Environmental Engineering

Water resources engineers assist in the planning, designing, constructing, operating and maintaining of the water system, a complex network of water mains, reservoirs, pump stations and water treatment plants which provide our water 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
 
Environmental engineers are involved in the actual treatment of the water.
The primary purpose of water treatment is to safeguard the public health by removing disease-causing organisms. The following describes what goes on in a typical water treatment plant to make sure that the water coming from our taps is safe for consumption.

1) Traveling screens remove larger-sized debris in the raw water. Water quality can vary over the course of a year. In the spring, the amount of organic and other matter transported by rivers increases.

2) Low-lift pumps raise the water from the water source to the treatment plant.

3) Chlorine is added to the raw water for initial disinfection and in some places fluoride is added as well.

4) Chemicals (alum & polyelectrolytes) are added to react with and settle out suspended solids.

5) Rapid mixers ensure the chemicals are properly dispersed in the water.

6) In the flocculations cells, the suspended solids combine with the chemicals to form large particles, or "floc".

7) The sedimentation basin allows the larger floc particles to settle out of the water.

8) Dual media filters are used to filter smaller floc particles out of the water.

9) The control room allows operators to control the entire treatment plant.

10) A clear well stores filtered water prior to pumping into the transmission system.

11) Chlorine is added for final disinfection prior to pumping.

12) High-lift pumps move large volumes of water through transmission mains to reservoirs and secondary pump stations which supply the distribution system.

13) The distribution system provides water to individual customer service connections and fire hydrants through a network of smaller mains.