由于发展中国家在水处理厂的建设和运营中面临的特殊问题和限制，拉丁美洲开发了一种新的设计方法。新方法简化了操作和维护，并在不降低过滤水质量的情况下降低了资本成本。本文讨论了以下主题:化学品储存和投加；混合；絮凝；板块沉降器的使用、板块沉降器的基本概念、板块沉降器的面积、等效表面荷载、临界速度方程的解释和表面荷载；用于平板沉降器、入口布置、污泥提取和沉淀水出口的材料；双介质过滤和递减过滤。综述了采用新方法的处理厂的优点。 包括25个参考文献、表格和图表。

Because of special problems and constraints faced by developing countries in the construction and operation of water treatment plants, a new design approach has been developed in Latin America. The new approach simplifies operation and maintenance and also reduces the capital costs without lowering the filtered water quality. This article addresses the following topics: chemical storage and dosing; mixing; flocculation; the use of plate settlers, basic concepts of plate settlers, area of plate settlers, equivalent surface load, interpretation of the critical velocity equation, and surface load; materials for plate settlers, inlet arrangement, sludge withdrawal, and settled water outlet; dual media filtration and declining-rate filtration. Advantages of the treatment plants using the new approach are reviewed. Includes 25 references, tables, figures.