Wastewater Treatment: The Story Behind the Headlines

The word “contamination” is quite dramatic, and there always seem to be new reports of water contamination on the news. What most people don’t know is that most drinking water contains at least some trace elements that would be harmful in large doses. The vast majority of the time these elements pass through our bodies without causing any problems. However, when chemical spills and runoff do effect drinking water supplies, companies like AWWT team up with municipal governments to ensure the problem is mitigated before causing any damage.

Contamination: What you need to know

Coal processing plants, fracking operations, fertilizer runoff, and factory production can all cause drinking water contamination. When the wastewater from these operations is not quickly quarantined or filtered out, it can leak into the reservoirs that we rely on for drinking water. Lead, mercury, vanadium and even arsenic are all common byproducts from power plants, for example, and can cause health problems like infertility and cancer. It’s these dire warnings we hear about on the news. Rarely, however, does the public hear about the cutting-edge technologies being used to ensure that industrial accidents don’t affect the water supply.

North Carolina Coal Ash Spill: The Story behind the Story

A recent incident of drinking water contamination occurred in Eden, NC, in early 2014 when a poorly-maintained pipe caused an enormous wave of coal ash wastewater to spill directly from the Duke Energy plant into the Dan River, which flows twenty miles downstream to provide drinking water to the town of Danville, NC. According to the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, the leak was open for over four days, flooding the river with 25 to 27 million gallons of grey wastewater — enough to fill nearly 30 Olympic-sized pools — and a staggering 80 thousand tons of coal ash, full of lead, chromium and arsenic. Despite the jaw-dropping quantity of contaminants released into the river, Danville’s Public Water Works was able to filter out the harmful contaminants. While it’s true that the river itself still contains ash sediment, and wildlife populations were negatively affected, the story behind the story is the efficiency of Danville’s wastewater treatment operations in dealing with the third worst spill of its kind.

What can be done?

Strong preventative measures always trump cleanup abilities. The quick response in Danville is a testament to the power of preparedness, and that’s exactly what Advanced Waste & Water Technology, Inc. provides. While plant operators are expected to stay up-to-date with the latest waste disposal strategies, accidents can and will happen in the future. Our services include cutting-edge electrocoagulation, as well as risk assessment, water treatment, and continued waste management. Visit our homepage to find out more and request a free assessment today.