Water Treatment

Wastewater Treatment Process

Advanced or tertiary treatment means that wastewater undergoes three stages of treatment: primary, secondary and advanced treatment.

1. Primary treatment is a physical process removing debris, sand, heavy organic solids, and grease and oils.
2. Secondary treatment is a biological process referred to as "activated sludge" in which microorganisms convert ammonia-nitrogen to nitrogen gas through the process of nitrification/denitrification. Secondary clarification separates the microorganisms from the treated water and returns them to the biological process.
3. Advanced treatment is the process of filtering the clarified water in sand filters and disinfecting the water by ultraviolet (UV) light before the water is metered and returned to the Neuse River.