The Egyptians were the first people to record methods for treating water. These records date back more than 1,500 years to 400 A.D. They indicate that the most common ways of cleaning water were by boiling it over a fire, heating it in the sun, or by dipping a heated piece of iron into it. Filtering boiling water through sand and gravel and then allowing it to cool was another common treatment method.
Water treatment is much more complex today and is discussed a bit later in this Web site. Click on "NEXT" to see what you know about water.
© 2002 AMERICAN WATER WORKS ASSOCIATION