What is the most common type of potable water treatment?

Granular media filters are the most common type of potable water treatment due to their effectiveness in removing a wide range of contaminants. These filters primarily use layers of sand, gravel, or other granular materials to physically remove suspended solids, organic matter, and some microorganisms from water. The process is relatively simple and cost-effective, making it widely applicable in both large-scale municipal plants and smaller community water systems.

Granular media filtration serves as a robust first stage in water treatment processes, often used in conjunction with other treatment methods to enhance overall water quality. Given their ability to handle large volumes of water and their effectiveness at particle removal, granular media filters play a fundamental role in the preliminary treatment of drinking water.

While other technologies like activated carbon filters, ultrafiltration membranes, and reverse osmosis systems have specific advantages and are often used for particular contaminants or applications, they are not as universally implemented for initial potable water treatment as granular media filters. Therefore, their higher complexity or cost may limit their use as the primary filtration method compared to the more straightforward operation of granular media filters.