Most of us just take it for granted that we can turn on the faucet any time we want and get clean, drinkable water; and, that whatever water flows down our drain is ultimately returned safely to the environment. In reality, these modern conveniences can be attributed to the diligent work of water engineers and wastewater engineers.
A Closer Look at Water Engineering
Let’s consider each of these disciplines one-at-a-time, starting with water engineering.
Water engineering encompasses all of the steps involved with taking raw water from the ground, from rivers, and from lakes; treating that water to meet public health standards; then storing, distributing, and transmitting that water to homes and businesses throughout the community.
Water engineering benefits all of us, for the simple reason that clean, drinkable water is essential to life. Without a thorough water treatment process, however, raw water is often contaminated, potentially leading to serious disease. Without a rigorous water engineering process, the water we could consume might leave us vulnerable to reproductive health problems, neurological disease, and chronic gastrointestinal distress.
Effective water engineering encompasses a number of steps and processes, among them:
- Coagulation and flocculation
- Sedimentation
- Filtration
- Disinfection
- Storage
- Transmission and distribution
The bottom line: Water engineers ensure that we have water fit for drinking. But what happens to the water that’s flushed down our drains? That’s where we get into the field of wastewater engineering.
A Closer Look at Wastewater Engineering
So what is wastewater engineering? Simply put, this is the process by which wastewater is collected, conveyed, treated, and safely released back into the environment.
There are several important steps involved with this process.
- Once water goes down your drain, it gathers in a collection system. The purpose of this system is to collect wastewater from homes and businesses, then to convey it to a wastewater treatment facility.
- The wastewater conveyance process is driven by three forces: Gravity, low pressure, and vacuum suction.
- Once conveyed to the wastewater treatment facility, the wastewater goes through the primary treatment process, where solid waste is separated out. This is usually done with centrifuge technology.
- Once solid waste has been filtered out, the secondary treatment process begins. This involves filtering out any harmful biological material, like phosphorus and various microorganisms.
- Additional, tertiary treatment, including disinfection, may also be performed to ensure that the water can safely be released back into the environment.
Once fully treated, wastewater can then be used in industrial and construction applications; provided for irrigation purposes; and more.
Excellence in Water & Wastewater Engineering
Both water engineering and wastewater engineering are important for promoting quality of life, and for ensuring public health. And both fields rely on state-of-the-art technology, such as the sludge dewatering equipment we provide here at P&H Senesac.
We are proud to play a small part in the important fields of water engineering and wastewater engineering. To learn more about the different technologies we provide, we invite you to contact P&H Senesac at your convenience.