Can VillageWater be used to purify muddy surface water?
Surface water is sometimes muddy if the soil has a high clay content. This can be the case during the rainy season in some countries. There are two methods which have been successfully used to reduce the turbidity of the water to less than 5 NTU to enable purification with the VillageWater system. One approach is to use a settling tank of sufficient capacity to settle the suspended solids from the surface water prior to purification with the VillageWater system. To use the method, fill the settling tank with the muddy surface water, then mix in a small amount of NSF approved clarifier, typically 25 to 50 mg of clarifier per liter of water in the settling tank, in accordance with the clarifier manufacturer’s instructions. Allow the water in the settling tank to settle for 16 to 24 hours before pumping it into the VillageWater system. Using this approach, two settling tanks are typically needed since the suspended Solids in one settling tank are settling while the clarified water in the
