Improving water quality
through treatment
Kevin Masarik
Groundwater Education Specialist
Stevens Point, WI
CENTER FOR WATERSHED SCIENCE AND EDUCATION UW-STEVENS POINT UW-EXTENSION
water basics
“Universal Solvent”
Naturally has “stuff”
dissolved in it.
 Impurities depend on rocks,
minerals, land-use, plumbing,
packaging, and other materials
that water comes in contact
with.
Can also treat water to
take “stuff” out
pO
H
H
p+
Improving water quality

Long-term improvements


Eliminate sources of contamination
Short-term improvements




Repair or replace existing well
Connect to public water supply or develop community water
system
Purchase bottled water for drinking and cooking
Install a water treatment device
• Often the most convenient and cost effective solution
understanding water treatment
o
Advantages:
o
Removing contaminants and other impurities
o
Improving taste, color and odor
o
Disadvantages:
o
Require routine maintenance.
o
Can require large amounts of energy.
o
Testing is often the only way to know it is functioning properly for
most health related contaminants.
o
Cautions:
o
o
o
Treatment methods often selective for certain contaminants
Multiple treatment units may be necessary
Treatment may also remove beneficial elements from water in the
process.
point-of-use vs. whole house treatment
 Point-of-use
 Often cost prohibitive to treat all water in the house.
 Treat water for drinking and cooking.
 Mostly used to remove health related contaminants
 Whole House Treatment
 Treats all water used in the home.
 Mostly used to treat for aesthetic related
contaminants.
water softening
 Water softeners remove
calcium and magnesium which
cause scaling and exchange it
for sodium (or potassium).
 Capable of removing limited
amounts of iron.
 Negative: Increases sodium
content of water.
disinfection

Can be effective for inactivating
harmful bacteria or viruses
 Types:



UV Treatment
Chemical Injection – Chlorine
Well code based on the premise
that a properly constructed well
should provide bacteriological safe
water
 Require prior DNR approval to be
installed on a bacteriological
unsafe water supply.
reverse osmosis (RO)
o
o
o
o
o
o
Capable of removing a variety
of metals and minerals such
as: calcium, magnesium,
nitrate, sodium, fluoride,
arsenic
Removes some organic
chemicals
Generally about 70-90%
effective when operating at
maximum efficiency.
For every 1 gallon of water
produced, approximately 7-9
gallons are sent down the
drain.
Must replace filters and
membranes regularly
Often requires pretreatment
activated carbon
o
o
o
o
Generally does a good job of
improving taste and odor
Reduces chlorine and some organic
compounds like pesticides, chlorine
byproducts and solvents
Some can also remove copper and
lead
DO NOT remove nitrate, arsenic or
fluoride
distillation
o
o
o
o
Boils water and condenses steam
Remove virtually all inorganic impurities
from water including things like calcium
and magnesium
Some organic chemicals may pass
through units with steam and
contaminate distilled water unless
designed to avoid this problem
Disadvantages:
o Water not on demand
o Uses lots of energy
o Requires cleaning
other common water treatment
o
Oxidation
o
o
Remove aesthetic problems such as iron,
manganese or hydrogen sulfide
Particulate filters
o
o
Remove sediment
Remove particulate iron and/or manganese
Before investing in treatment….

Always have water tested at a certified lab before investing in water
treatment.


Know the types and amounts of chemicals you would like removed.
Choose a device that has been approved by the Wisconsin
Department of Commerce.

Ask for a copy of the approval letter.
• or

Check the agency’s Drinking Water Treatment Product Approval
website:
• http://commerce.wi.gov/php/sb-ppalopp/contam_alpha_list.php
Chippewa Falls Nitrate Removal
Total Costs
 $2.3 million = Capital Costs
 $72,000 = Operating and Maintenance
Cost per pound of NO3-N
 $0.82 per pound (just O & M)
 $2.12 per pound (includes capital costs/20 y)
Private Well Nitrate Removal
 Most residential treatment
systems are
point-of-use systems.
 Reverse Osmosis
 Distillation
 Treat only a small quantity of
water (~10 gal/d)
 $83 per pound
 Conservative estimate, includes
only cost of equipment assuming
lifespan of 20 years.
comparing bottled water analysis
Tap
Milwaukee Water Works
Tap
Stevens Point Water
Utility
Roundy’s Supermarkets,
Purified Inc.
Spring
Premium Waters, Inc.,
Chippewa Falls
Jade Spring Artesian
Artesian Water LLC
Mineral
Spring
Mineral Spring Water Co.
Purified
Aquafina
Purified Kwik Trip Dairy, La Crosse
Spring
Wisconsin Glacier Springs
Bottling, LLC, New Berlin
Spring
Langlade Springs, LLC
Spring
Markey Springs Co. LLC
Nitrate-N
(mg/L)
Chloride (mg/L)
Total Dissolved
Solids (mg/L)
Fluoride (mg/L)
0.3
12.1
177
0.85
6.9
<0.50
4.91
0.905
<0.50
<0.50
<0.50
1.21
3.17
7.39
18.7
2.75
16.2
4.25
49.5
<1
6.0
51.3
15.0
19.0
274
26
131
151
510
<1
38.8
221
252
391
1.15
<0.20
<0.20
0.218
<0.20
<0.20
<0.20
<0.20
0.208
<0.20
introduction – drinking water options – contaminants in drinking water – effectiveness of water treatment – understanding the bottled water issue
cost of tap water versus bottled
water
Product Description
Unit
Price per gallon
Cost for 4 glasses of
water per day for 1
year.
Stevens Point
Municipal Water
$1.01 for 748 gallons
$0.0013
$0.12
Ice Mountain
$4.89 for 8.4 liters
$2.20
$201
Roundy’s
$2.99 for 6 liters
$1.88
$171
Fiji Natural Artesian
$6.99 for 3 liters
$8.82
$805
Evian
$1.59 for 1 liter
$6.01
$548
Dansani
$1.29 for 1 liter
$4.88
$445
Aquafina
$1.29 for 1 liter
$4.88
$445
Water Center at Copps
$0.39 for 1 gallon
$0.39
$36
Apollinaris
$2.49 for 1 liter
$9.43
$860
Prices current as of July 2008
Kevin Masarik
Center for Watershed Science and Education
800 Reserve St.
Stevens Point, WI 54481
715-346-4276
kmasarik@uwsp.edu
www.uwsp.edu/cnr/watersheds
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