The EPA regulates water in the US. supply and sets standards for drinking water. The. water standards are enforceable under the Safe Drinking Water Act. These take into account the available technology and cost and are expressed as MCLs. The standards are more stringent and are expressed as Maximum Contaminant Level Goal or One inorganic chemical that is a water pollutant is It causes nerve damage or are organic thyroid problems. compounds that can cause immune deficiencies, reproductive or nervous system difficulties, and increased risk of cancer. In addition to regulating inorganic and organic chemicals, radionuclides, disinfectants/disinfection byproducts, the EPA also regulates. including giardia, legionella, etc. Drinking Water Treatment After debris removal and coagulation, the next step in the water treatment process is The water is then pumped through a settling tank and filtered. The settling tank, also called the can be rectangular or The clarifier is designed in a way that ensures that the particles settle to the bottom. The area at the bottom of the settling tank is called the . Whether the particles settle depends on the clarifier dimensions and the critical velocity, which is also called The last step of the typical drinking water treatment process involves It is usually done using chlorine, , or UV light. Sometimes, water can be too hard, which means it has a high concentration of magnesium ions. Hardness is typically or calculated using the concept of equivalent weights and is expressed as. or Water is often softened approach. mg/L of using the Wastewater Treatment Primary wastewater treatment includes and sedimentation. Sedimentation tank, where about takes place in a 60% of solids and 35% of BOD is removed from the water. Secondary treatment relies on microbial oxidation of wastes to remove There are four main methods to remove BOD including oxidation ponds, trickling filters, rotating biological contactors, and After the BOD and solids have been removed from the water, they are called After secondary treatment, some wastewater plants will remove including nitrogen and phosphorus. is typically removed using the process. Tertiary nitrification/ wastewater treatment may include disinfection using chlorine, UV light, or tertiary treatments include AOPs. Other and