Making water safe to drink
Before water reaches our taps it undergoes a thorough purification
process. Water is pumped, either from a municipal well, lake or river,
into a sedimentation tank, where sand, dirt and other impurities settle to
the bottom of the tank.
 The
suspended sediments in the water – those microscopic particles too
small to see – are treated with chemicals, causing them to sink to
the bottom.
Depending on the "hardness" of the water, a lime slurry may be added as
a water softener. The water may also pass through an activated carbon
filter to remove harmful chemicals and unpleasant odours, tastes and
colours. Sand filters then remove fine particles and other impurities
still in the water.
In the final stage, the water is disinfected, often with chlorine, to
destroy disease-causing bacteria still remaining in the water. At this
stage, some municipalities add fluoride.
Water is then pumped to reservoirs or directly into the municipal water
supply system and eventually into your home.
Communities which practise water conservation help ensure there will
always be a plentiful water supply for all users and will reduce treatment
costs at both ends of the cycle.
Getting the lead out
If your water pipes are made of lead or soldered with lead, run your
water for a few minutes in the morning, and again when you get home from
work. While this might seem contradictory, it does get the lead out. A
water-saving alternative to running your taps each morning is to fill the
kettle or coffee-maker at night, when the lead content in the water is
low. Rememeber to use water from the cold water tap for cooking. The
higher the temperature of the water coming out of the pipes, the higher
the lead content.
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