CHAPTER EIGHT

8 WATER QUALITY AND TREATMENT

8.1 water quality
The term “quality” is applied to water embraces the combined physical, chemical and
biological characteristics of the most abundant compound on the surface of the earth.
Water is vital to the existence of all life as we know it is essential, either directly or
indirectly, to almost all activities of man. Water quality is a dominant factor in
determining the adequacy of any supply to satisfy the requirements of these uses.

8.1.1 Impurities of water

Water that is absolutely pure is not found in nature. As water vapour condenses in the air
and falls, it absorbs dust and dissolves oxygen, carbon dioxide and other gases. At the
ground surface it takes up silt and other inorganic materials. A few bacteria will be picked
up. Some amounts of the products of the decomposition of organic matter, nitrites,
ammonia and carbon dioxide will go in to solution. While percolating through the ground
apart of the impurities is removed by filtration and chemical action by plant roots. But it
may dissolve many other salts which will be encountered during percolation. A potable
water is one that is safe to drink, pleasant to taste and usable for domestic purposes.
Contaminated water is that water containing microorganisms, chemicals, industrial and
other water wastes or sewage so that it is unfit for its intended use. The term polluted
water is synonymous with contaminate water. Common impurities in water can be
classified as suspended impurities (Bacteria, Algae, Protozoa, and silt) and dissolved
impurities (calcium and magnesium, sodium, iron, and manganese, vegetable dyes, and
gases)

8.1.2 Water quality requirements and standards

Water required for domestic uses, particularly the water required for drinking, must be
colorless, odorless and tasteless. It should be free from turbidity and excessive or toxic
chemical compounds. Harm full microorganisms and radioactivity must be absent. The
quality of water for municipal supplies is, therefore, generally controlled throughout the
world, and even world health organization (WHO) has laid down its standards for potable
water.

Table8.1 Physiochemical concentration of water sample:

Chemical Chemical WHO allowable Ethiopian guidelines
Description concentration(mg/l) concentration(mg/l) value (mg/l)
Turbidity(NTU) Trace 5
PH 7.81 6.5 - 8.5
Total Dissolved 134 1000
0
Solid 105 C
Sodium 26.5 200 358
Total Hardness(mg/l 44 500 392
CaCO3)
Calcium 11.2 200
Magnesium 3.84 150
Total Iron 0.05 0.3 0.4
Manganese Trace 0.1 0.5
Flouride 0.43 1.5 3
Chloride 5.84 250 533
Nitrate 0.29 45 50
The above table shows that all chemical components and physical appearance are within
WHO allowable concentration limit.

8.2 Objectives of Treatment

The main object of the treatment processes is to remove the impurities of raw water and
bring the quality of water to the required standards.
The objects may be summarized as follows:-
 To remove the dissolved gases
 To remove the unpleasant and objectionable tastes & colors from the water.
 To kill all pathogenic organisms which are harmful to the human health.
 To make water fit for domestic use as cooking and washing and various industrial
purposes as dyeing, brewing, steam generation e.t.c.

8.3 Disinfection
It is the process of killing the pathogenic bacteria from water and making it safe to the
public use. It doesn’t mean that destruction of all living things in the water, because to
taldestruction is only by sterilization. The main object of disinfection is to prevent
contamination of water. Before the water is supplied to the public it is at most necessary
to kill all the disease causing bacteria.

8.3.1 Methods of Disinfection

The disinfection of water can be done by the following common methods:
 By boiling the water: -The water can be disinfected by boiling for 15 to 20 minutes.
All the pathogenic bacteria’s can be killed by this method. This is very costly method
and cannot be used for water works, but it can be used in emergency by individuals
during the break up of epidemics in the locality.
 By using ozone: -Ozone is very efficient disinfectant. It is used in gaseous form.
This method can be used only if electricity is easily and cheaply available at water
works.
 By using excess lime: Lime is usually used for reducing hardness of water. It has
been noted practically that if some additional quantity of lime is added than what it
actually requires for removal of hardness, it will also disinfect the water while
removing the hardness. The addition of excess lime increases the PH value of the
water which may be harmful to human health.
 By using ultra-violet rays: - Ultra-violet rays are invisible light rays having wave
lengths 1000 to 4000 m  . These rays are very effective disinfectant and kill all the
disease producing. But this Process is costly and requires technical skill and costly
equipment .This method is mainly used for disinfection of water in swimming pool.
 By potassium Permanganate: - Potassium permanganate (KMnO4) is the most
common disinfectant and used in the villages for disinfection of dug-well water, pond
water or private source of water. In addition to the killing of bacterial, it also reduces
the organic matters by oxidizing them. Since the efficiency of killing bacterial is 98%
and not 100% and the color of the water becomes light pink, it is not being used.
 By using iodine & Bromine: - All the pathogenic bacteria can be killed with in 5
minutes contact period by adding Iodine and Bromine in water but their quantity
should not exceed 8ppm. These disinfectants are easily available in the form of pills
and also handy. Due to the high cost, they are not used in water works of public
water supplies but they are used in individual dwellings.
 By using chlorine: - when chlorine is added to water it produces nascent oxygen
which kills the bacteria. This method is cheap and most reliable.

