Table of Contents
Why do we need to treat groundwater?
Groundwater treatment neutralizes any problematic substances so you can use the water safely. This process handles pollutants with one of two methods. Either the contaminant gets removed entirely, or it goes through a conversion process to render it harmless.
Is groundwater naturally pure?
In other areas groundwater is polluted by human activities. There is no such thing as naturally pure water. As water flows in streams, sits in lakes, and filters through layers of soil and rock in the ground, it dissolves or absorbs the substances it touches.
Why does groundwater need less treatment?
While groundwater is typically cleaner than surface water, it can still contain various contaminants. These contaminants are picked up from seepage and soil percolation. Since there are fewer contaminants in groundwater, this type of water requires less treatment before being used as drinking water.
What percent of groundwater is contaminated?
More than one in five (22 percent) groundwater samples contained at least one contaminant at a concentration of potential concern for human health.
How groundwater is treated?
Groundwater generally is treated by drilling recovery wells to pump contaminated water to the surface. Commonly used groundwater treatment approaches include air stripping, filtering with granulated activated carbon (GAC), and air sparging. Air stripping transfers volatile compounds from water to air.
Can you drink treated bore water?
Depending on local groundwater characteristics, raw bore water can be suitable for a range of uses, including stock water supplies, irrigation, washing clothes and flushing toilets. If treated, disinfected and tested as suitable; it can be used for showering, cooking and drinking.
How Can groundwater be cleaned?
Pump and treat is a common method for cleaning up groundwater contaminated with dissolved chemicals, including industrial solvents, metals, and fuel oil. Groundwater is extracted and conveyed to an above-ground treatment system that removes the contaminants.
How do you contaminate groundwater?
Groundwater contamination occurs when man-made products such as gasoline, oil, road salts and chemicals get into the groundwater and cause it to become unsafe and unfit for human use. Materials from the land’s surface can move through the soil and end up in the groundwater.
How is groundwater treated?
Pumping and treatment is one of the most commonly used ways of treating contaminated groundwater. The process involves pumping the groundwater through a specialist water treatment system, then either returning the treated water into the ground or putting it into the drainage system.
How clean is groundwater?
Unlike surface water collected in rivers and lakes, groundwater is often clean and ready to drink. This is because the soil actually filters the water. The soil can hold onto pollutants—such as living organisms, harmful chemicals and minerals—and only let the clean water through.