Clean Water Safe Water

摘要

Outbreaks of E-coli and Cryptosporidium across Canada have sparked public concerns over the safety of drinking water supplies. Reg-ulatory agencies have reacted by imposing more stringent standards, and communities are upgrading their treatment plants to meet those standards. In this environment, membrane technology is rapidly gaining popularity for plant upgrades. It provides a consistently high quality output regardless of the feed-water variability, and it is a near absolute barrier against waterborne pathogens. The technology also has a high production capacity but occupies a small footprint, and it can be expanded in modules. Before consulting engineers and their clients jump on the membrane bandwagon, however, it is important to conduct a thorough review of an existing water treatment system to evaluate the viability of membrane technology. Following are key areas that should be addressed.