Agenda Meeting of the Commissioners of Public Works of the City of Charleston, South Carolina, d.b.a. Meeting Date: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 Meeting Location: 103 St. Philip Street, Charleston, S.C. 29402 9:00 a.m.
DRAFT The Quarterly Newsletter of Charleston Water System Volume 8, Issue 1 March 2013 Treatment plant upgrades to minimize seasonal changes in tap water taste Remember last summer s earthy-musty tasting tap water? Improvements at our treatment plant are being implemented to prevent that from happening this year. The harmless but unpleasant taste was caused by an unusually severe algae bloom in our source water, the Bushy Park Reservoir. Last year s mild winter and warmer water temperatures encouraged prolific growth of blue-green algae, which produce harmless compounds with a distinctive earthy-musty taste and smell. To better remove these compounds from the water, we installed a new storage and delivery system for powdered activated carbon, a material similar to the carbon found in home Did you know? Environmental variables such as mineral content, organic compounds, and temperature affect the taste of tap water. For best tasting water, chill it in the refrigerator or add ice. water filters. This new system will allow the treatment plant to add more carbon during periods of prolific algae growth in the reservoir. Charleston Water System is also looking into long-term solutions for reducing algae growth in the reservoir. Water Treatment Process Video New! Water Whys Is our tap water hard or soft? Water hardness is a measure of dissolved minerals in water, specifically calcium and magnesium. It varies depending on the water source. Soft water has little or no dissolved minerals and easily produces suds when mixed with soap. Hard water has higher mineral content that interferes with sudsing, making it hard to produce a lather. Charleston Water System has moderately soft water. The average hardness level of our water is 58.4 parts per million (ppm), or 3.4 grains per gallon (gpg). For best cleaning results, many dishwasher and washing machine manuals recommend how much detergent to use based on water hardness. Water Hardness Scale Grains per gallon (gpg) 10.5 7.0 Very Hard Hard Moderate If you re curious about where your water comes from, how it s treated, and how it gets to your tap, check out this new video on our web site. Scan the QR code with your smart phone or visit www.charlestonwater.com/videos.htm. 3.5 0 Soft Charleston water (3.4 gpg)
The Quarterly Newsletter of Charleston Water System Fix water leaks! March 18-24 th is Fix a Leak Week Did you know that an American home can waste, on average, more than 10,000 gallons of water every year due to running toilets, dripping faucets, and other household leaks? Nationwide, more than one trillion gallons of water leak from U.S. homes each year. That s why the US EPA s Water- Sense program reminds Americans to check their plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems each year during Fix a Leak Week. For tips on finding and fixing leaks, visit www.epa.gov/watersense. Charleston Water By the Numbers 1,700 miles of water pipe 8,700 fire hydrants 60 million gallons average daily flow 190 gallons average daily use per household 400,000 people served March 18-24, 2013 Need a speaker for your school or group? If your class or group is interested in learning about water, contact us to schedule a speaker. We can customize a talk to meet your group s needs. info@charlestoncpw.com (843) 727-6856 North Charleston, Ladson customers to get new automated water meters Over the next nine months, Charleston Water System will be installing 6,000 automated water meters for customers in Otranto, Northwoods, The Lakes, Woodside, and Ladson areas. The new meters have a battery-operated device that emits a radio signal with your meter reading. This allows our meter readers to collect readings with a receiver as they drive by, which is faster and more accurate than manual meter reading. Installation takes about thirty minutes and requires a brief interruption of water service. Customers will be notified before installation. Charleston Water System has been installing automated meters since 2004. Currently, about half of our 110,000 accounts have the new meters. Our Mission is to protect public health and the environment of our service community by providing clean water services of exceptional quality and value. 103 St. Philip Street, Downtown 6296 Rivers Ave, North Area (843) 727-6800 customerservice@charlestoncpw.com www.charlestonwater.com @ChasWaterSystem