The chloramine system will accomplish that and will be operational this November, in advance of the 2001 effective date of the new rule. About 150 years ago, Congress gave the Corps the mission to develop a water system for the nation s capital. The Corps built the Washington Aqueduct, a notable engineering achievement of its time. The system has since been expanded to include northern Virginia communities. Funding for operations, maintenance and capital improvements comes from revenue generated by the sale of water.
Water treatment is the process of cleaning water so it is safe for human consumption.
The Washington Aqueduct uses a three-step process. The first step includes coagulation and sedimentation. When raw water enters the treatment plant, coagulants are added to make smaller particles adhere to one another, become heavy and settle to the bottom of a large basin. The second step is filtration. The water is filtered to remove the remaining fine particles.