What is the primary goal of wastewater treatment?

The primary goal of wastewater treatment is to reduce pollutant loads before discharge. This process is essential for protecting the environment and public health by ensuring that the water released back into natural bodies is safe and does not adversely affect aquatic ecosystems or human populations. Treatment processes are designed to remove harmful substances such as organic and inorganic pollutants, pathogens, and nutrients that could lead to problems like algal blooms or contamination of drinking water sources.

While recycling wastewater for drinking purposes is an important aspect of water management and conservation, it is not the primary goal of all wastewater treatment processes. The complete elimination of all microorganisms is also unattainable and unnecessary in many cases, as some microorganisms are not harmful and can coexist in treated water. Increasing the temperature of the treated water is typically not a goal of wastewater treatment and could have negative ecological impacts. Therefore, focusing on reducing pollutant loads is fundamental to effective wastewater management.