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Source: The Sun, Yuma, Ariz.迷你倉最平Sept. 28--Every day millions of gallons of fresh drinking water are pumped out of the city of Yuma Main Street Water Treatment Facility and into homes and businesses -- transforming the arid and inhospitable Sonora Desert into a veritable oasis in the sand."How would they survive?" Joel Bocio, Senior Main Street Water Treatment Facility Operator and acting Chief Operator, said about city residents. "You are not going to survive without water. I personally think without water Yuma would not exist" and "absolutely, the quality of life would be down big time."In addition to convenience, city water also provides a much needed public safety service to residents since it is free of parasites, pathogens and chemicals considered to be toxic by the federal government."We are cleaning the water and keeping it safe for the people so they can drink it," Bocio said. "Without us, the water is not safe."Whenever residents turn on their faucets they expect clear, clean water to come pouring out -- all day, every day no matter what. But they may not be aware of what it takes to provide that water, nor of the dedicated service of the 17 full-time city of Yuma employees who work at the Main Street Water Treatment Facility to ensure the water flows freely year-round.While their work goes on behind the scenes without much fanfare, Bocio and the other city employees at the plant are validated every time a faucet is turned on in the city and clean water flows out."It kind of makes me feel proud in a way," he said.While the Main Street facility is capable of producing about 40 million gallons of potable water each day, the equivalent of 10,627,584 gallons of water or the contents of about 16 Olympic sized pools, the plant on average pumps out between 12 and 15 million gallons in a 24-hour period. Most of the water is sent out between 5 and 9 a.m. and again from 5 to 9 p.m. when the demand is highest.Five years ago, the plant was was producing about 30 million gallons of water each day. The dramatic decrease is most likely due to the $74 million Agua Viva Water Treatment Facility at Avenue 9E north of 28th Street coming online in 2009, and a reduced demand in water from the public as a result of the recession.The Main Street Water Treatment Facility has been producing drinking water for the Yuma area since 1892, and is believed by historians to be one of the first water plants west of the Mississippi River to filter water."This plant is old and it is a conventional plant, but it works great," Bocio said. "It is an awesome plant. It is going to be here forever as long as the community wants it."The plant, located on Main Street just north of the San Carlos Hotel, draws in water from a nearby canal west of the Pivot Point Conference Center. Once the water enters the plant, the first step is to introduce elements including Alum.Alum, an acidic astringent, is added to the water so that negatively charged colloidal particles clump together into flocculants, which then settle to the bottom of the water where they can more easily be filtered out prior to further filtration and disinfection of the water.The tiny colloidal particles would otherwise cause the water to be turbid (cloudy) and would be extremely difficult to remove by filtration alone.At this point a small amount of flouride is also added to the water and will remain in the liquid all the way to distribution at homes and businesses throughout the city.Fluoride, which has been added to the city of Yuma water supply originating at the Main Street facility since 2005, has received negative attention from health activists in recent years."The fluoride issue comes up from time to time and seems to be good folly for conspiracy theorists and shady research," said Dave Nash, city of Yuma public affairs coordinator, adding the city of儲存Yuma follows fluoridation guidelines set by the federal government.According Nash, the fluoridation of municipal water in Yuma came about as the result of a citizen initiative sponsored by two local physicians who were able to gather enough signatures to place an initiative on the ballot in 2000 that was approved by a majority of the voting public.Fluoride is now added to the water to bring levels near the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality recommended concentration of 0.7 milligrams per liter (mg/L). The water naturally has about 0.3 to 0.4 mg/L before before treatment at the plant.And despite a public perception that bottled water is healthier than tap water, Bocio emphatically believes tap water is superior."Bottled water is not as regulated" as municipal water, he said. "We are strictly regulated" by federal agencies to a degree bottled water companies are not, he added.In fact, Bocio actually prefers tap water."That's all I drink at the house," he noted. "I take it out of the faucet and I drink it."And like many of the kids who grew up in Yuma and played outside, Bocio drank tap water straight out of the garden hose."Since I was a kid I have been drinking Yuma water and I'm still here" alive and well, he said with a laugh.After the initial addition of alum and other components upon entry into the plant, the water is sent to one of four 10 million gallon basins where much of the sediment settles to the bottom.By the time the water reaches the end of the basin, it is already mostly clear.The sediment is collected periodically and taken to drying beds near the 4th Avenue Bridge to dry.The water is then sent to be filtered in one of 12 open tanks -- pulled by gravity through layers of sand, anthracite, garnet, and larger rocks. The filtration is designed to remove any of the remaining alum and anything toxic from the water.Pete Kivell, a city of Yuma employee working at the plant for about 21 years, can often be found at these tanks watching over the filters to ensure everything is running smoothly. He is aware of the great public need for clean drinking water.The water goes "out to the public every day, so you don't want to mess up," he said. "There is a lot of responsibility. We have a direct impact on public health."After being filtered, the water flows to a clear well where chlorine is added to disinfect the water. It then enters the city pipe distribution system to be used by city residents and businesses. Any excess waste water created in the process is supplied to the East Wetlands Park or recirculated in the plant.The entire process of cleaning the water from start to finish lasts between 8 and 12 hours -- depending on water demand, which is higher in the summer months, Bocio said.Each step in the process is monitored at a master control station by an employee, such as Isaias Valdez, a senior water treatment operator who has worked at the plant for about 5 years."I ensure the plant is running correctly and monitor and control the pressures," Valdez said, adding he also keeps constant watch over a bathtub of goldfish swimming in water passing through the plant to make sure they are still alive. Goldfish are very sensitive. If they begin dying en masse that could mean there is a problem with the water. It is a low-tech yet reliable method, he noted.Valdez and the other employees who work at the master control station also answer calls from city customers at night when representatives at City Hall are unavailable."Once in a while it can get stressful, but we try to remain calm and handle things the best we can," Valdez said. "I like my job. I like serving the public."Chris McDaniel can be reached at 539-6849 or cmdaniel@yumasun.com.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Sun (Yuma, Ariz.) Visit The Sun (Yuma, Ariz.) at .yumasun.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesmini storage