Learn more about the filtering process to keep your water clean
How safe is your drinking water?
The US Environmental Protection Agency sets limits for the occurrence and amount of certain contaminants in public drinking water. Here’s what you need to know about it.
Dwight Adams, [email protected]
To highlight the importance of access to clean water, August was declared National Water Quality Month.
According to experts, access to clean water is critical to the health and well-being of most species.
“In Augusta, we are at mile 200 of a river that is about 400 miles long,” said Tonya Bonitatibus, executive director of the Savannah Riverkeeper. “In each of the towns along the river and the creeks, there is someone who drinks the water from the river.”
“There’s also someone who flushes their toilet, which sends the water to a treatment plant. Then it’s released back into the river. So by the time you turn on the faucet in your house in Augusta, the water has probably already flowed through several toilets and various industrial plants upstream.”
The Savannah Riverkeeper is a nonprofit organization based in Augusta that monitors the water quality of the Savannah River from North Carolina to Savannah.
Bonitatibus said the Savannah Riverkeeper’s three goals are restoration, protection and education.
“We do a lot of cleanup and help reduce the amount of trash that ends up in our waterways,” she said. “There are excessive sources of pollution in our communities. We often engage in efforts to reduce that pollution. We work with anyone and everyone to help them understand the importance of the Savannah River.”
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948 was the first major U.S. law to combat water pollution.
Growing public awareness and concern about controlling water pollution led to comprehensive changes in the law in 1972, which became commonly known as the Clean Water Act.
“The Clean Water Act is the reason we exist,” Bonitatibus said. “Fishable, swimmable and drinkable water is the cornerstone of the Clean Water Act. … The Clean Water Act created a program that is ultimately designed to reduce pollution in waterways.”
Bonitatibus said the law protects all sections of society.
“The Clean Water Act doesn’t just protect aquatic life,” she said. “There are so many different things that rely on water. The Clean Water Act has significantly improved our water quality since the 1970s. It continually limits the amount of pollutants that are allowed into the waterways.”
Margaret Doss, compliance manager for Columbia County Water Utility, ensures the county complies with state and federal water utility regulations.
“We have two drinking water treatment plants,” Doss said. “The Jim Blanchard plant and the Clarks Hill plant. We take water from Clarks Hill (Thurmond) Lake and from the Savannah River. So we take water from both places. We treat it at the drinking water treatment plant so it’s clean enough to drink.”
The water treatment process:
- Water passes through a distribution system.
- Water from the sewage treatment plant is pumped through pipes into tanks.
- The water pressure in the tank and the downward weight of the water ensure that the water reaches your house through additional pipes.
- Users use it for cooking, bathing, washing clothes, washing dishes, flushing toilets and then it goes back to the wastewater collection system to go through the process again.
“Our job at the treatment plant is to remove the pollutants from the water before we release it back into the environment, into the streams and rivers,” said Doss. “When people gather in communities, the natural water cycle does not have enough time to clean the water. That’s how water pollution happened.”
Doss said, to put it simply, the goal is to remove harmful germs from the water.
“When it comes to drinking water, we remove germs from the water so that you don’t get sick from bacteria that can cause diseases like amoebic dysentery, cholera or typhoid,” she said. “When it comes to wastewater, we remove dirt and germs so that we don’t pollute the river.”
Drinking water treatment process:
- Pump water from the Savannah River or Thurmond Lake to the drinking water treatment plant.
- Add an oxidizing agent called potassium permanganate, a chemical that binds the manganese naturally present in our water.
- Once the water reaches the treatment plant, a coagulant is added, which causes all the small particles in the water to stick together.
- The next step is a settling tank, which slows down the flow of water and allows any larger particles to settle.
- The water then passes through a multimedia filter that contains anthracite coal, sand and gravel. The water percolates through this filter to remove any remaining solids from the water.
- After filtering, chlorine is added for disinfection. Salt water is electrically charged to create a strong sodium hypochlorite solution.
- Fluoride is added to the water to ensure healthy teeth.
- Phosphate is added to the water to protect the pipes.
“None of these chemicals are dangerous to you unless you consume them in large quantities,” Doss said. “They protect our system and they protect you. So it’s not dangerous.”
Doss said you shouldn’t flush anything except toilet paper down the toilet.
“Flushable wipes are not meant to be flushed,” she said. “What flushable wipes don’t do in the time required is biodegrade like they advertise. They go through our system too quickly and when they collide with each other, they form strands. Those strands get caught in our pumps. They can also get caught in a sump or a pipe and cause a blockage.”
Doss said pouring grease down the drain is also prohibited.
“People pour grease down the drain after cooking while it’s still hot,” she said. “When it gets into my sewer system, it cools, coagulates and creates a pool of grease. That can clog a pipe.”
Doss said much of this fat and oil can be recycled.
This reporting content is supported through a partnership with several funders and Journalism Funding Funding Partners.
Erica Van Buren is the climate reporter for the Augusta Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected] or @EricaVanBuren32.
