Where Does My Drinking Water Come From?

Water makes up two-thirds of our bodies, yet we take it for granted. Only about 1 percent of the world's water is classified as being pure and available for drinking. The rest is salty, frozen in icebergs or too polluted to be useful. Forty percent of the world's population lives in areas with serious water shortages, according to the World Resources Institutes.

Public water supplies come from either ground water or surface water. Surface water includes rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Ground water is pumped from wells that are drilled into aquifers.

Larger water supply systems tend to rely on surface water resources, while smaller water systems tend to use ground water. Including the approximately 23 million Americans who use ground water as a private drinking water source, slightly more than half of the population in the United States receives its drinking water from ground water sources.

Drinking water for Coweta comes from a surface water source, the Verdigris River. Coweta uses up to 3,000,000 gallons per day from this source during its peak summer months.

What is a Public Water System and is Coweta one?

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) defines a public water system (PWS) in terms of number of people served and length of service. To be classified as a PWS, the system must serve piped water to at least 25 persons or 15 service connections for at least 60 days per year. Today there are roughly 170,000 public water supplies in the United States providing water to 250 million people.

The City of Coweta, with over 3,100 service connections, meets that classification and is a public water supply. As a public water supply, the system must comply with both laws of the state of Oklahoma as the Federal Government.

What is the SDWA and what does it mean to me?

The Safe Drinking Water Act was first passed in 1974. It authorized the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to delegate responsibility to administer the act to the states, provided the state can prove the ability to administer the program. Oklahoma is a delegated state. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) is the specific agency of the state that enforces the Safe Drinking Water Act. However, the Oklahoma Water Resources Board is the agency that is responsible to grant water right allocations on both surface and ground water sources.

Within this framework, ODEQ implements and enforces the standards established by the federal drinking water program to ensure that Coweta’s, and all other public water supplies in the state, provide safe water. In order to assure safe water is delivered, the SDWA requires that EPA establish National Primary Drinking Water Regulations. These regulations defined a Maximum Contaminate Level (MCL) for each listed contaminate, as established by EPA, in the drinking water. These MCL’s are designed to be enforceable limits and to remain in force until revised. Eighteen (18) interim standards were originally set with the Act in 1975.

In the revisions of the Act, in 1986, and 1996, this original list was expanded to 83 specified contaminants.  However, time constraints and limited resources prevented these new contaminates from being regulated, and today the regulated list only includes 76 of the 83.

Of these 76 contaminants, because of their very nature, are classified into four basic rules. These rules are the (1) Arsenic Rule, (2) The Surface Water Treatment Rule, (3) The Disinfectant/Disinfection By Products Rule, (4) The Ground Water Rule, and the (5) Radionuclides Rule.

Why do we need to do this ?

From 1993 through 1994, 30 disease outbreaks were associated with drinking water resulting in over 400,000 illnesses. Major Cities like Milwaukee experienced not only illnesses but people died from water-borne diseases.

Because of the magnitude of the impact to the communities that have PWS, Congress decided to implement rules, first to the larger ones, allowing smaller systems more time to adjust. Therefore, these rules first required water supplies over a population level of 10,000 to comply, and for the most part, that has occurred.

Now the rules go into effect for the smaller communities, those under 10,000. Now it is Coweta’s time to comply. However, the effects to comply are not only costly, but they are very complex.

The Arsenic Rule will effect ground water sources and it has been estimated that the cost of new construction will be $1.25/gallon using EPA numbers. This rule should not effect Coweta.

The Surface Water Treatment Rule is composed of several important changes and among these are the Interim Enhanced Rule, the Longer Term 1 Rule, the Long Term 2 Rule, and the Filter Backwash Rule. This set of rules greatly impacts Coweta and the estimated costs are $1.25/gallon construction cost with an increased operating cost of $2.25/month/connection, operation and maintenance costs, again using EPA numbers.

The Disinfectant/Disinfection By Product Rule again will affect Coweta and it is estimated to cost $1.00/gallon for construction costs and $2.00/month/connection operation and maintenance cost.  

The Groundwater and the Radionuclides rules should have no bearing on Coweta but are estimated to costs those communities that are effected $0.10/month/connection for the groundwater and for the Radionuclides, monitoring alone will be $75,000 as no practical method for treatment exists.

The message is simple; the era of cheap water is over.

Raw water sources are no long as plentiful and no longer as safe. Articles are in the news almost daily of communities building new treatment plants and/or communities looking for new water sources. Ground water used to be the source of choice, but not necessary anymore. The City of Norman, once the proud owner of a series of water wells finds themselves out of compliance because of the natural levels of arsenic in the ground water. Levels that previously were felt safe, but no longer under the new revisions of the SDWA.  Today it is not uncommon that groundwater, like surface water, will require an advanced treatment system in order to achieve compliance.

How Does Water Get To My Faucet?

