What went wrong at Austin's water treatment plants

[Javaman]

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/what-went-wrong-at-austin-s-water-treatment-plants/1542832109

ore specifically, its turbidity, which measures how light is impacted by particles in the water, is 100 times higher than normal.

Typically the turbidity in Austin’s water intake is measured at about four nephelometric turbidity units. Currently, it’s coming in at about 400 NTU.

>snip<

From inside her lab, Katz demonstrated how iron and lime compounds can be used to expand and clump together particles in the water.

Once big enough, the particles sink to the bottom of the jar and become what’s known as sludge. The clean water is then taken from the top and moved into the filtration process.

However, after pouring in enough sentiment to reach 400 NTU, Katz and her lab assistants struggled to find the right formula to create sludge.

“If all of a sudden you said, 'well here's a completely new water, and I'm going to give you 20 minutes to figure out what to do,' that would be a challenge, that's the analogy,” Katz said. “I would be like, ‘well I can start here, and then I can try it again, and maybe that's not enough, then I can try again,’and in a jar that's pretty easy.”

[BillyBobBrilliant]

1. It is probably resulting

from all of the rain and flooding that has occured in the last week(s). Turbidity in many cases is caused by suspended microfine clay particles. Those may be being washed into the Colorado river due t the weather. (I have been designing plumbing and water treatment systems for 40 years) but, it is just a guess.