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Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT listed as a public water treatment step?

Screening, coagulation/flocculation, and sedimentation are treatment steps because they actively change the water to remove contaminants: screening removes large debris at the intake, coagulation and flocculation destabilize and clump fine particles, and sedimentation lets those clumps settle out so the water can be clearer before filtration and disinfection. Pumping to distribution, by contrast, is about moving the treated water from the plant into the distribution system. It doesn’t remove contaminants or alter water quality itself; it’s a conveyance/transfer operation. That’s why pumping to distribution isn’t listed as a public water treatment step.

Screening, coagulation/flocculation, and sedimentation are treatment steps because they actively change the water to remove contaminants: screening removes large debris at the intake, coagulation and flocculation destabilize and clump fine particles, and sedimentation lets those clumps settle out so the water can be clearer before filtration and disinfection. Pumping to distribution, by contrast, is about moving the treated water from the plant into the distribution system. It doesn’t remove contaminants or alter water quality itself; it’s a conveyance/transfer operation. That’s why pumping to distribution isn’t listed as a public water treatment step.