Metropolitan Water District of

          Salt Lake & Sandy

What is Aeration?

Remember our example of cutting a large piece of paper into smaller pieces to make it easier to remove?  Well,  if a big gust of wind came by and blew all of the small pieces of paper away, it would certainly make removing all those little pieces of paper even easier.

In water treatment, aeration (pronounced air-ation) is used to remove the organic molecules that have been broken into smaller pieces by the potassium permanganate we add to the water.  Instead of gusts of wind, blowers push air through diffusers that are lowered into the water.  The diffusers cause bubbles to form which push the organic molecules to the surface.  The aeration process can also remove gases which may be dissolved in the water, such as hydrogen sulfide (which smells like rotten eggs).  If the aeration system is working properly, the water at the end of the aeration basin should not have taste and odor problems.

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