How the water utility purifies the water in our apartments. Analysis of tap water Where is tap water purified?
Activated carbon, ultraviolet radiation, harmless chemical reagents and a landing of aquarium crayfish provide city residents with the water that comes into their homes every day. Its cleaning and transportation is carried out by the St. Petersburg Vodokanal, which operates 9 city water stations. The Village correspondent visited one of them, found out how the water is purified and whether it can be drunk straight from the tap.
Water treatment stations
The average St. Petersburg resident uses about 300 liters of water per day. The bulk of it goes to washing, cooking and cleaning the apartment. During the year, the load at all water stations, where water is purified and distributed throughout the city, is approximately the same. There are only two peak days when it increases. This is December 31, when people start washing before the New Year, and August 31, when everyone returns with their children from their dachas and vacations. Water purification takes place at nine water stations, many of which were built in the pre-war period. Vodokanal is currently refurbishment existing systems, and the most modern today is considered to be block K-6, operating since 2010 at the Southern Waterworks. In the next four years, new equipment will appear at three more enterprises, and then at all other stations. Despite the difference in equipment, they all work according to a similar scheme. |
million cubic meters of water per day served in St. Petersburg houseswaterworks |
Elena Nefedova, chief technologist of the water supply system of the State Unitary Enterprise Vodokanal: “The Neva is one of the softest rivers in the world; it contains little calcium and magnesium salts. From the point of view of the average person, it is convenient in everyday life, but is not physiologically complete for the body. One of the problems is the oversaturation of water with iron, which occurs during transportation to the consumer’s tap. We are responsible for the water that comes to the house, and for internal networks management companies are responsible. We have hotline, we accept all complaints and monitor the resolution of problems. Like the rest of the world, our water supplies are now decreasing. If seven years ago it was three million cubic meters of water, now it is two million. This happens for two reasons: an increase in the standard of living of the population and technical improvements that make it possible to reduce water losses.” |
Biomonitoring
Crayfish appeared in Vodokanal in 2005. Now there are about 60 of them living at the stations. Each of them is equipped with a reservoir, where water comes directly from the Neva. That is, animals monitor it even before cleaning. Cancers work more efficiently than any physical and chemical methods, since the toxicity of water is determined within two minutes. And they react not only to a standard set of pollutants, but also to completely new substances, which can protect the city in the event of a terrorist attack.
Special sensors are attached to the shells of crayfish that record their heart rate. The data is displayed on the monitor in the form of a traffic light, where green indicates a comfortable state, yellow indicates a restless state, and red indicates a critical state. An alarm is declared if three invertebrates light up red at once.
Each animal has its own medical card. Before entering a position, he is examined like an astronaut: they look at his reaction in a suspended state, assess the speed of transition to an excited state, and identify his temperament. Vodokanal hires only sanguine people - they react most quickly to environmental changes. Strict gender discrimination also operates here: only males are hired, because female crayfish are more nervous and cannot adequately assess the condition of the water. Perch and crucian carp swim next to the crayfish as live monitoring. But they are here more for beauty. It will take the fish several hours to react to changes in the composition of the water, and it is only possible to understand that there are dangerous impurities in the liquid if the crucian carp and perch die. |
Vodokanal only takes male sanguine Cancers. They are sensitive to their environment but not overly nervous
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Cleaning
Today, water treatment in St. Petersburg is one of the best in the country. This is the result of two innovations recent years: firstly, the water began to be treated with ultraviolet light, and secondly, chlorine was replaced with relatively harmless sodium hypochlorite. The last cylinder with chlorine, which is dangerous during transportation, was removed with ceremonies in 2009 from the Northern Waterworks.
The most modern block of Vodokanal - K-6 - processes about 350 thousand cubic meters of water, which goes to the Moscow, Frunzensky, Krasnoselsky districts. In the coming years, all stations in the city will be equipped with the same equipment. The entire work system in the new block is fully automated; two attendants monitor the cleaning through monitors. Water from the Neva, which has already been monitored by crayfish, is first saturated with ozone. With its help, the liquid is oxidized, which makes further purification more effective. Ozone is obtained from the air through special devices right here at the station. Then a coagulant is added to the water - aluminum sulfate, which promotes the formation of sediment from impurities. After this, the water flows into the mixing chambers. In the first, with slow rotation, the coagulant dissolves well, in the second, impurities float up - dirty white foamy formations, and in the third, the sediment is already grouped into flakes, as they are called in Vodokanal. |
The main innovations of Vodokanal - ultraviolet water treatment And replacing chlorine with sodium hypochlorite |
Block K-6, operating since 2010 at the Southern Waterworks
K-6 is the most modern unit that Vodokanal has
Following his example, all water treatment plants in the city will be re-equipped in the coming years.
