What follows super-chlorination in water treatment to manage tastes and odors?

After super-chlorination, the next step in the water treatment process is dechlorination. Super-chlorination is implemented to eliminate tastes and odors from the water, typically caused by organic compounds or microbial activity. However, the high levels of chlorine introduced during this phase can pose health risks and potentially affect the water's taste and smell, which are opposite to the goals of treatment.

Dechlorination is essential to remove the residual chlorine following the super-chlorination process. This is often accomplished using various methods, such as using chemical agents like sodium bisulfite or through other systems designed to neutralize chlorine safely. Reducing chlorine levels ensures that the water is safe and palatable for consumption.

Understanding this sequence is critical because maintaining balanced water treatment processes helps to achieve optimal water quality. Other options like flocculation, further chlorination, or filtration do not serve the necessary role following super-chlorination focused on reducing chlorine levels; thus, they are not the appropriate follow-up step in this specific context.