4 Things You Didn’t Know About the Wastewater Industry

At first blush, the wastewater treatment industry appears fairly straightforward. They are the ones who purify the water we use in our everyday lives, while we flush it down the drain without a second thought. This other side of our water world, however, is much more fascinating than what meets the eye.  Here are four curious facts about them to get started:

Fact #1: They Help Alleviate Drought in Local Areas

Did you know that wastewater can be used again for other purposes? Some plants in the wastewater treatment industry do just that. These plants provide recycled water in designated on-site reservoirs and provide it to local residents at an affordable price. At most plants, it’s free. This practice has become increasingly popular since 2015 and came particularly helpful in California and other areas with prolonged drought conditions. This recycled water is not to be used for consumption, of course. Recycled water is only allowed to be applied in lawn care, toilet flushing in public restrooms, and other indirect applications that use particularly large amounts of water.

Fact #2: Wire Mesh is Essential for Business Operations

During wastewater processing at the plant, many types of wire mesh are used for different stages. In a broad example, sediment and larger particles in the water are filtered out with coarse mesh in a grit chamber, and again with finer mesh. Some pollutants in the water can be removed only by ultra fine mesh types that capture particles as small as 20 microns in size. Newark Wire Cloth specializes in manufacturing these spectrums of wire cloth for such applications.

Fact #3: Shutting Down is Not an Option

When the need for repair or troubleshooting arises at industrial wastewater treatment systems, pulling the plug would do a lot more harm than good. Even a momentary stop of the processing flow at a wastewater plant would significantly back up into public water sources. This means that the wastewater plant is always running 24 hours each day, no matter what happens. If there’s a leak, something breaks, or toxic material flows in, plant workers quickly address the problem by other means.

Fact #4: Wastewater Plants Produce Some of the Best Fertilizer

Most people probably wouldn’t guess that the solid waste they flush down the toilet is great for crops. That’s what the wastewater treatment industry figured out while separating the organic solids in everyday wastewater processing. It quite literally justifies the common saying, “One’s trash is another’s treasure.” These compounds are rich in nitrates and other nutrients that many types of growing plants feast on, though current U.S. regulations only allow wastewater treatment industrial facilities to sell them as fertilizer for lawns and non-edible crops.

The Lifecycle of Water

Many more interesting things happen at wastewater treatment industrial facilities, and for the most part, they add up to a single important hallmark – the water we use is never truly wasted, but rather part of nature’s continuous cycle. With this in mind, wastewater treatment plants can:

• Help provide relief during periods of drought in local areas
• Use different kinds of wire mesh for various purposes
• Never afford to shut down, since their primary job is to ‘keep things moving,’
• Provide some of the best fertilizer in town

If you’re in need of quality wire mesh cloth products for wastewater treatment industry applications, contact Newark Wire Cloth for details. Our products meet or exceed industry requirements and fit many types of equipment. Custom fit is also available.