Where does your water come from?

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Where does your water come from?

• Two Possibilities
• Water Treatment Plants or Wells

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Why dont we use all the salt water we have
nearby?

• Ocean water can be treated, but the process is
• very expensive.
• The cost of converting salt water to drinking
  water has
• been estimated at 5 to 7 for each 1,000 gallons
  instead
• of the 30 to 50 cents for each 1,000 gallons of
  freshwater.
• Ocean water contains so much salt that at least
  99.2
• percent of the salt would have to be removed to
• avoid a salty taste in drinking water.
• The Sweeney Water Treatment Plant is not
  currently
• equipped to process salt water.

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Wilmingtons Water

• Freshwater is taken in from near Lock and Dam 1
  near Riegelwood
• Raw water is pumped from King's Bluff Pumping
  Station located approximately 24 miles upstream
  in Bladen County to Sweeney Water Treatment Plant
  to eliminate the intake of salty water during
  tidal changes
• Treatment
• Disinfection with chlorine
• Adding fluoride
• pH adjustment (if too acidic)
• After treatment water is sent to two other plants
  before making its way to an elevated water tank
• Storing water in the tall tanks creates water
  pressure needed for when you turn on the
  shower/faucet

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Lock and Dam 1
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Lock and Dam 1 Bladen Co.
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Sweeney Water Treatment PlantHilton Street
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History of the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant
Old WTP Pre-1900
1998 Plant Expansion (25 mgd)
1958 Plant Expansion (15 mgd)
Residuals Treatment Facilities 1990
1943 South Plant (7 mgd)
http//www.cfpua.org/DocumentView.asp?DID395328,
2,History of the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant
08/30/06
BV - 7
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• The Sweeney Water Treatment
• Plant is capable of treating up to
• 27.5 million gallons of water a day!
• The Water Treatment Division is also responsible
  for overseeing 54 wells on the groundwater system
  and the maintenance of the elevated water storage
  tanks.

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Water TowerWrightsville Beach
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Groundwater Plant

• A new treatment plant is currently under
  construction
• and will be capable of producing up to 6 million
• gallons of softened and treated water to the
  northern
• part of New Hanover County. 
• Groundwater, pulled from both the Castle Hayne
• and Upper Pee-Dee aquifers will be the source of
• water for this treatment plant. 
• Completion is expected in September 2009.

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• But what about when Ive used the
  water from the plant or the well?
• Where does the dirty water go?
• This dirty water is called
• WASTEWATER.

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Wastewater aka Sewage

• Sewage water used in factories and homes that
  must be recycled back into the environment
• This dirty water is either pumped into
  wastewater treatment plants through sewer lines
  or dumped into a septic system
• New Hanover County has an average of 14.7 million
  gallons of wastewater that is pumped to one of
  two plants for treatment every day!
• James A Loughlin Plant-Northside - N. 23rd
  St.
• Permitted to treat 8 million gallons a
  day.
• MKean Maffitt Plant-Southside - River Road
• Permitted to treat 12 million gallons a
  day.

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Primary Treatment

• First Filtration Water is filtered through
  screens to remove trash, fish, leaves.
• Coagulation Alum is added to trap suspended
  particles (mud/bacteria) and form a gel like
  substance that sinks to the bottom of the basin.
• Grit Chamber Water trickles down through
  sand/gravel. To filter out algae, bacteria and
  some chemicals.
• Sludge Treatment Solid materials that settle
  out during the process is high in nutrients and
  used as fertilizer.

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Secondary Treatment

• Aeration Forces air through the water to make
  it release gases reducing unpleasant odors and
  tastes.
• Microorganisms Aeration
• Adding air to water allows
• microorganisms (bacteria) to
• live which help break down the
• remaining tiny particles still in the water.

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Tertiary Treatment

• Disinfection
• Chlorine is added to kill any
• remaining organisms.
• Additional Treatments
• Sodium or lime may be added to soften hard water
  and some communities add flouride to help prevent
  tooth decay.

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Testing

• Samples are continuously monitored to make sure
  the water is safe enough to re-enter the
  environment and eventually be consumed again!

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Septic Systems

• Centers around a septic tank.
• An underground tank containing bacteria that
  break down waste materials into simpler
  substances.
• Cleaner water leaves the tank and flows into a
  drainage field where it can move down into the
  soil to get purified.

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Water can also be pumped up from deep underground!

• OLD SCHOOL

NEW SCHOOL
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Would it be smart to have a well dug close to a
drainage field?

• No way!
• You dont want to pump sewage up into your sink
  or bathtub!

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Wells are drilled far away from a septic system
so the water has time to be purified as it
percolates down through the soil.