Wastewater treatment is the last line of defense against water pollution. If you envision the water cycle as a whole, you can see that the clean water produced by wastewater treatment is the same water that eventually ends up back in our lakes and rivers, from which we get our drinking water. Wastewater treatment plants are vital to our communities. They protect public health by eliminating disease-causing bacteria from water. By protecting water quality, wastewater treatment plants make it possible for us to safely enjoy the recreational use of clean oceans, lakes, streams and rivers.
Wastewater is generated by homes, industry, schools, and businesses.
On average, each person in the U.S. contributes 50 to 100 gallons of wastewater everyday. Wastewater is also made up of water that collects in street drains during storms, as well as groundwater that enters through cracks in sewers. A wastewater treatment plant removes solids, like sticks and sand, from water. It reduces organic matter and pollutants using helpful bacteria and other microorganisms which consume organic matter in wastewater and are then separated from the water. Treatment plants then restore oxygen to the water to ensure that it can support life in the oceans, lakes, and rivers it is released into.