Waste Water Treatment Water that we use around the house and some that enters storm sewers is treated through a wastewater treatment facility. Here the dirty water goes through a series of processes to clean that water and make it healthy enough to enter a river or lake ecosystem.

Stages of Treatment There are three stages of conventional wastewater treatment. –Primary treatment: a clarifying tank lets the solids, like poop, settle to the bottom and leave the water. –Secondary treatment: the water is next oxidized by allowing movement of the water. The oxygen helps bacteria live and they in turn eat some of the nutrients in that water, also more solids are allowed to settle out of the water. –Tertiary treatment: This is the “advanced” step in water treatment. Chlorination is done to remove any potential pathogens in the water. Dechlorination is then done to remove the chlorine. –Water is then discharged into a close river or lake.

Alternative Methods Many alternative methods have been approached to treat water in a more natural way without the use of chemicals. This is done with: –Living machines ( ) –Wetlands and marshes ( )