Job #1Getting Rid of Unpleasant Tastes and Smells!
The first thing the Water Treatment Plant deals with is unpleasant tastes and smells that are in the water.
Most unpleasant tastes and smells in water are caused by organic materials. By removing organic material from the waterm unpleasant tastes an smells are also removed.
Organic
means "living." Much of the organic material in
water is from the decay of plants and animals, and from plant and animal wastes.
Part 1: CarbonLong ago, scientists discovered that carbon could be used to remove the organic material that was in water. In fact, carbon, in the form of ashes, has been used to treat drinking water for thousands of years!
The Camrose Water Treatment Plant uses a special kind of carbon known as powdered activated
carbon (PAC). This powder is dark black in color. The carbon acts like a tiny sponge that absorbs organic
material that is in the water. The carbon also soaks up some pesticides that are in the water.
Wow! Carbon sure cleans a lot of stuff out of water. Who knew?
Pesticides:
chemicals that are used to kill harmful insects or other living things that
harm plants or cause plant diseases.Still getting rid of unpleasant tastes and smells!
Part 2: Air BubblesTiny bubbles of air are blown into the water. This process is called stripping. As air is bubbled into the water, it causes the water to move and it pushes gases to the surface of the water. Then, the gases can escape into the air. Gases like methane, and hydrogen sulfide have an unpleasant odor. By bubbling air through the water, these unpleasant odors can escape into the atmosphere.
Air is bubbled through the water. Smells that are in the water are released.
Still getting rid of unpleasant tastes and smells!
Part 3: Alum (the magnet). Next, the water moves into a clarifying tank.In this tank, alum and a plymer are added into the water. Alum causes small partibles in the water to be attacted to each other.
When several small particles stick, they form a mass of material. The polymer helps the particles join together to make even larger particles.
These larger particles are
called "floc" and they become heavy enough to fall to the bottom
of the tank. So alum and the polumer help to get rid of organic material, color, taste, and smells that
are in the water. It also attracts the powdered activated carbon, and pulls it to the bottom of the tank.
Alum
is a clear liquid.Polymer
helps small particles join together to form larger particles.
There is now a lot of mucky stuff called sludge at the bottom of the tank, and cleaner water at the top
of the tank. A large rake scrapes the sludge into a hole at the bottom of the tank. The sludge goes through
the hole and into a pipe. The sludge travels into the sanitary sewer system.Sludge sinks!
Getting rid of unpleasant tastes and smells review:
- Water from nature comes into the Water Treatment Plant smelling and tasting unpleasant.
- PAC (powdered activated carbon) is added to the water. Carbon soaks up organic material that is in the water.
(Remember the organic material can make water smell and taste unpleasant!)
- Then alum and a polymer are added to the water. Alum attracts many particles that are in the water. It even attracts the particles of PAC with all the organic material that it soaked up. Then all this stuff falls to the bottom of the tank. The water is now cleaner, and clearer! It is less smelly, and it tastes like fresh water.
