Brackish Water Treatment for Rural Water Supplies in Iraq

摘要

In support of the U.S. government's reconstruction effort in Iraq, the Iraq Rural Water Reconstruction Program (the rural water program) seeks to find cost-effective, sustainable solutions for providing potable water in rural areas. The rural water program will install 71 potable water systems in rural communities of fewer than 5,000 people, resulting in the provision of 35-liters of potable water per person each day. Many of these communities are small and remote. Surface water from the Tigris and Euphrates river systems supplies water to about half of Iraq's land area including rural areas. The quality of untreated water throughout rural areas varies widely but generally is poor. Heavy mineralization, suspended solids and frequent high salinity characterize Iraq's water supply. The rural water program utilizes chlorination, compact filtration units, and/or reverse osmosis desalination to purify the local surface water source. Conventional water treatment systems include coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, and filtration. In compact units, the same steps are combined in one treatment train. These units, including the control system, is pre-designed, assembled at the factory, skid mounted, and transported fully assembled to the site. At the site, the treatment unit requires only piping and electrical connections to complete the installation. Waters with TDS higher than 1,000 mg/l and less than 10,000 mg/l are frequently treated as brackish water. Most of the water in Iraq is considered brackish, and expensive desalination equipment will be required.