Severn Trent water is responsible for the
supply of clean drinking water to one of the largest areas of England
covering the Midlands and Gloucestershire, their borders extending from
Wales in the west to East Anglia in the east as well as Yorkshire and
Lancashire in the North and the Cotswolds in the south. Obviously clean
water becomes soiled with use and therefore Severn Trent deal with the
consequential sewerage and wastewater.
Water comes from different sources; underground springs are naturally
purified so need little disinfection. However river and reservoir water
needs several stages of treatment involving settlement, to remove any
solids, filtering through several stages and the removal of trace
impurities and a final treatment to meet an acceptable taste.
All water needs some form of treatment to meet today's incredibly high
standards for drinking water.
The water industry uses the most advanced techniques available -
including, dissolved air flotation, ion exchange, membrane filtration,
ozone and ultra-violet disinfection. After all this, there is a final
disinfection stage with chlorine. Tests are carried out daily by quality
inspectors who visit random homes.
Sewage is the name given to water after it has been used. Beside human
waste it will contain detergents from washing up, bathing, showering as
well as food, oils, even harmful chemicals.
All these have to be treated and the water cleaned before it can be
safely returned to rivers or streams.
Rainwater is also collected through gutters and down-pipes from
buildings and gutters and drains in the roads and returned to the
watercourses.
It is collected through underground sewers some so large that a double
decker bus could fit inside.
The sewage goes to a sewage treatment plant and follows a thorough and
comprehensive process laid down by the Government Environmental Agency
to ensure consistency throughout all regions of the country.
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