Filtration Systems
Water Quality in Guyana
Water in Guyana is generally of a very good quality, some persons may find this hard to believe, but our major problems are very easily solved as compared to other countries around the world. We do not have "hard" water, it is not contaminated with inherent minerals or chemicals, fuels and fertilizers that were used in days gone by. In Georgetown, our capital city, water is presently drawn from the surface east of the city and flows through the "Conservancy canal" to a treatment plant where the pH is increased and the tannin precipitated, on delivery it is then chlorinated. This system is presently being phased out and this source will be replaced by ground water from wells situated at points around the city.
The current problem is the distribution network, the pipelines are very old and have to be replaced, suitable pressures cannot be pumped because of this. In addition, many home owners pump directly from these old mains causing untreated water to enter the distribution line through cracks and joints. Outside of Georgetown, water is pumped from wells. The quality here again is very good, very low total dissolved solids, iron can be sometimes high in some areas, and pH is generally good. Harness in both areas is less than 1 grain per gallon. Hence, water softeners and reverse osmosis are not usually the weapons of choice. The problem here is the cost of drilling wells, good quality water is generally found at 700 to 1,000 feet, the "A" sands generally begin at 1,100 feet, this water is of an extremely high quality.
There are very few wells at this depth. In most of these areas there is no treatment at all, water is pumped from the wells directly into the distribution pipelines at specific times of the day so water has to be stored by the homeowner. For drinking water, the homeowner can add household bleach to the ground tank and install a "point of use" carbon filter to one faucet from which water for drinking and cooking can be used. Another for the bathroom, and one for the washing machine. At some point this will not be feasible and a "Whole house" system as below will have to be considered.
