A Day in the Life of a Water Purification EngineerBy Brandon Wells and J.P. Hainline

IntroductionDear Jake,

I understand that you are wonderinghow my job relates to the properties ofwater. I work for the New York CitySanitation Department as a water purification

engineer. I will try to answer any of your questions as

best as I can.

The BeginningAs soon as the water comes in

from the sewer system, it all flows to the main holding tank. A skimmer runs across the top of the to capture anything that is using surface tension to float, or is less dense than water.

Surface Tension- a property of liquids that makes it seem that the surface of the liquid is covered in skin like layers.

Density- the density of water is 1.0. Any substance with a density less than 1.0 will float on water. The opposite is also true.

The TransferWater then flows into a small pipe using

capillary action. From there it flows intoa container in a large glass room. Over the container is a slanted glass sheetthat leads to another container. The following process is a lot like the water cycle

with its use of evaporation and condensation. Also the water takes a while to evaporate because water has a high specific heat.

Capillary Action- the tendency of a liquid to rise in narrow tubes

Specific Heat- the amount of heat needed to heat 1 gram of a substance by 1 degree Celsius

Purification Most of the harmful things come out of thewater when it is evaporated onto the glass. It then runs into the holding tank next to the container. Since water is universal solvent, Many things would be dissolved inside. When the water evaporates, the solvent is left behind. It is piped to another room using cohesion and adhesion. This is done when the water sticks to another surface having the property polarity, like a pipe using adhesion and then leap frogs its self up the pipe using cohesion.

Polarity- property of a molecule that has sides that have opposite charges and aren’t balanced

Cohesion- water sticking to waterAdhesion- water sticking to other substances

The Final Stages Water flows through one final pipe and then through one final screen where itcascades into another large container. Here water beads together to make weak bonds called hydrogen bonds. Here iodine tablets are added into the water as a final disinfectant. From this tank the water is shipped out to your taps, cleaner than it has ever been. I hope that this explains everything you wanted to know about my job. On the next page there will be some fun facts about water.

Hydrogen Bonds- they form in-between each atom and molecule in water

Fun Facts About Water- Even though ice is solid water, it has a lower

density which allows it to float- Cohesion is what allows rain to fall in drops,

not molecules- The substance water, is made up of two

hydrogen atoms having a covalent bond with an oxygen atom

- Some animals have the ability to not break surface tension and “skate” on water

- Without fresh water on Earth, no land animal would survive

Fun Fact Pictures

A water spider using surface tension to “skate” on water. The shadows around the legs is where the surface tension is occurring.

An iceberg is less dense than water so it floats.

A water droplet using cohesion to stick together, and adhesion to stick to the leaf.

Work CitedAPEC. “EXPERIMENT I - Water Purification Through Water Cycle.” FREE DRINKING

WATER.COM. APEC, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/

water_quality/experiment1-purification-watercycle.htm>.

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2011. <http://www.brainbasedbusiness.com/2007/04/

don_imus_is_mere_tip_of_iceber.html>.

“Drops of Water on Glass.” Fine Art America. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.

<http://fineartamerica.com/featured/drops-of-water-on-glass-todd-gipstein.html>.

“Fishing Spiders (dolomedes).” Buck Shot Image Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.

<http://buckshotsimageblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/fishing-spiders-dolomedes.html>.

“Paper Chromatography: Advanced Version 1.” Science Buddies. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2011.

<http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/Chem_p009.shtml>.

“Travel Wallpapers.” Travel Wallpapers. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

<http://www.getintravel.com/wallpaper/new-york-skyline-wallpaper/>.

“Ultrafiltration System Water Treatment Equipment (WTUF-5000).” Made in China.com. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://wzhengtong.en.made-in-china.com/product/

EeznZNVbhgkJ/China-Ultrafiltration-System-Water-Treatment-Equipment-WTUF-

5000-.html>.

“Water Treatment, The BWW Process to Deliver Great-Tasting Water.” Birmingham Water

Works... for You! N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2011.

<http://www.birminghamwaterworks.com/

index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=93&Itemid=129>.

Some pictures from “clip art”