Many laboratory studies have been performed
on particle and microbe removal
using a standard filter protocol with no cross
flow of water across the filter bed. This
study was conducted to better understand
the effect on filtrate quality when cross flow
does occur across the filter bed. Larger suspended
particles tend to settle in a stream or
on a beach toward the bed, resulting in a
concentration of larger-sized particles over
smaller ones. Larger microbes such as
Cryptosporidium tend to concentrate in the
streambed (assuming similar density characteristics)
versus smaller microbes such as
Escherichia coli. As stream flow or wave
action increases toward turbulent flow conditions,
the impact of this sorting decreases
significantly. Understanding the importance
of flow helps to better select sites for riverbank
and seabed infiltration and helps determine
flow characteristics in engineered filtered
systems with cross flow.Includes 14 references, tables, figures.