A method of clarifying water by a flotation process without coagulation or flocculation to produce clarified water comprising: (a) pumping the water into an inlet zone and upwardly through a perforated panel into a mixing zone where the water is discharged from an upper portion of the mixing zone into a separation zone; (b) recycling 10-30% of the clarified water; (c) pressurizing the recycled clarified water to a pressure of 5-7 bars to form pressurized white water and directing the pressurized white water to one or more nozzles located in a lower portion of the mixing zone above the perforated panel; (d) discharging the pressurized white water and relatively fine air bubbles of less than 50 microns in diameter therein from the one or more nozzles; (e) employing the relatively fine air bubbles to induce a turbulence in the mixing zone that leads to the formation of a velocity gradient in the mixing zone; (f) mixing the relatively fine air bubbles with the water to be treated in the mixing zone; (g) attaching the fine air bubbles to suspended solids in the water to be treated to form flocs which rise towards the surface of the water in the mixing zone; (h) transferring the water and floc from the upper portion of the mixing zone to the separation zone and clarifying the water by flotation as the floc tend to accumulate on the surface of the water in the separation zone and clarified water is collected in a lower portion of the separation zone; (i) directing the clarified water from the lower portion of the separation zone; (j) in the absence of a coagulant or a flocculant, maintaining sufficient turbulence in the mixing zone due to the white water and the relatively fine air bubbles of less than 50 microns in diameter being discharged into the mixing zone to yield a velocity gradient no greater than 24,2 s -1 sufficient to maintain for a selected period of time an average mirror rate in the separation zone greater than 20 m/H while producing the clarified water having at least an 80% reduction in suspended solids relative to the water to be treated; and (k) moving a sludge scrapper back and forth across the top of the clarification system and engaging the sludge blanket on the upper surface of the water and scraping the sludge to a sludge outlet. (a) pumping the water into an inlet zone and upwardly through a perforated panel into a mixing zone where the water is discharged from an upper portion of the mixing zone into a separation zone; (b) recycling 10-30% of the clarified water; (c) pressurizing the recycled clarified water to a pressure of 5-7 bars to form pressurized white water and directing the pressurized white water to one or more nozzles located in a lower portion of the mixing zone above the perforated panel; (d) discharging the pressurized white water and relatively fine air bubbles of less than 50 microns in diameter therein from the one or more nozzles; (e) employing the relatively fine air bubbles to induce a turbulence in the mixing zone that leads to the formation of a velocity gradient in the mixing zone; (f) mixing the relatively fine air bubbles with the water to be treated in the mixing zone; (g) attaching the fine air bubbles to suspended solids in the water to be treated to form flocs which rise towards the surface of the water in the mixing zone; (h) transferring the water and floc from the upper portion of the mixing zone to the separation zone and clarifying the water by flotation as the floc tend to accumulate on the surface of the water in the separation zone and clarified water is collected in a lower portion of the separation zone; (i) directing the clarified water from the lower portion of the separation zone; (j) in the absence of a coagulant or a flocculant, maintaining sufficient turbulence in the mixing zone due to the white water and the relatively fine air bubbles of less than 50 microns in diameter being discharged into the mixing zone to yield a velocity gradient no greater than 24,2 s -1 sufficient to maintain for a selected period of time an average mirror rate in the separation zone greater than 20 m/H while producing the clarified water having at least an 80% reduction in suspended solids relative to the water to be treated; and (k) moving a sludge scrapper back and forth across the top of the clarification system and engaging the sludge blanket on the upper surface of the water and scraping the sludge to a sludge outlet.