The public health issues associated with water typically focus on drinking water. Clean freshwater is needed by humans for personal hygiene, irrigation, industry, and recreation. We bathe in it, brush our teeth with it, swim and fish in it, use it to make crops grow, and to cool industrial reactors. The water treatment facility is one of the facilities responsible for the treatment of water before distributing out to the community to avoid illness. As part of the treatment process, drinking water may be disinfected to reduce microbial contamination. Water is also used in the food industry to help nourish the plants and for the animals to drink which we eat from. Since the plants and animals that many humans and other animals eat also depend upon water, a lack of treated water could lead to starvation as well as dehydration. The Tampa Water Works Facility provides a well developed system where the water goes through many processes before distributing it to the community. We had the opportunity to take a private tour in the Tampa bay Water facility where we observed the precautions and processes that they must take to make sure the water is clean and disinfected.
We chose to place the “This is Public Health” sticker at the Tampa Water Works Facility because water is something we all need to live and in class we discussed the importance of clean water and how it is Public Health’s responsibility. Fortunately for us, one of our group member's dads conveniently works at the Tampa Water Works Facility, we then asked if it would be alright to stop by and he said it would be no problem. When we arrived he had us go through the security protocols which then we were treated with a tour of the water plant. He showed us where the river water first comes into the plant, with all the muck, and then explained where it gets shipped to the other treatment facility which is located down the road from the actual plant. That is where they actually filter it and send it back to the main plant where it comes back clear. The water is then treated with the various chemicals to sustain the water's cleanliness for us to drink.
BY: Nikole, Pranam, Noel and Brigitte
We chose to place the “This is Public Health” sticker at the Tampa Water Works Facility because water is something we all need to live and in class we discussed the importance of clean water and how it is Public Health’s responsibility. Fortunately for us, one of our group member's dads conveniently works at the Tampa Water Works Facility, we then asked if it would be alright to stop by and he said it would be no problem. When we arrived he had us go through the security protocols which then we were treated with a tour of the water plant. He showed us where the river water first comes into the plant, with all the muck, and then explained where it gets shipped to the other treatment facility which is located down the road from the actual plant. That is where they actually filter it and send it back to the main plant where it comes back clear. The water is then treated with the various chemicals to sustain the water's cleanliness for us to drink.
BY: Nikole, Pranam, Noel and Brigitte
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ReplyDeleteWhenever people drink water I think they forget the process water goes through so it is healthy and clean for us to drink. I think that you all got to tour the water plant is really cool and you got to see first hand the process of filtering water. This Public Health issue brings awareness to people with the hopes that they won't litter and polute our water, no matter what type wheter it is the rivers, oceans, or lakes. It is so good that we have such a good water system and company that can filter water and distribute it throughout the community and provides us with safe drinking water. Thanks for reminding us of this public health issue.
ReplyDeleteI like your post a lot. I've taken a tour of the water treatment facility in Orange County many times since my mom works there. The plant she works at is the wastewater treatment plant. Did you know the water that is treated and cleaned is actually cleaner than the water we drink? It's just hard to wrap your head around water that came from toilets, and showers and the sewer is cleaner, but it is an important problem because of all the water on Earth, only 2-3% of it is freshwater. Their process is pretty similar, instead of muck from a pond, the stuff they get is called sludge, and from there when the water is separated from the sludge, it is treated thoroughly and then sent back as irrigation water.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your blog. I have never taken a tour of this or any water treatment plant. However, it doesnt take a tour to see the importance of water treatment in our communities. It is hard to imagine what we take for granted every day, especially the fact that we waste gallons of clean filtered water in our toilets and showers as well. If not for the plants filtration system and water treatment, we would be using public dirty, unsanitary water. I find it truly amazing the processes the water treatment plant puts the recycled water through. It is really reassuring that we have little to worry of our water being contaminated, and that the rigourous treatments ie chemicals , sand filtration and other treatments get rid of would be germs that would make us deathly ill.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very insightful blog! With out the rigorous guidelines and tests derived by early public health officials, clean drinking water may have never became the standard of today. In history epidemic have spread through faulty water treatment. For example, in 1854, the British scientist John Snow found the cholera disease was spread through the contamination of public drinking water. We are undoubtedly privileged to have access to the clean water many take for granted everyday!
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