Definition

Water Treatment is a set of physical and chemical procedures that are applied in the water so that it is in proper condition for consumption, ie, that water becomes drinkable. The process of water treatment to rid of any contamination, preventing disease transmission.

In a water treatment plant, the process occurs in stages:

- Coagulation: When the water in its natural state (gross) enters the ETA, it gets in the tank, a determined amount of aluminum sulfate. This substance is used for clustering (join) solid particles that are in water, for example, clay.

- Flocculation - in tanks with flowing water, solid particles coalesce into larger flakes.

- Decanting - in other tanks, by gravity, flakes and particles with impurities are deposited at the bottom of the tank, separating from the water.

- Filtration - water passes through filters made of coal, sand and stones of various sizes. In this step, the impurities of small size are retained in the filter.

- Disinfection - Chlorine is used in water or ozone to eliminate disease-causing microorganisms.

- Fluoridation - Fluoride in water is applied to prevent the formation of dental caries in children.

- PH correction - is applied in the water a certain amount of hydrated lime or sodium carbonate. This procedure serves to correct the pH of water and preserve the network of distribution pipes.