Treatment Process

At the Mourning Dove facility, Titusville's drinking water treatment plant, raw water from the wellfields enters one of two clarifiers (treatment units). Once in the circular clarifier, lime and a coagulant are vigorously mixed with the water to reduce hardness and remove any suspended solids. The water exits the clarifiers via a channel where it is injected first with chlorine for disinfection, then carbon dioxide (CO2) to stabilize pH, then fluoride to promote dental health; and finally ammonia.

Chloramines 

The ammonia combines with the chlorine to form chloramines. Chloramines are long-lasting disinfectants that do not adversely affect the water’s taste and odor. The newly treated water moves through the channel to one of eight sand filters. The treated water passes through the rapid sand filters to polish the water and remove any remaining impurities.

Storage

After treatment, the processed water is stored. The first storage units are clear wells. The clear wells hold a combined total of 750,000 gallons of water. From the clear wells, the treated water is pumped to one of three above-ground storage tanks that hold a combined total of three million gallons of water. From the storage tanks, water is pumped into the transmission and distribution system and out to our customer’s homes and businesses.