The coronavirus does not directly affect the wastewater treatment industry, although there have been some ripple effects; sewage clogs as a result of people flushing wipes and other items due to the shortage of toilet paper(1) and less demand at commercial and industrial sites(2).
As it relates to the virus itself, wastewater treatment plants face far more dangerous mixtures of bacteria. Its job is to sanitize the large amounts of waste entering the plant to the point where it can be released back into the environment or even consumed!
But how does this toxic waste become potable?
There are a series of treatment phases that all incoming flow or influent will be processed through in order to reach its final destination. In the final stages, ‘good’ bacteria are used to digest the remaining bacteria before it enters the chlorination phase.
To learn more about the wastewater process and how it keeps our environments safe and healthy please view the video here.
Please note: (While the design and process of this particular plant is different from what AUC Group offers it gives you a general idea of what happens beyond the drain. )
Contact us to learn more about AUC’s unique design.
References:
(1) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/21/us/flushable-wipes-clog.html
(2) https://www.globalwaterintel.com/news/2020/13/us-wastewater-utilities-face-12-5bn-covid-19-hit?utm_campaign=1716202_GWI%20Briefing%20-%2026th%20March&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Media%20Analytics%20Ltd%20T%2FA%20Global%20Water%20Intelligence&dm_i=36G3,10S8A,6TE7MV,3VTHZ,1
