What is Wastewater Treatment?
Wastewater treatment is the process of cleaning used water so that it can be returned safely to the environment. Wastewater treatment is a defense against water pollution, protecting public health and the aquatic organisms in the receiving water. Before modern treatment methods were instituted, wastewater went directly to streams and rivers, often the same place where people took baths, washed clothes, and got drinking water. Because of this, many people suffered from diseases, such as cholera, typhoid and diphtheria, caused by contaminated water.
Wastewater treatment is the process of removing solids and dissolved contaminants from the water sent to the wastewater plant for treatment. At the NFWB’s Wastewater Treatment Plant, this process starts at the bar screens, which remove large solids. The next step is grit removal, which takes out smaller particles that settle readily. Once the grit is removed, the wastewater is treated with ferric chloride and polymer to flocculate/coagulate to allow solids to settle out in the sedimentation basins. These solids are sent to the thickeners and then onto the belt presses for dewatering and disposal. After the vast majority of solids are removed, the wastewater then flows through the carbon beds to remove dissolved contaminants and to filter out any remaining solids. The purified wastewater leaves the carbon beds. It is treated with peroxide for odor control and sodium hypochlorite for disinfection before returning to the Niagara River.