Pipes through which water flows to the station after monitoring by crayfish
A hydraulic jump during which a coagulant is added to the water
Mixing chamber where water is separated from dirt flakes
Mixing chambers
Mixing chamber with flakes
Shelf settling tank where dirt flakes formed in water with the help of a coagulant stick
Shelf settling tank
Shelf settling tank
Sludge in shelf settling tank
Device for moving equipment
One of the stages of filtration through activated carbon and sand
Powdered coal removes odor and oil impurities
Ozone is obtained from the air through special devices
To remove unappetizing flakes from the water, the water is sent to settling tanks. These are huge plates on which sediment sticks while future drinking water flows away for further purification. All settled substances are sent for separate processing. They are dehydrated in a huge centrifuge, compacted, and buried at a landfill. Recently, Vodokanal has been trying to find sales points for sludge, since it can be used in the production of paving and ceramic tiles. |
Aqueous sediment from filters can be used in production paving and ceramic tiles
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Meanwhile, the water flows further and is filtered through activated carbon and sand, which are changed every four years. Powdered coal was introduced as a filtrate not very long ago - it removes the smell and impurities of petroleum products. By the way, the liquid for washing filters is not dumped into the Neva, but is also sent for cleaning.
Clean water tank
The water is tested in the laboratory several times a day
All settled substances are sent for separate processing
In a huge centrifuge, the sediment is dewatered, compacted and buried in a landfill.
Vodokanal is trying to find sales points for the sludge, since it can be used in the production of paving and ceramic tiles
UV camera
The water undergoes ultraviolet irradiation. These equipment rooms smell about the same as an ENT treatment room or a solarium.
Water undergoes ultraviolet irradiation
After filtration, reagents are loaded into the water: ammonium sulfate and sodium hypochlorite. We smell them when we draw water from the tap. Chlorine-containing substances are still used all over the world. They are needed so that the water retains its properties during transportation. Finally, the clean water enters the tanks, where it is disinfected using ultraviolet radiation. These equipment rooms smell about the same as an ENT treatment room or a solarium. After irradiation, the water is sent to people.
Safety
Employees of the Southern Waterworks drink tap water without worrying about their health. WITH treatment facilities The liquid leaves completely safe. It can become contaminated by rising through pipes in the buildings themselves. They are served not by Vodokanal, but by housing and communal services. Therefore, every city resident is recommended to carry out an examination and find out whether it is necessary to install additional filters on their home taps. When choosing a filter, you need to pay attention to its content. The functions of deep cleaning and softening are irrelevant for St. Petersburg: the water already lacks calcium and magnesium, which make it hard. The main thing the cleaner must deal with is the excess iron that accumulates in old pipes. |
Water at modern water supply stations undergoes multi-stage purification to remove solid impurities, fibers, colloidal suspensions, microorganisms, and to improve organoleptic properties. The highest quality result is achieved by a combination of two technologies: mechanical filtration and chemical treatment. Features of cleaning technologiesMechanical filtration. The first stage of water treatment allows you to remove visible solid and fibrous inclusions from the medium: sand, rust, etc. During mechanical treatment, water is successively passed through a series of filters with decreasing cell sizes. Chemical treatment. Technology is used to bring chemical composition And quality indicators water to normal. Depending on the initial characteristics of the medium, treatment may include several stages: settling, disinfection, coagulation, softening, clarification, aeration, demineralization, filtration. Methods of chemical water purification at waterworksAdvocacy At water supply stations, special tanks with an overflow mechanism are installed or reinforced concrete settling tanks are installed at a depth of 4–5 m. The speed of water movement inside the tank is maintained at a minimum level, and the upper layers flow faster than the lower ones. Under such conditions, heavy particles settle to the bottom of the tank and are removed from the system through drainage channels. On average, it takes 5–8 hours for water to settle. During this time, up to 70% of heavy impurities settle. Disinfection Purification technology is aimed at removing dangerous microorganisms from water. Disinfection installations are present in all of them without exception. water supply systems. Disinfection of water can be done by irradiation or the addition of chemicals. Despite the appearance modern technologies, the use of chlorine-based disinfectants is preferred. The reason for the popularity of the reagents is the good solubility of chlorine-containing compounds in water, the ability to remain active in a moving environment, and to have a disinfecting effect on the internal walls of the pipeline. Coagulation The technology allows you to remove dissolved impurities that are not captured by filter meshes. Polyoxychloride or aluminum sulfate and potassium-aluminum alum are used as coagulants for water. The reagents cause coagulation, that is, the sticking together