Veolia Water deploys all the techniques necessary to ensure that the water we distribute complies with the requirements of quality standards.
Protecting health
National and international regulations have been established based on World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations to prevent the presence of undesirable microorganisms and chemicals in drinking water. Veolia Water considers the health of its customers to be an absolute priority and deploys the technologies necessary to produce and distribute water that meets those quality standards.
Stages in drinking water production
Water withdrawn from the natural environment is subjected to several types of treatments.
- Coarse and fine screening. The water is filtered first through a screen to catch the biggest particles, then through a fine-mesh sieve to trap smaller ones.
- Flocculation and settling. A coagulant is added to the water to cause the remaining waste—dust, dirt particles, etc.—to clump together. These flocculates sink to the bottom of the settling tank. Some 90% of suspended particles are eliminated in this way.
- Filtration. The water flows through a filter, fine sand bed and/or active carbon filter. Sand filtration eliminates matter still visible to the naked eye. Active carbon filters trap micro-pollutants such as pesticides. There are even more advanced filtration processes, such as membrane filtration.
- Ozonation. The water is disinfected using ozone, which has bactericidal and antiviral properties. Ozone mixed with water also acts on organic matter, breaking it into pieces, and improves the color and taste of water.
- Chlorination. Chlorine is added as the water leaves the production plant and at various points in the distribution network, to prevent the growth of bacteria and maintain the water's quality as it makes its way through the networks.
Guaranteeing good water to support health
Veolia Water has a policy of strictly monitoring the quality of the water we produce and distribute, in order to comply with and anticipate increasingly stringent standards.
Our integrated approach involves:
- More than two million analyses conducted each year worldwide.
- Field teams supported by an international network of experts.
- Certified, networked research laboratories.
- 800 experts and a hundred partnerships with the top laboratories and universities in the field of water.
- The ability to deal with emergencies and crisis situations.
- Regular comparisons of the analytical methods used in all of the water utilities operated by Veolia Water worldwide.
- ISO 9000 certification of operations.
Cutting-edge research on water quality and so-called emerging (not yet regulated) types of pollution.
