District 3A's water treatment plant operated for Broward County treats the raw water by lime softening, disinfection, and filtration to comply with the present drinking water standards. Figure 1 shows the area included in District 3A's service area. At the water treatment plant, the ground water is initially treated with lime and ferric chloride to reduce hardness and color. During this step of the treatment process, polymers are added so that most of the hardness and particulates in the water can be easily removed. Following softening, fluoride is added for enhanced protection against tooth decay.
Filtration is used following softening to further purify the softened water.
This step uses dual media filters which consist of anthracite and sand filter media to remove remaining particulate matter from the treated water. Disinfection, which is the final treatment step, is accomplished by the addition of chlorine and ammonia, otherwise known as chloramines. A residual level of chloramine disinfectant is maintained throughout the distribution system in order to control microbial regrowth. Solids which settle out during the treatment process, are collected and pumped to a settling basin, where they are thickened. The thickened solids are pumped to a vacuum filter, which removes excess water.