Bare Point water treatment plant
Encyclopedia
The Bare Point Water Treatment Plant is the primary water filtration plant in the city of Thunder Bay
, Ontario
, drawing 113.6 million litres (25 million gallons) from Lake Superior
per day. The plant uses a Zeeweed 1000 Version 3 Ultra-Filtration system, the first of its kind in the world, which reduces the need for harmful chemicals. The Zeeweed system uses long thin straws that suck up water then force it through the small holes of a membrane
to filter out particles.
The Bare Point plant is located on the shore of Thunder Bay
, at the northeastern corner of Thunder Bay's city limits, accessible off Lakeshore Drive. It was first constructed in 1903 and expanded in 1978 and again in 2007 to its current capacity. The plant's treatment method uses pre-chlorination
, then coagulation
-flocculation
followed by membrane ultrafiltration
and post chlorine disinfection
.
Thunder Bay
-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, drawing 113.6 million litres (25 million gallons) from Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
per day. The plant uses a Zeeweed 1000 Version 3 Ultra-Filtration system, the first of its kind in the world, which reduces the need for harmful chemicals. The Zeeweed system uses long thin straws that suck up water then force it through the small holes of a membrane
Membrane (selective barrier)
A membrane is a layer of material which serves as a selective barrier between two phases and remains impermeable to specific particles, molecules, or substances when exposed to the action of a driving force...
to filter out particles.
The Bare Point plant is located on the shore of Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay (Ontario)
Thunder Bay is a large bay on the north shore of Lake Superior. The bay is about 50 km long and 22 km wide. It is bordered to the east by the Sibley Peninsula at the southern tip of which is Thunder Cape, marking the entrance to the bay for ships approaching from the east...
, at the northeastern corner of Thunder Bay's city limits, accessible off Lakeshore Drive. It was first constructed in 1903 and expanded in 1978 and again in 2007 to its current capacity. The plant's treatment method uses pre-chlorination
Chlorination
Chlorination is the process of adding the element chlorine to water as a method of water purification to make it fit for human consumption as drinking water...
, then coagulation
Coagulation (disambiguation)
Coagulation may refer to:* Coagulation, in colloid chemistry, a process in which dispersed colloidal particles agglomerate. See flocculation* Coagulation of blood* Coagulation , the coagulation of milk into curd by rennet or acid...
-flocculation
Flocculation
Flocculation, in the field of chemistry, is a process wherein colloids come out of suspension in the form of floc or flakes by the addition of a clarifying agent. The action differs from precipitation in that, prior to flocculation, colloids are merely suspended in a liquid and not actually...
followed by membrane ultrafiltration
Ultrafiltration
Ultrafiltration is a variety of membrane filtration in which hydrostatic pressure forces a liquid against a semipermeable membrane. Suspended solids and solutes of high molecular weight are retained, while water and low molecular weight solutes pass through the membrane...
and post chlorine disinfection
Disinfection
Disinfectants are substances that are applied to non-living objects to destroy microorganisms that are living on the objects. Disinfection does not necessarily kill all microorganisms, especially nonresistant bacterial spores; it is less effective than sterilisation, which is an extreme physical...
.