Timeline of water treatment

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This is a timeline of water treatment.

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Time period Development summary More details

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Year Event type Details
2000 BC Sanskrit writings describe purification of foul water by boiling in copper vessels, exposure to sunlight, filtering through charcoal, and cooling in earthen vessels.[1]
470 BC Greek scientist Alcmaeon of Croton becomes the first Hellene doctor to

state that the quality of water may influence the health of people.[2] || Greece

400 BC Publication Greek physician Hippocrates publishes his treatise Airs, Waters, Places, which deals with the different sources, qualities and health effects of water.[2] Greece
98 AD Publication Sextus Julius Frontinus, water commissioner of Rome, writes the first engineering report on water supply and treatment.[1]
250 – 900 AD Treatment The Classic Mayans at Palenque use household water filters using locally abundant limestone carved into a porous cylinder, which work very similarly to modern ceramic water filters.[3] Mexico
1804 John Gibb, the owner of a bleachery in Paisley, Scotland, installs an experimental filter, selling his unwanted surplus to the public. This is the first documented use of sand filters to purify the water supply.[4][5] United Kingdom
1806 Treatment A large water treatment plant operates in Paris. The water settles for 12 hours, before being filtered. Filters consist of sand and charcoal, being both replaced every six hours.[6] France
1835 Scientists realize that adding chlorine to water in controlled portions can help alleviate foul odors.[7]
1879 Treatment William Soper uses chlorinated lime to treat the sewage produced by typhoid patients.[3]
1890 Scientists discover that chlorine is a great disinfectant for drinking water.[7]
1893 Treatment Early attempts at implementing water chlorination at a water treatment plant are made in Hamburg.[3] Germany
1896 An improved method of water filtration arises when American Louisville Water Company starts using coagulation, paired with rapid-sand filtration to successfully filter out 99% of bacteria, leaving water clear, crisp and healthier.[7] United States
1897 Treatment Maidstone in England becomes the first city to have its entire water supply treated with chlorine.[3] United Kingdom
1902 "By now, scientists understand that germs transmit illness, and that chlorinating drinking water could help kill bacteria. However, not all water systems were using chlorine successfully. In fact, Belgium was the first country to implement continuous chlorination."[7]
1903 "The technique of purification of drinking water by use of compressed liquefied chlorine gas was developed by a British officer in the Indian Medical Service, Vincent B. Nesfield, in 1903."[8]
1905 Serious typhid fever epidemic breaks out in Lincoln , England. Dr. Alexander Cruikshank Houston uses chlorination of the water to stem the epidemic. This marks the beginning of permanent water chlorination.[3] United Kingdom
1908 "The United States followed suit shortly after, implementing chlorination at Boonton reservoir in Jersey City. The courts deemed the right to chlorinate water a safeguard to public health, and so this paved the way for the rest of the nation’s drinking water supplies."[7]
1910 "The technique of purification of drinking water by use of compressed liquefied chlorine gas was developed in 1910 by U.S. Army Major (later Brig. Gen.) Carl Rogers Darnall (1867–1941), Professor of Chemistry at the Army Medical School."
1919 "Civil engineer Abel Wolman and chemist Linn H. Enslow of the Maryland Department of Health in Baltimore develop a rigorous scientific formula for the chlorination of urban water supplies. (In 1908 Jersey City Water Works, New Jersey, became the first facility to chlorinate, using sodium hypochlorite, but there was uncertainty as to the amount of chlorine to add and no regulation of standards.) To determine the correct dose, Wolman and Enslow analyze the bacteria, acidity, and factors related to taste and purity. Wolman overcomes strong opposition to convince local governments that adding the correct amounts of otherwise poisonous chemicals to the water supply is beneficial—and crucial—to public health. By the 1930s chlorination and filtration of public water supplies eliminates waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, hepatitis A, and dysentery. The formula is still used today by water treatment plants around the world."[9]
1912 – 1914 "The Public Health Service Act was passed, which authorized regular surveys and studies of water pollution. The act was aimed at discovering the dangers water could have on human health. In 1914, the act introduced the idea of maximum contaminant levels, but only for water supplies serving interstate transportation."[7]
1951 Policy Water fluoridation becomes an official policy of the United States Public Health Service. By 1960, water fluoridation would become widely used in the country, reaching about 50 million people.[3] United States
1953 Policy Water fluoridation is introduced in Brazil. By 2004 71% of the population would have access to it.[3] Brazil
1960s "Kuwait begins using seawater desalination technology

Kuwait is the first state in the Middle East to begin using seawater desalination technology, providing the dual benefits of fresh water and electric power. Kuwait produces fresh water from seawater with the technology known as multistage flash (MSF) evaporation. The MSF process begins with heating saltwater, which occurs as a byproduct of producing steam for generating electricity, and ends with condensing potable water. Between the heater and condenser stages are multiple evaporator-heat exchanger subunits, with heat supplied from the power plant external heat source. During repeated distillation cycles cold seawater is used as a heat sink in the condenser."[9] ||

1962 " the Public Health Service Drinking Water Standards Revision was passed in the United States, which set forth the minimum requirements that public water suppliers must meet."[7]
1972 "The Federal Water Pollution Control Act is amended by The Clean Water Act. This outlined specific guidelines for restoring and maintaining all bodies of surface water in the United States."[7]
1980s "Bardenpho process. James Barnard, a South African engineer, develops a wastewater treatment process that removes nitrates and phosphates from wastewater without the use of chemicals. Known as the Bardenpho process, it converts the nitrates in activated sludge into nitrogen gas, which is released into the air, removing a high percentage of suspended solids and organic material."[9]
1996 "UV Waterworks. Ashok Gadgil, a scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, invents an effective and inexpensive device for purifying water. UV Waterworks, a portable, low-maintenance, energy-efficient water purifier, uses ultraviolet light to render viruses and bacteria harmless. Operating with hand-pumped or hand-poured water, a single unit can disinfect 4 gallons of water a minute, enough to provide safe drinking water for up to 1,500 people, at a cost of only one cent for every 60 gallons of water—making safe drinking water economically feasible for populations in poor and rural areas all over the world."[9]

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Verma, Subhash; et al. Water Supply Engineering. Retrieved 10 August 2017. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 De Feo, Giovanni; Antoniou, George; Fardin, Hilal Franz; El-Gohary, Fatma; Zheng, Xiao Yun; Reklaityte, Ieva; Butler, David; Yannopoulos, Stavros; Angelakis, Andreas N. "The Historical Development of Sewers Worldwide". doi:10.3390/su6063936. Retrieved 22 August 2017. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Burke, Joseph. FLUORIDATED WATER CONTROVERSY. Retrieved 4 August 2017. 
  4. Filtration of water supplies (PDF), World Health Organization 
  5. Buchan, James. (2003). Crowded with genius: the Scottish enlightenment: Edinburgh's moment of the mind. New York: Harper Collins.
  6. "History of drinking water treatment". lenntech.com. Retrieved 7 August 2017. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 "Drinking Water History Milestones". aquariuswaterconditioning.com. Retrieved 8 August 2017. 
  8. V. B. Nesfield (1902). "A Chemical Method of Sterilizing Water Without Affecting its Potability". Public Health: 601–3. 
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 "Water Supply and Distribution Timeline". greatachievements.org. Retrieved 8 August 2017.