STEP 6 – Aeration Basins

We Use Microorganisms to Clean the Water

At this point, the water looks like chocolate milk. The poop and food left in the water will not settle out. We need help to get it out of the water.
The water is pumped to our basins.

• One basin holds white water. We bubble tons of air into this water so it will lots of oxygen, like an aquarium.
• The other basins hold water that is just swirling. It doesn’t have much oxygen.

The water goes back and forth between these two tanks. Microorganisms like bacteria and single-celled organisms live in the tanks. They clean the water for us by eating the poop and food. They also break down the ammonium in our pee.

Watch videos and learn about the microorganisms. (Click here.)