The sewage works, the water works or even the filter beds may be the name given to the Water treatment system in your locality. Whatever they are called these are performing a vital role in maintaining a healthy environment for the community we live in.
A clear objective is to provide the best water treatment so that what is poured back into the rivers, lakes and reservoirs is not harmful to the environment and is also well on the way to having healthy clean drinking water for all those who live in a particular area.
To achieve this all household waste water whether its from baths, sinks, showers, kitchens or toilets has to go through several stages of treatment that is designed to progressively remove contaminants that could create potential health risks.
Liquid wastes from commercial and industrial sources also has to go through similar processes, household wastes are often included with these as they are delivered to the plant by the same sewage pipes.
The challenges a water treatment system faces in being able to achieve these goals are considerable to say the least and if trends continue as they are these challenges are not likely to lessen in the near future.
Commercial and domestic abuse can cause problems long before anything reaches a treatment plant. The disposal of cooking oil or chip fat down sinks and drains is a major problem for water companies.
Once these start solidifying in the sewers blockages can soon occur. This can then prevent household and industrial waste water making its way to the treatment works. It is claimed that one Water supplier in the UK spends £3.8 million a year removing solidified fats from sewers in its area.
In London alone over 50 million litres of used fat is produced each year, well illustrating the scale of the problem faced by those who strive to maintain sewage systems and we have not even mentioned the amount of nappies flushed down the loo.
The question raised above - should we do more to support them? is one well worth considering in the light of the information above.
One thing we can decide to do from now on is to only pour down the sink or drain, or flush down the toilet what is meant to be poured or flushed down them. In this way we can help with what goes back to the water treatment system.
Despite these added hurdles water suppliers still manage to provide us with reasonably healthy water to use in our homes and place of work.
Even so there are countless reports stating that trace elements of contaminants are found in drinking water. Contaminants such as chlorine, lead, cysts, pesticides, chemicals, micro organisms and pharmaceutical drugs have been discovered in tested water.
With this we can help ourselves by installing a quality water filtration system that specifies the removal of contaminants that have been listed above. This obviously is a voluntary action, its not mandatory, but well worth considering so that we ensure we drink only healthy water.
