Our Water Treatment Process
Our Forest Park Water (FPW) treatment plant is among the finest "state-of-the-art" facilities in the United States. Its most notable feature is the use of a "microfiltration" process that uses membranes, the filtration technology of the future. In 2007 FPW became one of the first and largest plants to complete a complex conversion from traditional media filters (anthracite/sand) to technologically advanced membrane filtration. Membranes provide a more effective barrier against the passage of potentially harmful pathogens (such as cryptosporidium and giardia) by achieving greater removal efficiencies of microscopic particles. In addition, membrane performance is unaffected by certain conditions that might otherwise negatively affect the quality of water producted by traditional filtration.
In addition to the robust physical barrier provided by membranes, ozone has been used since 1994 to provide a potent disinfection barrier. Although the use of ozone has become more prevalent in the United States, it remains an advanced treatment tool benefiting only a small percentage of public water suppliers.
While the production of safe water is our highest priority, we are equally committed to producing water that is pleasing to the senses.
FPW is equipped with special treatment processes that effectively prevent objectionable tastes and odors from persisting through the treatment process and eventually reaching our customers' taps. The aesthetic quality of the water is enhanced by ozonation followed by flow through Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) media filtration resulting in naturally occurring organic compounds being destroyed by ozone oxidation and removed by carbon adsoprtion. Other benefits of this two-stage treatment include: chemical pollutant removal/destruction, reduction of undesirable disinfection byproducts, manganese removal and improved clarity.
This treatment process ensures that customers of the NWWA are receiving the finest quality drinking water available today from any surface water treatment plant in the United States.
Cilck here to download a copy of the Forest Park Water brochure.