In the Coweta water system, potable water is transported under pressure from the treatment plant to town, branching off through a distribution network of buried pipes. Smaller pipes, called service lines, are attached to the main water lines of the network that are designed to bring water into your home.

In many public water supply systems, water pressure is provided by pumping water up into elevated storage tanks. These tanks store water at higher elevations than the homes they serve, so that the force of gravity then "pushes" the water into your home when you open your tap.

Houses on private systems usually rely on private wells. Here a pump in the well brings the water out of the ground and into a small storage tank to supply the home.

In Coweta, the distribution system makes use of storage tanks and a pressure pump station that “boosts” the pressure of the water in the lines clear to the far end of the system.

How Does Coweta Treat My Water To Make It Safe?

The United States has one of the safest public drinking water supplies in the world.  Nevertheless, many of us who once gave little or no thought to the water that comes from our taps are increasingly asking the question: "Is my water safe to drink?" While tap water that meets federal and state standards generally is safe to drink, threats to drinking water quality and quantity are increasing. From short-term disease outbreaks linked to contaminated drinking water to restrictions on water use during droughts, we can no longer take our drinking water for granted. 

We are fortunate to live in northeastern Oklahoma and generally are blessed with abundant water supplies. Therefore, unlike many of our neighboring western counties and states, Coweta has not been subject to water rationing. However, as seen recently in the news,  the quality of the surface and ground water is becoming a major issue. For example, recently the City of Tulsa became proactive in protecting its water supply from high levels of phosphorous that was building up in the supply lakes due to from runoff from the tributaries. Quality of the raw water source directly dictates the complexity of treatment required. 

The City of Coweta currently makes use of a very sophisticated surface water plant that must use a variety of treatment processes to remove contaminants from the raw water. These individual processes are arranged in a "treatment train" in order to properly treat the water.

These processes include flocculation, sedimentation, filtration and disinfection.

Flocculation/Sedimentation

Flocculation refers to a water treatment process that combines small particles (soil for example) into larger particles. These larger particles then settle out as sediment. Chemical such as Alum and iron salts or synthetic organic polymers (alone, or in combination with metal salts) are used to speed up the coagulation process.

Settling or sedimentation is simply a gravity process that removes flocculated particles from the water. This normally occurs in a tank designed with very quiescent conditions, treated water flows off the surface and the solids are removed from the bottom of the tank.

Filtration

Water leaving the sedimentation tank then passes a process called filtration. Filtration is designed to remove the remaining, normally smaller particles from the water supply. This includes clays, silts, natural organic matter, and precipitants from other treatment processes in the facility, iron, manganese, and microorganisms.

Filtration clarifies water and enhances the effectiveness of disinfection, the final process. Traditionally sand was the medium used for filtering the water, but Coweta uses an advanced filtration material that incorporates activated carbon. This material not only filters out small particles, but also provides taste and order control. 

Disinfection (chlorination)

The final step in the production of safe water, before it enters the distribution system, is disinfection. This process ensures that any dangerous microbes left after filtration are killed. Chlorine is the chemical used in disinfecting Coweta’s water. This chemical was chosen because it is a very effective, and it maintains a residual concentration in the pipelines. These residual levels are reported as Free Chlorine, and are monitored frequently by the City and reported to ODEQ.

Chlorine residuals are intentionally maintained in the distribution system with sufficient concentrations to guard against biological contamination in the water distribution system. Line breaks and leaks are the most common reasons that contaminates can enter the lines. However, recent studies linking chlorine to organic material in the water supply forced EPA to change the regulations.

EPA has recently developed new regulations limiting the amount of disinfection that can be used by water plants. Too much disinfection can create what is referred to as Disinfection By-Products (DBPs). DBPs are contaminants that form when disinfectants react with organic matter that remains in treated drinking water. Long-term exposure to some DBPs may increase the risk of cancer or other adverse health effects. PWS’s must now monitor, on a continual basis, the level of DBPs. Should the level exceed the new MCL regulations, the PWS must notify its customers, and ODEQ. Then it must provide a plan to prevent the occurrence, if it is shown to be repetitive.

How Much Does It Cost To Treat And Deliver My Drinking Water?

On a per gallon basis, safe, unlimited amounts of drinking water, that is supplied to you home 24 hours a day 365 day of the year, is a real bargain. According to an EPA survey, on the average over the nation, water costs are slightly more than $2 per 1,000 gallons. Costs vary depending upon the degree of treatment required but as a general comment, costs tend to be lower for larger water systems.

Treatment accounts for about 15 percent of the total cost. Additional items that influence the costs are equipment (such as the treatment plant and distribution system), and labor for operation and maintenance of the system.

