What was the percent backwash water used if 200 million gallons of water were treated and 3.6 million gallons of backwash water were used?

To determine the percentage of backwash water used, you can calculate it by dividing the volume of backwash water by the total amount of water treated, and then multiplying by 100 to convert it into a percentage.

In this case, 3.6 million gallons of backwash water are used from a total of 200 million gallons of water treated. The calculation would be as follows:

1. Divide the amount of backwash water (3.6 million gallons) by the total water treated (200 million gallons):

( \frac{3.6 \text{ million gallons}}{200 \text{ million gallons}} = 0.018 )

2. To express this as a percentage, multiply by 100:

( 0.018 \times 100 = 1.8% )

This shows that the backwash water used constitutes 1.8% of the total water treated. Understanding how to perform this calculation is vital for analyzing water treatment processes, as it helps to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the systems in place.