To ensure that our water is safe for drinking, we subject it to an expensive treatment process, which involves the collection of the untreated water from surface water sources (rivers or streams), or from underground sources (wells or springs) via intake works.
The water is then taken through pipes to a treatment plant, which is specially constructed and equipped for this purpose.
At the treatment plant, expensive equipment and chemicals are then utilized to treat the water that is later distributed to customers.
Although the specific details may vary depending on the type of treatment system available, the water treatment process usually involves four (4) distinct stages.
They are:-
1. Screening and Aeration
2. Coagulation and Flocculation
3. Sedimentation and Disinfection
4. Filtration
The process described above may be shortened or compressed depending on the quality of the raw water source, the available treatment infrastructure, the preferred treatment method or other factors. For instance, water that is taken from the aquifer via wells is usually only disinfected. This is so because this water is usually much purer than surface water because it is filtered naturally through the earth before rising to the surface.
All through the water treatment process, the water is tested to make sure that the quality is just right. Some of the water samples that are collected are taken to a laboratory where they are examined to make sure that the water meets the Interim Jamaica Drinking Water Criteria and the World Health Organization (WHO) standards.
