I was able to get muddy river water turned into very clear water for a clinic in Africa. Hopefully, this will create a desire in the village for small simple ones for their drinking water. The simple ones don’t need a storage tank. Just put dirty water in and have a clean water jug under the spout to receive the clean water that instantly comes out. Each small unit could be used by multiple families living next to each other. They would no longer have to drink the muddy river water or the salty well water that they’ve been drinking all their lives.
How it works:
Muddy water goes in the filter tank, passes through a biological layer on top of the sand that forms over a period of time. After passing through a lot of sand and a little gravel (which keeps the sand in place) it then goes into a perforated pipe and out the tank. The water then must travel up higher than the level of sand to create and keep the bio film layer.
This filter process produces water that is tasteless, odorless, clear in color and safe for drinking. Research shows that this type of filter can remove more than 90% of bacteria and 100% of parasites. For completely sterilized water, make the holding tank out of glass and expose it to the sun (the UV rays will completely sterilize the water). The water could then go to another storage tank out of the sun to cool down.