Since school is back in session, I’ve been thinking about the Water Discovery Field Trip my class and I took last year to IEUA’s Regional Water Recycling Plant No. 5. Would you mind giving me a recap of the wastewater treatment process? I’d love to share this information with my new classmates.
Sincerely,
H20 Hero
A: Dear H20 Hero,
Welcome back to school! I’d be happy to recap the wastewater
treatment process for you and your classmates. In fact, with August being Water
Quality Month, I can’t think of a better time to do so!
Wastewater is treated through a five-step process. The first
step is the preliminary treatment. In this step, wastewater collected from
various households travels via underground pipes to our water recycling plants.
However, wastewater doesn’t just consist of used water from our toilets, it can
also come from showers, sinks, washing machines and more. Once it gets to our
recycling plant, large rakes are used to separate any trash and large debris
from the water.
From there, the water heads over to the next step- primary treatment. Once all the trash and debris are separated from the water, it is treated with a substance called ferric chloride. Ferric chloride is a chemical that helps solids (yes, poop!) settle to the bottom of the tank for removal. At the top, large rakes skim the surface of the water to remove any fats, oils and greases, also known as FOG.
After primary treatment comes secondary treatment. This is
where tiny microorganisms eat away at the remaining solids in the wastewater.
Don’t worry, they love it!
Following secondary treatment is tertiary treatment where the water passes through a filter to remove any solids the microorganisms may have missed.
Finally, sodium hypochlorite, a super charged bleach, is
injected into the water to remove any pathogens. Once the water has been
exposed to the sodium hypochlorite for at least 90 minutes, it is distributed
into purple pipes for irrigation at golf courses, homes and for groundwater
recharge purposes.
For a full behind the scenes tour of Regional Water Recycling Plant No. 5, be sure to check out our YouTube channel. With all this information, you’re sure to be a recycled water pro!
Talk to you all soo(HOO)n!
Owlie