The eLearning Center for Gatlin Education Services

Overview

For as long as humans have walked the earth, they have quested for pure drinking water. Sanskrit writings dating back to 2000 B.C. describe how to purify water by boiling it over a fire or filtering it through sand and gravel. The first municipal water plant was installed in Scotland in 1804. Slow sand filtration was first used for municipal water plants in the U.S. in 1872.

There have been many improvements made in filter technology since the early days of water treatment. Diatomaceous earth filters were used during WWII to provide lightweight, easily transportable potable water treatment units to serve soldiers in the field. As drinking water standards increase in stringency, membrane filters have become more attractive in recent years.

In this course the student will review the technical briefs Filtration, Slow Sand Filtration,and Diatomaceous Earth Filtration for Drinking Water published by the National Drinking Water Clearinghouse. These technical briefs provide an overview of the different types of filtration available for treating potable water. This course is particularly relevant to engineers involved in the design and selection of water treating and/or distribution systems, as well as engineers who are simply interested in learning more about potable water filtration systems.

The student must take a multiple-choice quiz consisting of fifteen questions at the end of this course to obtain PDH credits.

Specific Knowledge or Skill Attained

This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:

  · Why surface water and groundwater under the influence of surface water must be filtered
  · Pre-filtration processes, including coagulation, flocculation, and sedimentation
  · The process description, advantages and limitations of slow sand filtration
  · Diatomaceous earth filtration history, performance capabilities and types - pressure filters vs. vacuum filters

State Board Acceptance

This course can be used by professional engineers to fulfill PDH requirements mandated by state and provincial licensing boards. Decatur Professional Development is an approved provider of continuing education in all states that pre-approve course providers. In all other states that mandate continuing education for engineers, it is the individual engineer's responsibility to determine the suitability of activities for PDH credit. The state boards typically accept online* courses that cover technical, managerial** or ethical content and which are relevant to the practice of engineering. The course must have a clear purpose or objective with a content that will maintain, improve or expand the skills and knowledge of the licensee's field of practice. For questions about your mandatory PDH requirements, visit the website of your state licensing board.

*Online courses are accepted by all state licensing boards that mandate continuing education. Other than New York (which limits online courses to 18 PDH) and Iowa (which limits online courses to 6 PDH), there are no limits placed by other states on the number of hours that can be earned through online continuing education. Consult with your state licensing board if you have any questions about the acceptability of online courses.

**The New York State Board of Engineers does not accept general office management courses, but will accept project management courses that are offered by an approved provider and that are technical in nature and contribute to the engineer's professional practice.