8.3.2 Disinfection by Chlorination

When chlorine is added to water, it produces nascent oxygen which kills the bacteria .The
method is cheap and most reliable .The following are the types of chlorination depending
up on the amount of chlorine added or the stage of treatment.
 Pre-chlorination: - when chlorine is added to raw water before any treatment i.e.
before sedimentations this type of chlorination is known as pre-chlorination .The
dose of chlorine applied should be such that at least 0.2 to 0.5 ppm of residual
chlorine comes to the filter plant. Pre-chlorination improves coagulation reducing the
amount of coagulants and reduce the lead on filters thereby increasing their
efficiency.
 Post-chlorination: - The addition of chlorine after all the treatment being applied to
water is called post chlorination. This is done before the water enters the distribution
system. The amount of chlorine added should be such that residual chlorine of about
0.22ppm appears in water after a contact period of 20minutes.
 Supper-Chlorination:-The amount of chlorine in excess of that necessary for
adequate bacterial purification of water. This is done under certain circumstances
such as epidemics of water born diseases. High dose of chlorine is added to water
i.e.2-3 ppm beyond break-point for safety of public. It gives a strong odor and taste
or chlorine in the treated water which is later can be removed by dechlorination.

Chemical parameters
 Table 8.2 water quality parameters of the project
Parameter WHO guideline Recommended for
Ethiopia
Ph 6.5-8.5 5.0-9.5
Total solids, mg/L 1000 2000
Total hardness, mg/L 500 600
Chloride, mg/L 250 800
Sulphate, mg/L 400 600
Fluoride, mg/L 1.5 4
Iron, mg/L 0.3 3
E. Coli, MPN/100 ml 10 30
Nitrate , mg/L 10 40

CHAPTER ONE:
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................1
1.1. General ......................................................................................................................1
1.2. Objective of treatment ...............................................................................................2
1.3. Location of treatment plant ........................................................................................3
1.4. Treatment Schemes ...................................................................................................3
1.5. Factors Affecting the Choice of Treatment Schemes ..................................................4
1.6. Source of Water Pollution and Water Impurities ........................................................4
1.6.1. Pollution ..........................................................................................................4
1.6.2. Impurities in water ...........................................................................................6
1.7. Drinking water quality standards ...............................................................................8
CHAPTER TWO: PRELIMINARY TREATMENT ............................................................. 10
2.1. Pre treatment ........................................................................................................... 10
2.2. Types of preliminary treatment ................................................................................ 10
2.2.1. Intakes ........................................................................................................... 10
2.2.2. Screens .......................................................................................................... 14
2.2.3. Plain Sedimentation ....................................................................................... 18
2.2.4. Storage .......................................................................................................... 20
2.2.5. Roughing Filtration ........................................................................................ 21
2.2.6. Infiltration Gallery ......................................................................................... 24
2.2.7. Silt trap .......................................................................................................... 25
CHAPTER THREE: SEDIMENTATION ............................................................................ 28
3.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 28
3.2. Discrete Particle Settlement Theory ......................................................................... 29
3.3. Sedimentation Tank ................................................................................................. 34
3.3.1. Determining the capacity of the settling zone ................................................. 39
3.4. Factors Influencing Efficiency of the basin .............................................................. 48
3.5. Designing a Rectangular Sedimentation Tank .......................................................... 52
CHAPTER FOUR: COAGULATION AND FLOCCULATION ......................................... 64
4.1 Purpose ................................................................................................................... 64
4.2. Location in the Treatment Plant ............................................................................... 65
4.3. Principle of coagulation ........................................................................................... 66
4.3.1. Factors affecting coagulation: ........................................................................ 68
4.3.2. Common Coagulants ...................................................................................... 68
4.3.3. Feeding of coagulant ...................................................................................... 71
4.3.4. Mixing devices .............................................................................................. 71
4.4. Flocculation ............................................................................................................. 73
4.4.1. Clarifier (Secondary Sedimentation) .............................................................. 74
CHAPTER FIVE: FILTRATION ........................................................................................ 79
5.1 Theory of Filtration ................................................................................................. 79
5.2. Types of filters ........................................................................................................ 80
5.2.1. Slow Sand Filters ........................................................................................... 80
5.2.2. Rapid Sand Filter ........................................................................................... 82
CHAPTER SIX: DISINFECTION ....................................................................................... 89
6.1 Disinfection ............................................................................................................. 89
6.2. Location in the Treatment Process ........................................................................... 90
6.3. Requirements of Good Disinfectant ......................................................................... 90
6.4. Methods of Disinfection .......................................................................................... 91
6.4.1. Chlorination ................................................................................................... 92
CHAPTER SEVEN: MISCELLANEOUS WATER TREATMENT ....................................
108
7.1 Removal of Taste and Odor Problem ..................................................................... 108
7.2.1. Causes of Odor and Taste............................................................................. 108
7.2.2. Prevention of odours and tastes from microorganisms .................................. 109
7.2.3. Recommended method to remove test and odour problem ............................ 110
7.2. Removal of Hydrogen sulphide ............................................................................. 112
7.3. Removal of Iron and Manganese ........................................................................... 113
7.3.1. Causes of Iron and Manganese ..................................................................... 113
7.3.2. Method of Treatment ................................................................................... 114
REFERENCE .................................................................................................................. 117

