What do municipal and commercial organizations need to know about water filtration?
From understanding water quality standards to defining the types of contaminants in a water supply, you’ll find plenty of factors that will help you determine which filter system is right for your unique application.
O&M Solutions is your go-to choice for water and wastewater management in the New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York areas. Get in touch today to learn more about our services.
Let’s dive into water filtration systems for municipal and commercial clients to help your team make a more informed buying decision.
Understanding Water Contaminants
While many commercial and municipal facilities utilize water filtration, not many understand what these types of filtration systems do for their water safety.
These systems play an essential role in mitigating the risk of contaminants. These contaminants come in many different forms and pose different risks.
Let’s explore those now:
Chemical contaminants: these can include organic compounds such as pesticides and herbicides or inorganic compounds like chlorine and fluoride.
Heavy metals: originating from various sources, heavy metals like lead, mercury, arsenic and chromium pose a significant threat to the environment and human health.
Microorganisms: this category includes bacteria, viruses, algae and fungi. These microorganisms often enter the water through fecal contamination.
Particulates: these small particles found in water are pieces of solid matter. This could be sand, silt, rust, or other compounds.
As you might imagine, these contaminants pose significant public health risks.
Ingesting or coming into contact with contaminated water often leads to serious health issues. This can range from mild ailments like skin rashes to more serious disorders like gastrointestinal disease or fatal poisoning.
Contaminated water also poses environmental risks.
Since contaminated water usually makes its way into public water bodies, it can harm and disrupt ecosystems. Over time, this can lead to catastrophic biodiversity loss, among many other consequences.
Water filtration systems are just one way to help mitigate these risks.
Combined with other water treatment processes, water filtration plays an essential role in keeping businesses and communities safe.
Types of Water Filtration Systems
Now that we have an understanding of the contaminant risks, how do filtration systems clean water?
Well, you’ll find many different types of water filtration systems, each with its own unique method of removing or eliminating contaminants. Moreover, filtration technology is always advancing, so new filtration systems hit the market every so often.
To help you understand your options, here are some common types of water filtration systems:
Activated carbon filters use a bed of activated carbon to remove contaminants through a chemical absorption method.
Reverse osmosis (RO) systems work by forcing water through a semipermeable membrane. This separates the contaminants.
Ultraviolet (UV) filters use UV light to kill, or at least render harmless, bacteria and viruses in the water.
Of course, advantages and disadvantages exist between these popular filtration systems.
Activated carbon filters are effective at removing organic compounds and other materials but struggle to effectively remove heavy metals and bacteria.
When it comes to RO systems, they tend to be highly flexible, coming in various sizes and installation types, like under-the-sink filtration. Unfortunately, they require high water pressure to operate and need consistent filter maintenance.
Lastly, UV filters are incredibly effective at disinfecting water without chemicals but fail to remove chemical contaminants.
When considering your options, talk with a water management service to understand which choice is right for your business or organization.
Water Filtration for Municipal and Commercial Clients
Water filtration needs are unique to the application. This means that both municipal and commercial clients may approach filtration in different ways and leverage different types of filtration systems.
To help you gain a clear perspective on what these challenges might look like, let’s take a detailed look at specific needs for both municipal and commercial campuses.
Municipal Clients
When it comes to which filtration system is right for a municipal campus, there are a few specific needs to understand.
First, different water sources affect filtration. A municipal client may be pulling water from ground sources, surface water, or reclaimed water; each will help determine the right filter type.
Water demands might differ too.
The volume of water municipalities need will present logistical challenges for filtration. Lastly, these organizations must abide by strict local and federal water regulations, like the Clean Water Act (CWA).
Commercial Clients
The water quality needs of an industrial chemical manufacturer are much different than the needs of a packaged food facility. This means that the water management service will need to make a determination based on several key factors.
One important factor is industry type.
Contaminant concerns will vary across different industries. For instance, a manufacturing facility might need to filter out heavy metals or industrial chemicals, while a farm or other agricultural business might focus on limiting the risk of microbial contaminants.
Selecting the Right Water Filtration System
With all this information, it can feel intimidating to pick the right filtration system.
To help you make an informed decision, here are a few factors to consider:
Water quality: always opt for detailed water testing to determine the nature and extent of your water supply’s contamination levels.
Volume: knowing how much water you’ll need filtered is just as important as the types of contaminants in your supply.
Budget: different filter systems will vary in cost, both upfront and ongoing. Always work with your filter provider to understand installation, operating, and maintenance costs.
Compliance: Some areas have stricter water regulations than others. Ensure your system is compliant.
When searching for a partner to help you develop a robust and reliable water filtration system for your organization, always look for companies with a proven track record for installing and maintaining filtration systems.
Search through customer reviews and certifications to learn more about a company's reputation and understand how they approach strict regulatory frameworks.
Lastly, ensure that you’ll get the support you need.
While a water filtration system may not be as complex as a water treatment facility, you still need ongoing support to keep your system up and running. So, always be on the lookout for how a company delivers this kind of support after the initial sale and installation.
O&M Solutions: Your Partner in Water and Wastewater Management
Municipal and commercial water filtration systems may seem very similar, but they often differ based on the specific application needed and water purity demands.
Clients have several options when it comes to filtration systems, from UV-based solutions to activated charcoal filters. But which one is right for your business or organization?
If you're looking for a partner to help you with your water management needs, look no further than O&M Solutions. Our goal is to help clients in both the public and private sectors with operations and management solutions for both water and wastewater treatment.
Are you looking to get started with your filtration project? Connect with the O&M Solutions team today.