbish, are frequently found in
surface water (water from Angat Dam and Ipo Dam). These items must be eliminated before
the water reaches the treatment plant because they can block the water-treatment system.
As a result, enormous screens that cover the water intake site are present in treatment
plants that use surface water.

. The perforations in these screens cannot accommodate the size of the particles. Large
material is therefore cleared away as water enters the facility's tunnels and aqueducts. To
keep the screen from getting clogged and preventing water flow into the facility from being
impeded, these screens must, however, be cleaned on a regular basis to remove any things
that have become lodged.

Coagulation and Flocculation

The initial stage in treating water is frequently coagulation. Positively charged chemicals
are added to the water during coagulation. The negative charge of dirt and other
dissolved particles in the water is balanced by the positive charge. When this happens,
the particles and chemicals bond together to create somewhat larger particles. Various
salts, aluminum, or iron are typical substances employed in this stage.

The water is mixed to bring these tiny, flexible particles together and form an
agglomeration.
The aggregate will eventually settle in still water by sedimentation after the particle
agglomeration grows large enough.
The bigger pieces keep combining, or flocculating, to form even bigger and heavier
pieces. These specks get too heavy to float, so they start to sink and settle. Polymers are
used to filter out other suspended particles from the water that do not flocculate nicely
into clumps.

Sedimentation

Sand and dirt, along with other suspended insoluble particles, are frequently small
enough to easily pass through the screens. Therefore, a different procedure called as
sedimentation must be used to remove these particles from the water. Sand and other
heavy suspended particles that are denser than water will eventually sink to the bottom
when water is left to stand. Without disturbing the sediment layer at the bottom, which
is eventually removed, the water, now free of the suspended contaminants, can be
collected from the top.

Filtration

The clean water on top is filtered to remove further solids from the water after the flocs
have sunk to the bottom of the tank. The pure water goes through filters constructed of
various materials and with various pore sizes during the filtration process (such as sand,
gravel, and charcoal). These filters eliminate germs and dissolved contaminants such
dust, chemicals, parasites, bacteria, and viruses. Bad scents are also eliminated by
activated carbon filters.

In addition to or instead of conventional filtration, water treatment facilities may use an

approach known as ultrafiltration. Water passes through a filter membrane with
incredibly small pores during ultrafiltration. Only water and other small molecules can
pass through this filter (such as salts and tiny, charged molecules).

Disinfection

Water treatment facilities may add one or more chemical disinfectants (such as
chlorine, chloramine, Ozone, or UV radiation) after the water has been filtered in order
to eradicate any lingering parasites, bacteria, or viruses. Water treatment facilities make
sure the water has low concentrations of the chemical disinfectant before it leaves the
facility to help keep water safe as it goes to residences and commercial establishments.
The remaining disinfectant eliminates bacteria that are present in the pipes that run
from the water treatment facility to your tap.
Types of Disinfection

 Chlorine
 Chloramine
 Ozone
 UV radiation

Chlorine

Chlorination is the process of disinfecting drinking water by

introducing chlorine to eradicate viruses, germs, and parasites. To
achieve safe chlorine levels in drinking water, various techniques can be
applied. Small levels of chlorine in water do not have negative health
effects and offer defense against the spread of waterborne diseases.

Compared to untreated water, chlorinated water might taste and

smell different. Chlorinated water has a distinct flavor and fragrance
that some people enjoy and others do not. Depending on the water's
quality and chlorine content, problems with taste and odor may
develop.

Chloramine

Chloramination is the technique of disinfecting and eradicating

bacteria from drinking water by adding chloramine. It is occasionally
used in place of chlorination. A class of chemical substances known as
chloramines is composed of chlorine and ammonia. Monochloramine is
the specific form of chloramine used to disinfect drinking water. It is
added to water at levels that are effective at killing bacteria while
maintaining water safety.

Ozone

When ozone is dissolved in water, bacteria and other waterborne

pathogens are oxidized, which is how ozone water treatment works. It is
necessary to first comprehend how ozone is produced in order to
properly comprehend the procedure. Oxygen is the mother of ozone.
Two oxygen atoms (O2) make up an oxygen molecule, while three
oxygen atoms make up an ozone molecule (O3). Air is split into two
oxygen atoms by electricity or ultraviolet light as their energy passes
through it. The atoms of free oxygen then unite once more with
molecules of regular oxygen to create ozone. The earth's shielding
 ozone layer is created in the upper atmosphere when sunlight interacts
with oxygen.

UV radiation

Homeowners who may be concerned about E. coli,

cryptosporidium, giardia, or any other sorts of bacteria and viruses in
the water are strongly advised to install UV systems. Chemical
disinfectants can also be added to water to kill germs and viruses. Due
to the hazardous consequences that chlorine and other chemicals
produce, it is not recommended to use them to disinfect water like
private well owners do. To protect yourself from any water-borne
bacterial illnesses, it's crucial to refrain from consuming any water that
may be contaminated with bacteria.

REFERENCE

https://mwss.gov.ph/learn/how-water-is-being-processed/

https://www.canoncity.org/180/Water-Treatment-Plant-Process

https://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/evaluation/watsan2005/annex_files/USACE/USACE6%20-
%20Water%20Treatment.pdf

https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/water_treatment.html

https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/disinfection/disinfection-methods/index.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK234590/

https://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/Articles/U_Z/Ultraviolet-disinfection-of-drinking-
water#:~:text=A%20number%20of%20water%20treatment,of%20microbiological%20contamination%20
from%20water.