Water - from Nature to the Tap
The natural features of water
Water is a product of the land. As it passes through the natural environment, it becomes enriched with trace elements and mineral salts.
The amount of chemical compounds it contains along with how it tastes will vary according to the properties of the rocks and soil which it permeates and passes through.
To varying degrees, water will therefore be hard or soft (i.e. contain varying amounts of mineral salts, some of which may form scale deposits), be fluoridated and rich in magnesium. Water can be treated to "rectify" a possible natural imbalance.
Furthermore, whether we are talking about groundwater or surface water, water resources have to be protected against the various types of pollution that threaten it. Most of this pollution is a result of human activity, primarily in industry or agriculture.
Stages in water production
Abstracting Water
Water for human consumption comes from underground (aquifers) or from surface waters (waterways, lakes). Boreholes are used to pump the water or it is abstracted directly from the surface.
Treating Water
Water has to undergo several treatment processes in water treatment plants such as clarification, filtration, disinfection and chlorination in order to be safe to drink and to comply with current quality standards.
Storing Water
In order to be able to supply customers with water, it first has to pass through a strictly monitored network of water mains and is then stored in underground or semi-underground reservoirs.
Diagrams
Water treatment cycle
After water has been abstracted, it undergoes several types of treatment in order to make it safe to drink.
What happens to wastewater
Wastewater
By simply releasing wastewater back into the natural environment, waterways all the way to river mouths are then under serious risk of becoming contaminated. This may then lead to environmental as well as public health problems.
That is the reason why Veolia Water has built on its proven expertise in the field of wastewater treatment, whether in the design-build of wastewater treatment plants or the technical treatment solutions that they use. Calling upon physical, physico-chemial and biological procedures, this treatment process is essential in order to prevent the quality of the water in waterways and aquifers from deteriorating.
Treated water therefore passes through clarification tanks in order that mineral matter or suspended organic matter can settle at the bottom of the tank and be removed. Wastewater treatment plants also use bacteria to break down and thereby remove organic matter. Once treated, water can then be released back into nature.
The wastewater process leads to the production of sewage sludge, whose treatment, removal or recycling require multi-process solutions developed by Veolia Water.
Recycling
While the wastewater treatment process means wastewater can be released back, risk-free, into the natural environment, recycling aims to give "new life" to the resource. The water to be recycled then has to pass through additional treatment stages which enable it to be reclaimed. On leaving the treatment plant, it will be of good enough quality that it can be used for various other purposes.