Municipal water treatment systems provide treated water for drinking and other domestic and industrial uses. It treats water for drinking and wastewater for cleaning and manufacturing processes. 

People in India face freshwater problems, so it is important to treat water properly. 

India generates 72,543 million liters of urban wastewater, and only 28% is treated well. The remaining 72% of wastewater discharged into other water bodies is a serious environmental concern.

Municipal water can play an essential role in overcoming this problem. Water with impurities affects the health of humans, animals, and the environment.

Municipal, piped, or tap water is a treated water supply. Underground pipes supply water to homes and industries in urban and suburban areas. They remove impurities through multiple water filtration and treatment processes.

It is important to supply safe drinking water and treat the discharged wastewater. 

In this article, we have discussed in detail what municipal water is, its application, and its treatment.

Is Municipal Water Safe For Drinking?

Municipal or tap water is generally safe to drink because it undergoes strict treatment and testing before reaching your home. 

Impurities in water can increase the risk of diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery, and more. The purpose of municipal water treatment is to remove these impurities and contaminants and provide safe and clean drinking water for the public. 

While municipal water may not be as pure as filtered or bottled water, it is treated to meet the EPA’s strict drinking water standards.

These EPA standards monitor over 90 potential contaminants, including harmful microbes, toxic chemicals, and heavy metals, ensuring water is safe for consumption.

Before water is supplied, it is treated to remove and kill germs. If tests show that the water does not meet safety standards, it is treated again to ensure it’s safe for consumption. Factors like old pipes, contamination, or poor maintenance can sometimes impact water quality. Check your local water quality reports regularly, and if needed, install water purifiers for extra protection.

Contaminants That Affect Municipal Drinking Water

Municipal water can be affected by 

• Bacteria and viruses
• Chemicals 
• Organic and inorganic substances 
• Pharmaceutical residues
• Pesticides 
• PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) compounds

These contaminants are harmful to health and spread many diseases, such as cholera, diarrhoea, typhoid, kidney damage, liver failure, and cancer.

Municipal Drinking Water Treatment

Municipal drinking water treatment involves multiple processes to ensure that water meets EPA standards for safe drinking. The type of treatment used depends on how contaminated the water quality is.

Advanced devices like water quality sensors are now available on the market to monitor water quality more effectively. 

One such product is Duino Smart from Flotaa. This smart solar-powered device monitors water quality, controls water levels, and uses IoT technology. 

The sensors in these devices measure key parameters like TDS, turbidity, pH, and temperature to ensure the water is clean and safe for drinking.

Municipal drinking water treatment involves five processes. These are:

1. Chemical Addition

The chemical addition process helps to remove floating suspended particles in the water clump. An alkali material is added to the water, converting the contaminants into insoluble products. Many chemicals, called coagulants, are used in this process.

2. Coagulation And Flocculation

In this process, coagulants are positively charged chemicals that are added to neutralise the particles’ negative charges. These chemicals form a floc and increase the size of the mix with contaminants. Adding chemicals and converting suspended particles into clumps is known as coagulation and flocculation.

3. Sedimentation And Clarification

The sedimentation process removes the particles through gravitation and separation. Water passes through the sedimentation basin and travels to the clarifier’s centre. The large floc particles settle at the bottom of the clarifier, and a pump extracts the sludge.

4. Filtration

After sedimentation and water clarification, the water undergoes filtration. The filters are made from sand or gravel, but activated carbon is a good choice nowadays. It removes particles and organic compounds. The filtration process removes poor odour and taste from water and improves water quality.

5. Disinfection

Microbes, such as viruses and bacteria, remain in the water after filtration. The disinfection process removes the microbes using ozonisation, chlorination, and ultraviolet.

What Is Municipal Wastewater Treatment?

Municipal water treatment systems aim to save the environment by removing hazardous contaminants. This process removes biodegradable organics, nitrogen, and phosphorus from wastewater. 

This wastewater can harm the environment, aquatic life, and human health with these impurities. So, treating municipal water is essential before discharging it to other water bodies.

How Do Municipalities Clean Wastewater?

There are three steps for cleaning water in municipalities.

1. Primary Treatment

a) Removal Of physical contaminants

The first step in the primary stage is to collect water. The source can be surface water, groundwater, or any other source. 

The second step is screening the collected water from the source. The screening process removes solid particles using a large metal screen, preventing large particles from entering pipes.

b) Filtration

The filtration method removes the particle contaminants from wastewater. A sand, membrane filter, gravel, or activated carbon is used as a filter medium. Filters trap the particles on the surface or in pores when water is poured.

2. Secondary Treatment

Filtered water contains biodegradable matter and suspended solid particles that need removal. The secondary process has three steps.

a) Biofiltration

Biofiltration removes all sediments, like sand or rocky activated carbon, holding tiny organisms.

b) Aeration

Aeration is a long but effective process that introduces increased oxygen, such as air, into impure water.

3. Tertiary Level Treatment

The last and most crucial stage of water treatment is removing the remaining impurities. This stage, also known as the water disinfection process, eliminates pathogens like bacteria.

Chlorination, boiling water, and ultraviolet radiation methods are used in this process.

Applications Of Municipal Water Treatment

There are several applications of Municipal Water Treatment; these are

• Purified water is used for drinking, cooking, bathing, and cleaning.
• In healthcare, to cool the moulds and hydraulic systems
• Fire protection
• Street cleaning
• Power (Electricity) generation
• Purified industrial wastewater is used in manufacturing plants.
• For irrigation in agriculture

Conclusion

The Municipal Water Treatments aims to improve water quality through various filtration systems and treatment facilities. Wastewater treatment is essential to saving the environment, animals, and health. 

However, water treatment land has challenges, such as unpleasant smells, energy consumption, etc. 

Regular monitoring and maintenance of these processes ensure that we continue to have access to safe drinking water.

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