Have you ever wondered what happens to wastewater after it goes down your drain? The video below, made by the Texas American Water Works Association, explains how it is safely returned to the environment. The information in this video speaks to the overall process and therefore explains how wastewater is processed in every state in the U.S.
What We Learned
- The first step is a series of screening and grates to separate large objects from the water. An example of this is trash that is flushed down the toilet rather than disposed of in a proper trash bin.
2. Once the sediment has settled within the primary treatment step, the water goes to an aeration basin where we mix in helpful bacteria and oxygen.
3. After the bacteria have done their job, large clumps, called flocks, within the water are filtered out.
4. The water is then clear enough and moves on to another round of filtration, but also the disinfection stage.
5. Once the water is clean, it goes through a pipe out into the local river or stream.
