By Laurenn Canofari
Credit: North Shore News
Have you ever wondered how that unfiltered water from the Capilano river makes the journey into your morning glass of water? It is a lengthy, but very important process. Every day 1.8 billion litres pass through the Seymour-Capilano water filtration plant. It all starts at the Capilano river, then through pipe after pipe it makes its way into the water treatment plant. In the filtration plant, it is cleaned, and it shoots out into the pipes and then eventually into the water we drink (Water-Technology.net).
Here in BC, there are five main pollutants that contaminate our drinking water. Through the process of water filtration and treatment, these pollutants are exterminated. Turbidity is the most common pollutant; it occurs during heavy rainfall that triggers landslides and erosion of water banks. The next pollutant is waterborne parasites. In BC, we see giardia and cryptosporidium the most. These parasites are passed along through animals living in surface level waters, such as banks and rivers (Water-Technology.net).
You may even have pollutants in your home. Most old homes in Vancouver have copper piping systems. Copper piping systems can sometimes leach copper into your water systems that gets excreted through the taps in your home. The acidity formed from this process erodes the piping systems, which leads to the issue (Water-Technology. net)
Why do we have to filter our water?
Credit: EOCP
So, you may be wondering, why do we have to filter our water? Well, filtration helps to improve drinking water by removing turbidity and micro-organisms, and by reducing the amount of chlorine required to maintain water quality. We use ozone and UV to filtrate and clean out our water, and to eliminate chlorine within it. By doing this, we are helping our water be cleaner than ever! (Water-Technology.net)
Click here to view some DIY ways to filtrate your water at home.
About the Author:
Laurenn is a third-year student at Capilano University in North Vancouver enrolled in the Bachelor of Business Administration Degree program. She is currently a Research Assistant working on the Sewllkwe Book project, funded by Mitacs. She enjoys social media marketing, creative writing, and learning new skills.