The water at this point is virtually free of solids and looks as clear as the water in your tap. Disinfection is the last step of treatment before the water is returned to the Des Moines River. To properly disinfect the water, a chemical is applied, and the water is held in a tank for about an hour to ensure that the chemical kills all pathogens or microorganisms that could still be present in the wastewater. After an hour of detention time, the water is monitored, sampled, and flows out to the Des Moines River. In total the time the water spends in the facility is about 28 hours.