What We Can Do to Help?

1) Conserve water: The more we use, the more we must

manage

2) Do not put hazardous substances down sinks, drains,
toilets

3) Dont litter: Litter ends up with wastewater in treatments
plants

4) Dispose of household items properly: Not down the
drain

5) Use mass transportation and practice energy
conservation Toxic chemicals from air pollution end
up in wastewater

Five-Step Process
1) Underground sewer contents hit screens capturing trash
Remaining sewage pumped to ground-level surface plants
2) Wastewater enters sedimentation tanks
1-2 hours: solids settle / lighter materials skimmed away
Settled solids pumped to sludge handling facilities
3) Air pumped into liquid stimulating oxygen-using bacteria
growth
Micro-organisms consume remaining organic pollutants
2nd settling tanks capture secondary sludge
4) Disinfection purifies water for release into local waterways
Water mixed with sodium hypochlorite (in bleach)
5) Sludge treatment
Sludge heated for bacteria growth + consumption of organic
materials
Methane gas captured, used as energy source
Centrifuges remove 90% of water
Addition of polymer substance converts material to bio-solid cake

Sources: New York City Department of Environmental Protection. New York Citys Wastewater Treatment System. Available at:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/wwsystem.html.

How Does Our Water Get So Clean?
NYC wastewater
Travels to sewer (made up of 6,000 miles worth of pipes)
Overseen by Bureau of Water Treatment
- 1,900 employees, $262 million annual operating budget
- Task to convert water into high-quality wastewater for
release into waterways and eventual reuse
The process
From sewer, water meets up with runoff rain/snow, other
materials
Travels to 14 plants around the city
Goes through a 7-hour series of 5 steps for rehabilitation
Process eliminates 95% of pollutants, converts sludge to
biosolids
Sources: New York City Department of Environmental Protection. New York Citys Wastewater Treatment System. Available at:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/wwsystem.html.

Thinking About Water
Current water sources
70% of Earths population draws from surface water
- lakes, streams and reservoirs
30% of population taps into underground sources
Americans use 400 billion+ gallons per day

Where water goes
Americas water infrastructure network spans 700,000 miles
How water is treated and rehabilitated for reuse complicated
We can do things to assist the process:
- ease burden on water systems
- help maintain healthy water environment
Sources: United Nations Population Fund Press Release. Investments in Reproductive Health Can Reduce Water Insecurity, Says UNFPA Report.
March 19, 2003. Available at: http://www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=193&Language=1.
Magee M. Healthy Waters. New York. Spencer Books. 2006.DrinkTap.org. Straight Talk on Water Infrastructure. Available at:
http://www.drinktap.org/consumerdnn/Default.aspx?tabid=198.

Production of High Quality Water
Requires not only a capable plant but
proper administration, design,
maintenance and operations
Failure in any of these areas significantly
increases the risk to public health
Maintenance
To make a capable plant sustainable,
regular maintenance must occur
Maintenance activities must consider
operational constraints and must be
planned accordingly
For critical systems redundancy may be
required
Design
Design of a treatment facility must not
only meet requirements for the capable
plant but must also consider operational
and maintenance realities
Design should also consider technical
expertise required
Capable Plant - Summary
Requirements of a capable plant
dependent on regulation
Also dependent on raw water source
Capability of plant restricted to design flow
rates
A capable plant only provides the ability to
produce high quality water if proper
administration, maintenance and
operational systems are in place
Capable Plant - Cryptosporidium
One of the greatest challenges facing the
water industry
Regulations just starting (US EPA and
Canada)
Resistant to chlorine (loss of major
barrier)
For conventional treatment must rely on
particle removal
UV and ozone disinfection effective
Capable Plant
A capable plant means if it is managed,
operated and maintained properly, the
plant has the required infrastructure to
meet all requirements
Criteria for capable plant largely
dependent on regulation

Capable Plant Model
High Quality Treated Water
Operation (process control)
Capable Plant
Administration Design Maintenance
Basic Characteristics of Drinking
Water Scams
Like most scams, they sound too good to be true
They are not based on clear proven scientific principles
They have no peer-reviewed reputable support literature
They have testimonials from crackpots who promote
pseudoscience
They have fake testimonials from satisfied customers
There is pressure to purchase or invest immediately
Why Drinking Water Scams Work
Because survival is more important to us
than truth, logic and reason
Because we are prone to be superstitious and
use irrational thinking
Because many people are scientifically
illiterate and cannot tell the difference
between science and pseudoscience
Because science education does not
equilibrate to logical and critical thinking
Bottled Water or Treatment Device
Health Quackery Scams
Oxy-Plus Water Treatment Devices
Two Categories of Water Treatment
Scams
1. Those convincing consumers to purchase
treatment devices that do not work
2. Those convincing consumers to purchase
treatment devices they do not need

There are scams associated with remedying both
health and nuisance problems
The Growing Bottled Water Industry
Modern Day Drinking Water Scams
Bottled water scams
Health quackery scams
Water treatment scams
Water testing scams
Water supply scams
Examples of Past Water Scams
Medical use of hydrotherapy
Drinking radon or radium
water
History of Water-Related Scams
Water: A Very Unusual Substance
and it has Held Great Mystery for
Humans Since Early Times
What is a Drinking Water Scam?
Objective
To make people more aware of the
various types of scams associated with
drinking water so that they can better
recognize a scam or potential scam and
know how to deal with it.
Drinking Water Scams
by

Southern Region Drinking Water
Program Team
Heat Pump for Energy Efficiency

Sheung Shui Slaughter House
Utilize rejected heat from
air-cooling operation to
further heat up water

Odour Control

Sheung Shui Slaughter House
Odour generated = 1,000 OU
vs.
Acceptance standard = 5 OU

Chemical scrubbers
& odour neutralizing
agent system for
odour control

5 OU is achieved at
sensitive receivers
Solar Hot Water System

Sheung Shui Slaughter House
Consumption of hot
water 630m
3
per day

Provision of 450 solar
panels to pre-heat
water
Waste Water Treatment

Sheung Shui Slaughter House
5000 m
3
waste water /
day

Concentration 10 times
higher than domestic
waste water
Pre-treat waste water
using bacteria and other
micro-organisms to achieve
domestic effluent standard
before passing to Shek Wu
Hui Sewage Treatment
Plant