Water treatment
The Big Bend Water District has an advanced water treatment facility designed to do one thing—provide drinking water that meets all Safe Drinking Water Act standards.
Water drawn from the Colorado River is sent to the Big Bend Water Treatment Facility. After it goes to a special tank for ozone, the water is treated with ozone to kill any potentially harmful microscopic organisms.
A multistage filtration system then is used to remove particles from the water, followed by an ultraviolet disinfection system.
Near the end of the treatment process, an additional disinfectant (sodium hypochlorite) is added to protect water on the way to customers' taps.
Water also is treated to minimize corrosion of lead and copper in the distribution system.
The Big Bend Water Treatment Process diagram depicts a multi-step process, where water drawn from Lake Mead is sent to and treated at the Big Bend Water District's advanced water treatment facility. Colorado River water is collected below Davis Dam. The water is treated and delivered to Laughlin businesses and residents. Water is pumped through the intake pumping station through a large diameter pipe and sent to the water treatment facility. Once it leaves the pump station, the first steps in the treatment process are adding aqueous ammonia and ozone for disinfection. High-purity oxygen is produced by removing nitrogen from the air. The oxygen gas then passes through ozone generators, where an electrical charge is applied to convert small parts of the oxygen into ozone. Next, the ozone-in-oxygen gas then goes to the ozone contactor. Following disinfection, water flows into mixers. There, ferric chloride is added to help bring the suspended particles together. In the flocculation basins, water is mixed to make the small particles coagulate in large clumps called "floc." The floc is so small it cannot be detected by the naked eye. The flocculated water then passes through filters where the particles are trapped and collected. The particulates are pumped into another sedimentation basin, or a thickener, which allows remaining water and particulates to further separate. All clear water is eventually returned to the beginning of the treatment cycle. After matter settles to the bottom of the thickeners, it is pumped to drying beds and spread out to dry in the desert sun, and then returned to the environment at a landfill. The dried material does not contain any environmentally damaging substances. Phosphoric acid is added for additional corrosion control to help maintain water quality through the water distribution system. Sodium Hypochlorite is added to protect water on the way to the customer's taps. Ultraviolet disinfection is used to secure water quality. From the filters, water flows into a large storage area called a clearwell. The water is ready to be distributed through the distribution to water users.