List of figure
Figure 1 : Type of intake .........................................................................................................
11
Figure 2 : River Intake ............................................................................................................ 11
Figure 3 : Lake Intake ........................................................................................................... 12
Figure 4: Reservoir Intake .................................................................................................... 12
Figure 5: Channel Intake ....................................................................................................... 12
Figure 6: Screen ..................................................................................................................... 15
Figure 7: Infiltration Gallery ................................................................................................. 25
Figure 8: Forces which are subjected on settling discrete particle ......................................... 30
Figure 9: Camp‟s dimensionless graph ................................................................................. 32
Figure 10: Zone of a settling tank .......................................................................................... 36
Figure 11: Clarifier................................................................................................................. 36
Figure 12: Types of Inlet Source: Water Works Operator's Manual ...................................... 37
Figure 13: Settling zone ........................................................................................................ 38
Figure 14: Horizontal flow settling tank with continuous flow ............................................. 39
Figure 15: Fraction of particle Vs Settlement velocity .......................................................... 41
Figure 16: Outlet Zone .......................................................................................................... 44
Figure 17: Finger Weir ........................................................................................................... 45
Figure 18: Lagoons ................................................................................................................. 47
Figure 19: Drying bed ............................................................................................................ 48
Figure 20: sharp bends in the pipe at the inlet ....................................................................... 49
Figure 21: water is discharged above the sedimentation basin ............................................. 49
Figure 22:Short-circuiting ...................................................................................................... 50
Figure 23: Effect of temperature .......................................................................................... 51
Figure 24: a rectangular sedimentation basin ......................................................................... 55
Figure 25: Appearance of turbidity ........................................................................................ 64
Figure 26: Flash Mixer and Flocculation Basin .................................................................... 66
Figure 27: Negatively charged particle and positively charged coagulants ........................... 67
Figure 28: Neutrally charged particles attract due to van der Waal's forces. ........................ 68
Figure 29: Particles and coagulants join together into floc. ................................................... 68
Figure 30: Dry feeding devices ..................................................................................................
71
Figure 31: Mixing channel ................................................................................................... 72
Figure 32: Flash mixer .......................................................................................................... 72
Figure 33 : Deflector plate mixer ...................................................................................... 73
Figure 34: Flocculator ...............................................................................................................
74
Figure 35: Section of secondary sedimentation unit ............................................................. 75
Figure 36: Slow sand filter .................................................................................................... 81
Figure 37: Rapid sand filter ................................................................................................... 83
Figure 38: Vertical Pressure filters ......................................................................................... 85
Figure 39: Break point chlorination ....................................................................................... 97

List of Table
Table 1: Water
Treatment ............................................................................................................2
Table 2: Major Water Pollutants and Their
Effect........................................................................5
Table 3: Common Disease Transmitted to Humans Through Contaminated Drinking
Water .......5
Table 4: Standard for Drinking Water
Quality .............................................................................9
Table 5 : Design parameter for plain sedimentation ...............................................................
19
Table 6: Turbidity removal .................................................................................................... 20
Table 7: Storage effect on turbidity and E-Coli ......................................................................
21
Table 8: Comparison of slow sand filter and rapid sand filter .............................................. 84
Table 9 : weights in grams of chlorine compounds needed to produce a 1% chlorine solutions
for dosing purposes. ............................................................................................................. 103
Table 11: Volumes (liter) of 1% chlorine solution required for disinfection of water supplies..
103