Water treatment professionals in the United States do an excellent job of producing water that is safe and palatable. You can go virtually anywhere in the United States and confidently drink water from the tap. That's because every municipal and private water treatment facility must meet the stringent federal guidelines set forth in the Safe Drinking Water Act and enforced by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The methods used to treat water depend on the characteristics of the raw water. Most water treatment processes include a multi-step approach to ensure that finished water meets established standards.
Water treatment is a complicated job.
It gets more complicated every year, because pollution is increasing in many places. That makes the job of producing clean, safe, good-tasting water even more important. You'll read about the importance of preliminary treatment , coagulation , flocculation and clarification , softening and stabilization , filtration , the chemical treatment steps of fluoridation and disinfection , and the role of holding tanks . Outside the United States, water treatment is usually very similar to our poster.