People produce wastewater on a daily basis when they flush toilets or take showers as well as do the laundry. Factories and paper mills also produce a lot of wastewater as do power plants. Without a solution, the environment would be polluted beyond repair, and clean drinking water would disappear.

Fortunately, this wastewater is treated so that it can be safely reintroduced into nature. Here’s how.

How Wastewater Is Treated

Both municipal plants, as well as the industrial kind, treat wastewater by adding certain chemicals to the water using a diaphragm-type metering pump. Calibration cylinders, including some from Calibration Cylinders Ontario, release a precise amount of chemicals through those pumps to accurately treat water.

Such pumps usually add either caustic soda or sulfuric acid to wastewater, depending on its pH levels. If the water is too alkaline, sulfuric acid brings it back to a normal pH level. Likewise, if the water is too acidic, caustic soda will do the trick.

The pH level must be in the right balance, or the equipment could be damaged and the water itself becomes dangerous.

Particles Are Removed

Many times, wastewater is loaded with particles and impurities that need to be removed. Chemicals are injected into the water and make these elements cling together. The matter settles to the bottom of a tank where it can be easily removed.

The Clean Water Is Returned

Once the water has been effectively treated, it can then be safely returned to the environment. It’s typically pumped into streams and rivers but won’t do any damage to wildlife or aquatic fish and plants.

People and businesses create a tremendous amount of wastewater every day. Fortunately, that water is treated daily as well. You don’t have to worry about a polluted environment or running out of water so long as these treatment plants keep working.