8 Main Considerations for Choice of Water Treatment

There are several methods of purifying water. However, the choice of the treatment method depends on various factors that need to be taken into consideration. The choice might not be an easy one since the situations vary from place to place. However, a good judgment on the methodology to be adopted means that all the elements that are relevant are duly assessed. The eight considerations for the choice of water treatment featured below will be of great assistance to the planning process.

The quality is essential as it will determine the overall treatment process that needs to be employed. It follows that highly polluted water will require greater treatment processes and be more costly as compared to water without any harmful contaminants.

Of great importance is the ability to abstract the sufficient water quantities that might be able to address the demands. Since the water sources might be at significant distances from the treatment points, it is also in order to address the logistics of the conveyance of the water to the treatment points. Furthermore, the designer needs to understand whether the treatment methods that are available will be sufficient enough as to render the water safe and in adherence to the established water regulation standards.

The most suitable scenario would be a case where the treatment facility is closes to the treatment facility. However, this is no often the case as the area in which the conveyance ought to occur often falls in difference jurisdictions.                              

The rules and regulations that govern water quality standards entail minimum parameters that need not be surpassed. The guidelines are set such that the water quality is made safe of the intended usage. Of the measures set, drinking water quality attracts the highest form of diligence in the control of the water quality parameters.

If it is established that the proposed water treatment procedure does not possess the capability to eradicate the water contamination, then it would be ruled out as a viable water treatment strategy. The treatment techniques such as Ozonation often necessitate the production of the ozone gas in situ and subsequent prevention of the gas from leaking into the atmosphere. Hence, factors such as these must be considered in light of the treatment viability. While chemical treatment mechanism is often welcome in most water treatment operations the water first needs to be treated of pollutants prior to the disinfection.

The costs are a major factor in the establishment of a treatment facility especially when the source water consists of a significant level of impurities. The initial costs range from the purchase of the land, to the equipment and the labor costs.

Additional costs will also be incurred as part of the operational costs. These will also depend on the choice of the water treatment method. Pumping of water especially against a steep gradient constitutes one of the considerable expenses that are incurred. Proper planning is in order to ascertain that the projected operational costs will be sustainable.

Prospective projects ought to be carefully studied in terms of their potential impacts to the environment, both in the short and the long term. The project ought to be mindful of the potential effects on the climate change. If the treatment of raw water from some source is regarded as potentially harmful to the environment, then necessary measures must be taken to help mitigate the harmful impacts.

Water is an essential resource that is useful in several applications. The applicability and usage of water to additional usage can be an impetus to the adoption of a certain water treatment procedure. For example, a water treatment facility can be established together with a hydro electricity generating plant. In this case, the design of the two projects can be made to complement each other.

The residue resulting from conventional municipal water treatment can be applied to various uses including land filling and irrigation.  

The size of the area chosen for the project is of vital importance, with all the other factors kept at a constant. There are only so many technologies and development that can be established on a given site if limited land is available. On the contrary, a large enough piece of land not only supports the versatility of the design but also allows for ease of further expansion of the project if need be.

While some treatment procedures emit effluents with relatively low pollution, others tend to be characterized of high toxicity levels.

The residue obtained from the treatment process is often a factor of the efficiency of the treatment procedure, the relative quality of the treatment process and the quantity of the chemicals that have been employed.

The availability of the residue to be employed for non-potable use increases the viability of the treatment procedure. In certain cases, the water can be retreated to be used for consumption after being subjected to various procedures. For instance, it is common in some operations to return the water to the source before subjecting it to the treatment procedure.

In the modern world, many alternatives of water sources are available for use due to the advancement of technology. One such, treatment method is desalination processes, which is responsible for the removal of salt from water. However, this leads to the release of by products that can hardly be reused.

The success of any water treatment venture is dependent on proper planning. This helps to ensure that important consideration is made that will ascertain the viability of the process. With the clear view of these in mind the designer is then able to understand what design consideration need to be changed. The 8 considerations for the choice of water treatment above offer some of the main points to be adhered to. One of the main considerations is the quality of the source water and the intended use. If the demands are considered to not be sustainable, then this might affect the decision to implement the project.