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Did
you know?
Reverse osmosis is the finest water filtration method known. This process will
allow the removal of particles as small as ions from a solution. It is used
to purify water and remove salts and other impurities in order to improve the
color, taste or properties of the fluid. R.O. uses a membrane that is semi-permeable,
allowing the fluid that is being purified to pass through it, while rejecting
other ions and contaminants from passing.
This technology uses a process
known as crossflow to allow the r.o. membrane to continually clean itself. This
is the reason of why an r.o. element can last many years before clogging or
need replacement. This
water purification process requires a driving force to push the fluid through
the membrane, and the most common force is household water pressure or pressure
from a booster pump. The higher the pressure, the larger the driving force and
efficiency.
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WATER
QUALITY OF SURFACE WATERS
Lakes,
rivers, reservoirs, ponds, etc., are termed surface waters. They receive
water directly from precipitation and surface run-off. These various bodies
of water also receive a portion of their total amount from underwater
springs connected with the groundwater supply. The previous diagram (Groundwater
Water Zones and Belts) shows how the bed of streams extends below the
groundwater level.
As we have seen, surface
waters are generally lower in mineral content. On the other hand, they
possess far more contamination and are unsafe to use for human consumption
unless properly treated.
Pollution of water comes
from many sources. Municipalities and industries sometimes discharge waste
materials into bodies of water that are used as public sources of supply.
This is a most serious source of contamination. Surface run-off also brings
mud, leaves, decayed vegetation together with human and animal wastes
into streams and lakes. In turn, these organic wastes cause algae and
bacteria to flourish.
There is a belief that
rivers and streams purify themselves in the course of their flowing 20
miles. This action should not be taken for granted, however.
Organic pollution of water
is reduced by nature in many ways:
1. Bacteria and algae
consume large quantities of organic waste. Larger microorganisms devour
the bacteria and algae. In turn, the microorganisms provide food for fish
and other higher forms of animal life.
2.
Unless the rate of flow is too fast, mud and suspended matter will naturally
settle to the bottom and oxidation will render organic matter harmless.
Rough bed streams, riffles and spill-ways speed this process.
3.
Due to its ultraviolet rays, sunlight also has some germicidal effect
on the water. Sunlight is not constant due to cloudy weather and its unavailability
at night.
Algae. Any of a group of
one-celled or many-celled microorganisms which are found in water and
damp places. Algae contain chlorophyl and have no true root, stem, or
leaf structure. Included among the algae are seaweed and pond scum.
Riffle. A riffle is a shoal, reef, or rocky obstruction in
a stream of water. As the water flows over and around the obstruction,
a stretch of shallow, rapid, or choppy water is produced depending on
the nature of the obstruction.
Rivers and streams also
show great variations in their dissolved mineral content. Tests taken
over a period of a year at both the Rock River and the Arkansas River
showed that both had the same average bicarbonate content of 207 ppm.
In contrast, the Rock River had a total chloride and sulfate content of
30 ppm while the Arkansas River contained 613 ppm of these ions, mostly
present in the form of hardness compounds.
In general, lakes and reservoirs (especially large ones)
show fairly constant dissolved solids content. Because they are relatively
more quiet than moving bodies of water, lakes and reservoirs are very
efficient settling basins. The result is they possess less turbidity.
Large bodies of water are frequently subject to seasonal changes that
cause the water to become quite turbid for a period of time. Our definition
of water at the beginning of this lesson states that it achieves its maximum
density at 39.2'F. As it becomes chilled to this point in the fall or
warmed to it in the spring, the denser water cannot stay at the top. As
it sinks, it causes convection currents to be set up. Sometimes these
become so strong that they lead to a complete overturning of the water
and bring about the turbid condition. Heavy storms will also churn up
a lake or reservoir and make it turbid.
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