1. Ch. 11.3 Managing Our Water Systems

2. Treating Wastewater
wastewater – refers to water that has been used for a purpose and is returned down a drain
most often we think of wastewater as being sewage, but wastewater can also be the water that is used in a dishwasher, washing machine, to take a shower, etc.

3. Treating Wastewater
in urbanized parts of the developed world, our wastewater leaves our house in a pipe and joins a network of pipes that lead the wastewater to a wastewater treatment facility

4. Treating Wastewater
this water that flows from our homes or businesses contains soap, food residue, human waste material, rags, pharmaceuticals, and a number of other things that can accidentally or intentionally get flushed into the system

5. Treating Wastewater
if we were to put this wastewater back into our lakes and rivers, we’d be contaminating our drinking water supply
so, we treat our water before letting it re-enter the natural environment

6. Septic Systems
most rural homes dispose of their wastewater with septic systems because they are not connected to a municipal wastewater treatment system
septic system – a self-contained wastewater treatment facility
septic tank – a tank in which wastewater from all indoor sources such as toilets, sinks, and bathtubs enter

7. Septic Systems
bacteria inside the septic tank immediately begin to break down the waste
solid material settles on the bottom, while lighter material (such as kitchen grease) float on the surface
the liquid layer in between flow into pipes that lead out from the tank
this wastewater contains nutrients such as nitrogen

8. Septic Systems
the pipes leading from the septic tank are perforated (have holes) on the bottom, allowing water to seep into the soil
leaching bed (or leach field) – are used to remove contaminants and impurities from the liquid that emerges from the septic tank
once the water is in the soil, more bacteria digest and breakdown organic waste
eventually, the liquid returns to the ground water supply

9. Septic Systems

10. Wetland Technology
a wetland, such as a marsh or swamp, is land that is saturated with water for long periods of time
water-loving plants that grow in wetlands can filter and purify water
wetlands remove and recycle nutrients, while roots and soil filter out contaminants

11. Wetland Technology

12. The Wastewater Treatment Plant
wastewater treatment plant – a large facility at which wastewater, brought to the facility from a large area (ie. a city) through pipes, is cleaned of contaminants and pollutants using physical, biological, or chemical procedures

13. The Wastewater Treatment Plant
wastewater treatment plants are often the most expensive facilities in a community
for instance, for a community of 50,000 people, a wastewater treatment facility may cost over $40 million to build and maintain
a wastewater treatment plant includes the physical plant as well as underground pipes that bring wastewater from our homes to the facility

14. The Wastewater Treatment Plant
interactive WWTP example

15. Protecting Drinking Water Sources
the more we pollute our water systems, the more we need to treat them to make that water safe to drink
all human activities that affect our water systems affect the sources that supply our drinking water

16. Testing Water Quality
for most of human existence, we have been unable to answer questions as to why people sometimes became ill or died from drinking water
water quality labs test water for contaminants and warn communities of water quality hazards to try and minimize the impact on consumers

17. When you flush your toilet, where is that wastewater going?