You’ve built a new cabin with brand new solar panels on the roof in the Wasatch
ID: 1732639 • Letter: Y
Question
You’ve built a new cabin with brand new solar panels on the roof in the Wasatch mountains for summer hiking and fishing. The site has a well for a water supply and when you pumped water from the well you noticed an orange color, a slightly sulfurous smell, an odd sheen on the surface, and a fair bit of deer droppings around the well opening. Pondering this and feeling a little queasy, you popped a Tums into your mouth and accidentally dropped another one into your water sample, whereupon it started to fizz. Sadly, this is the only water supply for miles. Being an engineering student you think to yourself ? "I’ve got this!".
a) Describe a treatment system for your cabin. Explain how your idea will cure everything you think is wrong with the well.
b) What information will you need to design the process(es) you’ll use.
c) What equipment might you need that you wouldn’t typically bring to a cabin in order to solve this problem.
Explanation / Answer
For wells, the best treatment option is pretreatment. All installed systems and parts should be disinfected to prevent infiltration of bacteria to the system.
Treatment methods include phosphate compounds, ion exchange water softeners, chemical oxidation or aeration and filtration, flushing of a system, and disinfection with chlorine.
FOLLOWING ARE METHODS
Water Purification Method 1: Boiling
boiling water as it kills all pathogens. What is important to remember is that altitude affects the boiling point of water. At sea level, the boiling point of water is 2120F. However, the higher you go, the lower the boiling point of water. Keep in mind that at 1600F you need to boil water for at least 30 minutes
Although boiling is a great way to kill microorganisms, it is by no means a reliable way to take out particulate matters and impurities.
Water Purification Method 2: Iodine Treatment
Iodine treatment is a common way to chemically treat water. Compared to chlorine-based techniques, iodine is better at stopping Giardia (a common cause of intestinal problems).
Add 5 drops of liquid 2% iodine for every quart of water. But if the water is cloudy, you can add as much as 10 drops. For iodine crystals and tablets, simply follow manufacturer.
Not recommended for – pregnant or lactating moms, people over 50, and people with thyroid problems. Use chlorine treatment instead.
Water Purification Method 3: Filtration
Filtration method is another water purification method you can do when camping. As the name implies, the basic idea is to let water pass through a membrane to get rid of unwanted particulates and even microorganisms.
Water Purification Method 4: Solar Distillation
This method uses the heat of the sun to evaporate water. Then using a film or plastic sheet, the water vapor condenses and you simply collect it. This method is actually slow but when in dire situations, even the smallest amount of water matters a lot.
Make sure your containers and materials are clean. Sanitize them before purifying the water. Otherwise, your effort will be futile.
INFORMATION REQUIRED
water demand
contaminant concentration
types of concentration
suitability
or WE CAN CARRY NON-ELECTRIC WATER PURIFIER OR REVERSE OSMOSIS WATER PURIFIER DEVICE TO TREAT WATER DIRECTLY.
Related Questions
Navigate
Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.