In the early days of its existence, no one had to worry about treating America’s wastewater. Left to nature, the purification process occurred slowly but surely. However, now that the number of people has grown so quickly and more contaminants are ending up in the water supply, measures need to be taken in order to speed up nature’s cleaning process. The Clean Water Act of 1972 was enacted to provide a foundation for maintaining the United States’ most critical resource, clean water. Municipal water treatment has become a part of our daily lives.
Up until the middle of the 20th century, the nation’s waterways in urban parts of the country were loaded with pollutants, but no one was very concerned about it. Today, however, we not only know that clean drinking water is an important commodity but also that clean water is critical in maintaining the ecosystems of our world and vital in ensuring national health. Cities, then, have became responsible for taking the measures necessary to treat the wastewater generated in their community and ridding it of toxic pollutants. Municipal water treatment plants were built to handle the problem of filtering the water and making it clean again.
An assortment of types of filtration have been used with varying amounts of success. In the year 1892, there were only 27 American cities that supplied wastewater treatment for their citizens. Now in the 21st century we have an estimated 16,000 water treatment facilities operating all around the country. Municipal water treatment systems are initiated when wastewater comes into the treatment plant where it is filtered through screens of differing densities. Some screens with holes about ½” square remove large pollutants from the water, while screens with tinier mesh remove even exceptionally little particles.
Ion-exchange resins are generally used in the water purification process. These are made up of insoluble beads with a surface coated with highly-structured pores in which ions are easily ensnared and let go. Ion-exchange resins are used successfully to take the poisons and heavy metals from water. Once in awhile the resins are mixed with an activated-charcoal filter in order to remove organic contaminants from water.
The filtration processes used by municipal water treatment plants are complicated. After all, wastewater can be loaded with microorganisms or pathogens that cause human diseases. Therefore, the means used to clean the water are all critical in the lives of all mankind.
In America, there have been different types of filtration with varying amounts of success stretching back tp 1892. Today, we have high-tech Municipal water treatment systems that let us be free from parasites and other dangerous organisms that could pose a threat to our health and well being.