Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 16.3
Common water contamination problems (adapted from Daniels and
Mesner, 2005)
Contaminant or
problem
Possible cause of
problem
Solutions
The following pollutants are health hazards and must be treated for the
safety of your family. If you cannot successfully remove these
pollutants, you should fi nd an alternative source of water
Arsenic
Naturally occurring in
water in some areas
Reverse osmosis, ion
exchange
Bacteria
Well not sealed;
sewage, manure or
surface runoff
Remove source of bacteria;
chlorination; ozonation;
UV disinfection
Lead
Corrosive water, lead
pipes or lead solder
Replace plumbing, reverse
osmosis, anion exchange
(water softener)
Nitrate
Well not sealed; faulty
septic system;
animal waste;
fertilizers
Remove source of nitrate;
distillation; reverse
osmosis; anion exchange
(water softener)
Pesticides and
organic
chemicals
Activated carbon fi lter;
reverse osmosis;
distillation
The contaminants below are not health hazards, but you may choose to
treat because of aesthetic reasons
Bad odour,
colour, taste
Use of pesticides,
chemicals near
water source
Variety of sources
Ion exchange; activated
carbon fi lter; chlorination
Cloudy or dirty
water
Fine sand, clay, or
other particles
Mechanical fi lter
Hardness
Naturally occuring
minerals in water
Ion exchange (water
softener)
Rotten eggs
odour
Hydrogen sulphfi de
gas
Chlorination and activated
carbon fi lter
Staining of sink
and/or laundry
from iron or
manganese
Naturally occurring in
water, especially
deep wells
Ion exchange or green
sand fi lters (0-10 ppm);
chlorination and fi ltration
(if over 10 ppm)
as managing the water at the 'point-of-use'. This term or its abbreviation
'POU' typically describes the same procedures as other abbreviations
derived from household water treatment, like 'HHWT' or 'HWT' or
'HWTS'. (The 'S' in 'HWTS' refers to safe storage.) 'Household water
management' is also commonly used, and can encompass both treatment
and storage. All these terms can refer to a variety of treatment procedures,
for example, with chlorine or other chemical disinfectants, sunlight or UV
lamps, various fi lters, or fl occulation-disinfection formulations (WHO,
2007).
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