About the Process of Filtering Water at a Water Purification Plant
Processing at water purification plants makes water supplies safe to drink. The level of treatment required depends on the original water quality and source. Water from underground aquifers is of a higher quality than surface water from rivers or reservoirs and therefore requires less processing.
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Pre-treatment
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Surface water is screened through steel bars to stop larger objects such as fish or litter from entering the facility. If the water is particularly turbid it's directed to a "presedimentation basin" to allow time for sand and silt to settle.
Treatment
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Turbidity is removed by a series of processes: coagulation, flocculation and sedimentation. This involves adding chemicals to remove unwanted particles from the water.
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Filtration
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Water is next passed through sand or anthracite filters. If the raw water was low in turbidity to begin with, coagulated or flocculated water may be taken directly to the filters in a process called direct filtration.
Disinfection
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Disinfection eliminates pathogenic microorganisms from the water, making it safe to drink. As noted at FreeDrinkingWater.com, most treatment plants in the U.S. rely on chlorine for disinfection purposes.
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