MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT ⇨ EFFLUENT

What’s the Story?

How exciting - going through the municipal wastewater treatment process! This is an essential way humans clean water after it is used in communities and becomes wastewater/sewage carrying all kinds of yucky stuff along with it. Wastewater treatment involves several steps: screening out large solids like trash & debris (these go to the landfill); aerating to break down substances, remove gasses, and re-oxygenate the water; settling (sinking to the bottom) smaller solids like toilet paper & organic matter (called “sludge” once it’s digested & dried out); skimming “scum” from the top (grease, oil, plastics, soap); disinfecting, which typically means chlorinating the water to kill harmful pathogens; and sometimes removing the chlorine to protect wildlife before the treated water is released back out into the environment as effluent! Humans reuse Earth’s water over and over again like a huge recycling system!!

Click on your water drop above to travel to Effluent next!!