Sediment Removal Using Flocculant
When available and necessary to more rapidly and effectively separate sediment from water, use commercially available, high quality flocculant, but flocculant (even those supplemented with disinfectant like chlorine), does NOT insure drinking water safety.
What You’ll Need:
Applicable Water Test Kits
Five Gallon Buckets or Coolers with Taps - Qty: 2+
Copper (100 Mesh) screens - Qty: 2 per container (Why Copper?)*
Step 1 :
Place 2 Large 100 Mesh copper screens (1 on top of another) on top of your bucket. Pour contaminated water through the 2 copper screens into the bucket to screen out “large” particles/contaminants.
Step 2:
Let water settle for at least 30 minutes to allow heavy particles / silt to sink to the bottom of the bucket.
Using the manufacturers instructions, dose the water with a safe flocculant (to initiate the bonding of particles, to create heavy bunches of particles, and to accelerate the water/particle separation) if required, but never add an additional dose of Flocculant to a bucket of water already treated with flocculant.
Go to CDC flocculant information
Use coolers in place of buckets
Place 2 Large 100 Mesh screens on top of your cooler. Pour contaminated water through the copper screens into the cooler to screen out large particles/contaminants. Let water settle for at least 30 minutes, allowing heavy particles / silt to sink to the bottom of the cooler below the tap. Lighter then water residue with float on the surface of the water.
Step 3:
If necessary repeat step 2, in order to remove as many particles / as much sludge as possible prior to initial water testing, but never add an additional dose of Flocculant to a bucket of water already treated with flocculant. Test your water to determine if further treatment will generate usable water. You need to know if you will get a return from your additional investments of boiling fuel, iodine and filter resources.
Step 4:
Dispose of sediment, sludge and oil residue safely away from any water source and according to local regulations.
