The water treatment process is a series oI treatment techniques or barriers, each

removing particular contaminants.

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Water is diverted Irom rivers and streams into storage reservoirs. The reservoirs provide
a retention time Ior particulate material to settle out and natural biological processes to
consume or convert certain contaminants.
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As water is pumped into the treatment plant, lime is added to adjust pH (acidity), and
Ierric chloride is added to cause suspended material to coagulate into larger particles Ior
more eIIicient removal. Powdered carbon is also added to control tastes and odors, and
to remove organic contaminants.
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Chlorine and ammonia are added to Iorm chloramines Ior disinIection oI bacteria and
other pathogens.
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The pretreated water is routed to clariIiers which allow the coagulated solids to settle.
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Conventional sand, gravel and anthracite Iilters at the Thornton Plant, and membrane
Iilters at the Columbine Plant remove trace levels oI suspended solids and
powdered carbon not removed in the clariIiers.
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The treated and Iiltered water is disinIected an additional time using ultraviolet light,
which adds no chemicals to the water.
AIter treatment, water is placed in large tanks called clear wells and then pumped to the
distribution system and storage tanks. The distribution system has 10 storage tanks with
a capacity oI 24 million gallons. Thornton's daily water usage varies Irom 11 million
gallons in the winter, to as high as 40 million gallons in the summer.
Ba s i c Wa t er Tr ea t m en t Pr oces s