of organic impurities, large protein molecules, and suspended plankton. Large heavy flakes form in the water, which precipitate, carrying with them organic suspensions and some microorganisms. To speed up the reaction, flocculants are used at treatment stations. Soft water is alkalized with soda or lime to quickly form flakes. Softening The content of calcium and magnesium compounds (hardness salts) in water is strictly regulated. To remove impurities, filters with cationic or anionic ion exchange resins are used. When water passes through the load, hardness ions are replaced by hydrogen or sodium, which is safe for human health and the plumbing system. The absorption capacity of the resin is restored backwash, but the capacity decreases each time. Due to the high cost of materials, this water softening technology is used mainly in local treatment plants. Lightening The technique is used to purify surface waters contaminated with fulvic acids, humic acids, and organic impurities. Liquid from such sources often has a characteristic color, taste, and greenish-brown tint. At the first stage, water is sent to the mixing chamber with the addition of a chemical coagulant and a chlorine-containing reagent. Chlorine destroys organic inclusions, and coagulants remove them into sediment. Aeration The technology is used to remove ferrous iron, manganese, and other oxidizing impurities from water. With pressure aeration, the liquid is bubbled with an air mixture. Oxygen dissolves in water, oxidizes gases and metal salts, removing them from the environment in the form of sediment or insoluble volatile substances. The aeration column is not completely filled with liquid. An air cushion above the surface of the water softens water hammer and increases the area of contact with air. Gravity aeration requires more simple equipment and is carried out in special shower facilities. Inside the chamber, water is sprayed through ejectors to increase the area of contact with air. If the iron content is high, aeration complexes can be supplemented with ozonizing equipment or filter cassettes. Demineralization The technology is used to prepare water in industrial water supply systems. Demineralization removes excess iron, calcium, sodium, copper, manganese and other cations and anions from the environment, increasing the service life of process pipelines and equipment. To purify water, reverse osmosis, electrodialysis, distillation or deionization technology is used. Filtration Water is filtered by passing through carbon filters, or charcoalization. The sorbent absorbs up to 95% of impurities, both chemical and biological. Until recently, pressed cartridges were used to filter water at waterworks, but their regeneration is a rather expensive process. Modern complexes include a powdered or granular coal charge, which is simply poured into a container. When mixed with water, coal actively removes impurities without changing its state of aggregation. The technology is cheaper but just as effective as block filters. Coal loading removes heavy metals, organics, and surfactants from the water. The technology can be used at treatment plants of any type. What quality of water does the consumer receive?Water becomes potable only after undergoing a full range of treatment measures. Then it goes to city communications for delivery to the consumer. It is necessary to take into account that even if the water parameters at treatment plants fully comply with sanitary and hygienic standards at the water collection points, its quality may be significantly lower. The reason is old, rusty communications. Water becomes contaminated as it passes through the pipeline. Therefore, the installation of additional filters in apartments, private houses and enterprises remains a pressing issue. Properly selected equipment ensures that water meets regulatory requirements and even makes it healthy. One of the main tasks of the enterprise is effective cleaning water obtained from natural surface sources in order to provide residents with high-quality drinking water. The classic technological scheme used at Moscow water treatment stations allows this task to be accomplished. However, the continuing trends of deterioration in the quality of water sources due to anthropogenic impact and tightening drinking water quality standards dictate the need to increase the degree of purification. With the beginning of the new millennium in Moscow, for the first time in Russia, in addition to the classical scheme, highly efficient innovative technologies for the preparation of drinking water of a new generation are being used. Projects of the 21st century are modern treatment plants, in which classical technology is supplemented with ozonation and sorption processes on activated carbon. Thanks to ozone sorption, water is better purified from chemical contaminants, unpleasant odors and tastes are eliminated, and additional disinfection occurs. Application innovative technologies eliminates the influence of seasonal changes in the quality of natural water, ensures reliable deodorization of drinking water, its guaranteed epidemic safety even in cases of emergency contamination of the water supply source. In total, about 50% of all treated water is prepared using new technologies. Along with the introduction of new methods of water purification, disinfection processes are being improved. In order to increase the reliability and safety of drinking water production by eliminating liquid chlorine from circulation, in 2012 the transition of all water treatment stations to a new reagent - sodium hypochlorite was completed. Due to the tightening state standard for maintenance in drinking water chloroform, targeted