Settling:
This is the most basic type of water treatment. In settling you gather untreated water from a natural source and let it sit in a large container undisturbed, which allows the solids to fall out of the water and settle onto the bottom of the container. After enough time has passed you can draw water from the top of the container for drinking or cooking purposes. The bad things about settling are how long the process can take and although it removes solids from the untreated water it does not remove any bacteria or other organic materials.

Boiling:
Boiling water is far more effective and much faster than settling. If you are going to use the boiling method you should use a piece of cloth to strain the water, this will remove any large solids. Be sure to strain the water into a clean metal container and bring to a rolling boil for several minutes. The benefits to using the boiling method is that pretty much every bacteria and other harmful life forms will not live through the process.

Chemical disinfection:
This type of water treatment will work on a large scale. It involves adding iodine or chlorine-based tablets into the untreated water. The chemicals will destroy the bacteria and organic contaminants found in our natural water supplies. Swimming pool owners, public and private, use chlorine to treat their water because of how many different types of contaminates that chlorine kills.

Filtration:
This method can be done through activated charcoal or paper filters. Many home owners use this method because it is a low cost method you can use in your home if you are concerned about your public water supplies. In this process tap water will flow through a small filter at the end of your faucet or you can have an even better system set up in your kitchen or basement. Filtration is successful because heavy metals, organic contaminates and a lot of bacteria re too big to fit through the mesh of a filter. Just remember to change your filters regularly because bacteria can grow in the organic material that builds up at the filter.

Reverse osmosis:
This method is even more discriminating than filtration, it is actually used by many water treatment companies and bottled water companies, in combination with filtration. This method uses a semi-permeable material with super tiny openings. The untreated water is forced through the material and because of how tiny the openings are even the smallest forms of bacteria and pollutants can not pass through.

Water Softeners:
This process will remove calcium and magnesium which can interfere with the cleaning action of soaps and detergents. Calcium and magnesium also can lead to scale build up in hot water pipes, water heaters, and your plumbing fixtures. Water softeners soften water by a synthetic resin that is attracted to calcium, magnesium and other positively charged metal ions. The resin is saturated with sodium from a salt solution, hence why water softeners use salt or salt pellets. When the water passes through the resin the sodium changes places with the calcium and magnesium. Once the resin is filled the water softener must be recharged, automatic softeners are set at a certain time to regenerate with a time clock, and semi-automatic softeners must be started manually but will do the entire cycle on its own. Manual softeners are done entirely by hand.