Microorganisms, bacteria, harmful compounds, viruses and feces are all removed from natural water sources to be safe for different uses or appropriate for human consumption.

The purest sources of surface water and groundwater must be safeguarded for drinkable water supply needs

What is potable water?

Potable water, commonly referred to as drinking water, is obtained from both surface and groundwater sources.

This water has been treated to satisfy state and federal drinking water requirements.

Because of the greater concentrations of pathogens and chemical pollutants in potable reuse water, thorough monitoring of pathogens and chemical contaminants is required.

Potable water should be clear to the naked eye, devoid of smells, tastes, and colors, and at the proper temperature.

Additionally, it must be safe and free of toxins, carcinogens, pathogenic microorganisms, and any other health-related issues.

Sources of potable water

Source water simply refers to bodies of water that contribute water to public drinking water sources and private wells (such as rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, springs and groundwater).

The water that comes out of your tap might have traveled hundreds of kilometers.

Surface water or groundwater are the most common sources of public water.

Surface water resources or a combination of surface and groundwater supplies are often used by large cities and villages.

Some tiny rural towns rely entirely on groundwater sources, which may or may not need to be treated to fulfill drinking water requirements.

You most likely have private groundwater well if you don’t acquire your water from a public water system.

Sources of water include:

1-Water on the surface (for example, a lake, river, or reservoir)

2-water from the ground (for example, an aquifer)

3-recycled water(also called reused water)

4-Water from Snowpack

5-Water on the surface

A stream, river, lake, reservoir, or ocean gathers surface water.

Surface water evaporates rapidly from bodies of water, seeps into groundwater sources, and is replenished by rain and snow.

Ground water rises to the surface and becomes surface water in the spring.

Water from streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs is treated before it reaches your tap in public drinking water systems.

Water from the ground

Groundwater is found under the earth’s surface in the cavities between rocks.

Aquifers are underground rivers with huge networks of hydrological characteristics that deliver water.

Water travels through these geological formations and can be accessible by drilling wells in identified aquifer locations.

Groundwater is naturally filtered, and depending on the depth of the water and the geology of the area, it may eliminate certain bacteria and pollutants.

Water from a well is considered groundwater and may undergo some treatment before reaching your tap.

Water from Snowpack

Many villages get their drinking water from snowpack and glacier ice melt.

During the winter, snowstorms that pass over high-elevation locations drop snow and ice.

Snow and ice melt when the weather is warmer, and the water flows downstream into lakes and rivers that feed municipal water reservoirs.

The water that melts from these sources is normally safe to drink, but because it travels over the surface and via rivers before reaching the reservoir, it can get polluted and must be treated before reaching your residence.

Recycled water

The method of recovering water from various sources, purifying it, and reusing it for beneficial uses is known as water reuse.

To improve water security, sustainability, and resilience, it can supply alternate supplies for potable and non-potable purposes.

The two primary ways for turning wastewater into potable water are indirect potable reuse (IPR) and direct potable reuse (DPR).

Indirect potable reuse (IPR)

Indirect potable reuse is releasing treated wastewater into a strategic environmental source, such as a reservoir or aquifer, for some time before being retrieved for potable use.

direct potable reuse (DPR)

Without the need for an environmental buffer, cleansed wastewater is immediately fed into the raw water supply supplying a water treatment plant in direct potable reuse.

Maintenance of potable water

Maintenance refers to planned technical tasks or actions performed in reaction to a breakdown to ensure that assets are operating properly, and it necessitates the use of skills, tools and spare parts.

There are two kinds of regular maintenance:

Corrective maintenance: When components fail and cease operating, corrective or breakdown maintenance is performed.

Preventive maintenance: a routine, scheduled operation that is performed to avert breakdowns.

Servicing equipment, checking equipment for wear and tear and replacing it as needed, cleaning and greasing moving elements of equipment, and replacing things with a limited lifespan are all examples of preventative maintenance.

Preventive maintenance is critical as it ensures that an asset’s service life is extended.

It also avoids crises and the need for costly (both in terms of time and money) repairs.

Daily activities at a water treatment facility

1-Check water meter readings and keep track of water

2-Water levels in storage tanks should be checked and recorded.

3-Examine the chemical solution tanks and keep track of the amounts utilized.

4-Chemical feed pumps should be inspected.

5-Check and record residual chlorine in the distribution system and the chlorine contact tank.

6-Examine the intake pumps, motors, and control system

7-Keep track of when the inlet pump begins and how long it runs.

8-Perform a daily security audit.

Annual activities of a water treatment facility

These jobs are scheduled throughout the year, with some scheduled for January, some for February, and so on, to ensure that load is handled effectively. Some of these duties may be required three or four times each year.

1-Chemical feed pumps should be overhauled.

2-Chemical feed pipes and solution tanks should be inspected and cleaned.

3-Chemical feed pumps should be calibrated.

4-Inside the treatment plant and pump house, operate all valves. Throughout the year, keep a running record.

5-Review your emergency preparedness preparations.

6-Inspect chemical safety equipment and, if necessary, fix or replace it.

7-Control panels in the pump house and treatment plant should be inspected, cleaned, and repaired.

8-Examine storage tanks for flaws and shortcomings, and clean as needed.

9-Flush the distribution system and make sure all fire hydrant valves are working properly.

10-Maintain the treatment plant with preventative maintenance.

Pollutants to avoid

To meet the standards for safe drinking water without endangering human health, water must be free of certain toxins.

Organic pollutants are carbon-based compounds such as solvents and insecticides that enter the environment via agricultural runoff or industrial discharge.

Mineral acids, inorganic salts, metals, cyanides, and sulfates are examples of inorganic pollutants that persist in the environment.

Heavy metals can cause neurological issues in people, particularly in the unborn and young, and they can also bioaccumulate in certain foods.

Waterborne pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa and parasites, are typically introduced to the water by feces and can cause illnesses ranging from mild gastroenteritis to potentially lethal diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis, typhoid fever, cholera and cryptosporidiosis.

Turbidity can give water an unpleasant taste, odor, or appearance.

It is critical to carefully examine source water before tailoring treatment to specific water conditions and criteria for effective potable water treatment.

What is the meaning of non-potable water reuse?

Water for non-potable reuse does not normally require the same level of treatment as water for potable reuse.

Non-potable reuse is defined as water that is not intended for direct human consumption.

Non-potable water sources include, among others, rainwater, greywater, reclaimed water and recycled water.

Pipe networks and pumping systems, as well as an alternate delivery method, are required for centralized non-potable reuse.

To boost water supply resiliency, water reuse may eventually incorporate a mix of potable and nonportable uses.

References

[1] Potable water, [online] Available at: https://www.watereducation.org/aquapedia-background/potable-water

[2] What is potable water? , 3 Nov, [online] Available at:

https://www.wwdmag.com/what-articles/what-potable-water

[3] What is potable water? , 7 Feb, [online] Available at: https://www.fluencecorp.com/what-is-potable-water/

[4] Water Reuse and Recycling, [online] Available at: https://www.epa.gov/waterreuse

[5] What Are Three Sources of Drinkable Water? , [online] Available at: https://homeguides.sfgate.com/three-sources-drinkable-water-79368.html

[6] Study Session 6 Operation and Maintenance of Water Treatment and Supply Systems, [online] Available at: https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=80190&printable=1