testing of disinfection regimes was carried out, as a result of which the concentration of chloroform in the Moscow tap water according to average data for 2018, it did not exceed 5 – 13 µg/l, with the standard being 60 µg/l. Technological schemes for the purification of artesian waters are individual for each facility, taking into account the characteristics of the water quality of the exploited aquifers and contain the following steps: deferrization; softening; water conditioning using carbon sorption filters; removal of impurities heavy metals; disinfection with sodium hypochlorite or using ultraviolet lamps. Today, in the Troitsky and Novomoskovsky administrative districts of Moscow, about half of the water intake units supply water that has undergone technological processing. The phased introduction of new technologies is carried out in accordance with the General Scheme for the development of the water supply system, which provides that the complete reconstruction of all water treatment facilities will make it possible to supply water of the highest quality to all residents of the Moscow metropolis. Utility services of Russian cities claim that the water that flows from our taps is absolutely safe and suitable for drinking. But is this really so? To understand what kind of water enters our apartments, let's track the entire path of its movement. Let's start with the fact that water for the needs of the urban population is taken mainly from open bodies of water: rivers, reservoirs, lakes. Less often from deep sources - artesian wells. Thus, residents of Moscow receive water from the Mozhaisk, Istra, Khimki and ten other reservoirs in the region, as well as from the Moscow and Volga rivers. For residents of St. Petersburg - from the Neva River. Rostovites - from the Don and Seversky Donets rivers. Residents of Voronezh mainly from artesian sources. Through water pumping stations The water enters special tanks where it undergoes several stages of purification. The very first is mechanical cleaning. A special filter grid purifies water from large contaminants: leaves and branches of trees, stones, fish, plastic bottles and other garbage. Then reagents are added to it, which bind small particles of pollution and form flakes, which subsequently settle to the bottom of the tank. After this, the water is filtered: it passes through a container with sand, and then through a gravity filter. Large particles of pollution, as well as small particles of high density, settle in it under the influence of gravity. The next stage of cleaning is disinfection. In most regions of Russia, water from bacteria and microorganisms is still purified using chlorine-containing substances. The only exceptions are Moscow and St. Petersburg, where ozone is used for disinfection. Small concentrations of chlorine are enough to kill up to 95% of bacteria in water. But since chlorine can accumulate in the body, regular consumption of such water causes significant harm to health (hyperlink to an article about the dangers of chlorine): it causes exacerbation of chronic diseases and the development of new diseases, including cancer. Ozonation of water is a healthier purification method, but it also has a number of disadvantages. If the concentration of ozone in water is not accurately selected, toxic oxidation products, phenols, as well as “assimilable organic carbon” are formed, which is easily absorbed by microorganisms and promotes their reproduction. Therefore, to improve water safety, ozonation should be used in combination with other disinfection methods: chlorination, ion exchange, etc. On at this stage The water purification is completed, but its journey to our apartments is not completed: the water flows through a pipeline system to the water tower, and from there to the houses. At the same time, it sometimes passes through kilometers of old, worn out and rusty pipes. Here secondary water pollution occurs with ferrous bacteria, hardness salts and heavy metals. According to official data, as of June 2016, the wear and tear of water supply networks in Russia amounted to 64.8%. In some regions, these figures are even higher: in the Penza region - 82%, in Pyatigorsk - 95%, in Arkhangelsk - 70%, in Nefteyugansk - 71%. Thus, more than half of Russia’s water mains are in emergency or pre-emergency condition, which leads to periodic leakage and mixing of water supply and sewer water, since water-bearing mains often pass next to sewer lines. Is chlorinated water dangerous?Chlorinated water is water that is disinfected from harmful bacteria and microorganisms using chlorine-containing substances. This is what flows from our taps and fills city swimming pools. Chlorine is cheap and convenient, but not the safest means of water purification. What exactly is chlorine useful for and why is it dangerous? Does it harm our health in the doses contained in tap water? Let's figure it out. Effect of chlorine on pathogenic organismsChlorine was first used as a disinfectant by Dr. Semmelweis in 1846. He used “chlorine water” to cleanse his hands before examining patients in the main hospital in Vienna. Chlorine began to be used to disinfect water at the end of the 19th century. With his help, in 1870 it was possible to stop the cholera epidemic in London, and later, in 1908, in Russia. In the first years after the discovery of the disinfecting properties of chlorine, it was used only when intestinal infections appeared, and only in those regions where outbreaks of diseases were noticed. But even then Leo Tolstoy advised drinking only chlorinated water. Soon they began to disinfect water with chlorine everywhere.
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