Drinking Water, River Water Purification Systems, Case Study El Raswa/Egypt

The following chapter describes the WABAG El Raswa water treatment plants (WTP) located in Port Said City, Egypt. The El Raswa water treatment complex comprises five drinking water treatment plants, where WABAG built the last two of them. These two WTPs have a capacity of 133,000 m3/d and 80,000 m3/d and are based on a multistage treatment system targeting different contaminants, mainly suspended solids and microorganisms. The raw water is sourced from the Nile River through an agricultural channel. The involved technologies are coarse and fine screening, pre-chlorination, sedimentation in clariflocculators, rapid gravity filtration, and final disinfection by chlorination. Although seasonal fluctuations are minimal, the rapid growth of algae creates taste and odor problems in winter months. As a result, the WTPs include a powdered activated carbon dosing system to confront this issue. Constant monitoring at different treatment stages insures optimal operating conditions, allowing the dosage of different chemicals to be adjusted according to the water quality and flow. Opposed to the old plants, the new WABAG plants are fully automated.