The Status of the Coweta Water Treatment System

Coweta’s first surface water treatment facility was built in 1969. It was sized to handle future population growths while capable of treating the water safely that can meet the MCL’s limits that were regulated at that time. As the regulations changed and the City of Coweta grew, not only in population but also in its water use habits, more water was needed. Therefore, a new treatment facility improvement was completed, this time in 1988. The 1988 date was the last time that a capital improvement project on the water treatment facility was made.

However, during this time the regulations did not stand still. Between the years of 1975-1992, nine “old” regulations for MCL’s on water were finalized.  The message for Coweta is that to comply, it must treat its water to the proper levels just to meet these new standards. Then to further safeguard the water, between the years of 1988 through 2003, EPA enacted an additional 10 “new” regulations. 

It must be emphasized, that these new regulations greatly affect not only Coweta, but also roughly 70% of all the existing surface water treatment plants in Oklahoma. In order to meet many of these new regulations, some plants will require different chemicals, some will require new and/or different treatment systems, and some may even require new raw water sources. 

Next, the age of the Coweta treatment facility requires constant vigilance just to maintain operation. The simple task of repairing and/or replacing components many that range from 15 to 30 years old, is not only difficult but also many times impossible. Because of obsolesce, direct replacement may not be available. This was most evident when a recent electrical failure knocked out power in the main control panel. Older components that failed were not readily available forcing the plant to be operated manually for over a two-day period until proper repairs could be made.

For capacity, Coweta’s water source is the Verdigris River. Water rights obtained through the Oklahoma Water Resources Board suggest that the city has ample capacity to handle growth over the next 25 years.

Removing, treating and distributing the water are a different story. The infrastructure system designed to pull water from the river and to distribute finished water to the city was originally sized for 15 million gallons of water daily. That is just not happening.

 "Right now, we have a bottleneck in our ability to get more than 3 million gallons per day into the distribution system. And that's driven by the distribution system lines.

In the month of August of 2003, the demand required about 37 million gallons or about 1.1 million gallons per day, he said. However, that figure is down from peak summer usage of close to 3 million gallons a day. The system must be capable of providing hourly and daily peak usage with ample fire protection added in.

Most residents remember when the major transmission line servicing Coweta was replaced during the new construction of SH 51. The condition of this line went a long way to recognizing the magnitude of line deterioration and the reason that lost water was so high. The loss was a direct result of the poor structural integrity of the conveyance system. The line was brittle, porous and as a result leaked water. 

However, with 36 percent of Coweta’s water mains built before 1940 and another 33 percent built before 1960, city officials say water line breaks are not a matter of if, but a matter of when. Cost to replace aging lines is estimated at $14.4 million in today’s dollars. While a program for replacement is ongoing, only 1/3 of the 30 + year old lines have been replaced to date. Coweta has over 150 miles of aging water distribution that it must be maintained.

Reason ? Budget !

The city budgets about $200,000 for water main replacement in conjunction with budgeted street repairs. It also budgets an additional $250,000 for sewer line replacement. However the Public Works Director estimates that at least $1 million is needed annually to stay even.

What is being done?

The city of Coweta has recognized these issues and has become very proactive. For a community of its size, it is becoming a model for others to follow. To achieve that, Coweta first recognized the future needs. Growth coupled with the impact of new regulations. It then commenced on a program to reach compliance, but reaching it in a prudent, affordable manner.

The first step on this path has been to engage an engineering firm. A firm that is familiar with not only the regulations and most current design techniques to ensure compliance, but a firm that understands the city, its current and future needs. With that firm in place, the next step will be to present for evaluation, discussion and decisions the issues so that a plan can be developed that presents the proper courses of action.  The City has been working with Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC) from Tulsa to formulate just sort of a plan.

Lots of company

Coweta is not alone with its continual efforts to improve its water quality and quantity, said Monty Elder, spokesperson for the Oklahoma Department of Environment Quality.  93% of the Public Water Supplies in Oklahoma are considered small. In fact on eight serve populations greater than 50,000.

Around the state, 321 public water systems have open ODEQ consent orders, she said, including municipalities, rural water systems and smaller water systems. In addition, 40 percent of systems in municipalities with populations over 10,000 are currently in violation.

“On Jan. 1, 2004, communities of less than 10,000 could be in for an unpleasant surprise,” Elder said. “The rules that have been in force on levels of different contaminants like trihalomethanes, (THMs) and haloacetic acid (HAA5) for larger communities will be extended to all water systems in the state with populations greater than 1000, but less than 9,999.”

“Those communities with unacceptable levels of these contaminants will be faced with several options to get their water into acceptable ranges, and all of them are expensive,” she said.

Currently, Coweta is not under any consent order from ODEQ to reduce levels of  THMs  and HAA5 in its water, but preliminary tests indicate that by the time the regulations go into effect, January. 1, 2004, the city will be.

"The bottom line that I'd like to leave people with is that  we will start the improvements as quickly as we can, taking advantage of the low interest rates, but being fiscally responsible. Coweta is poised to grow and we need to upgrade the system to allow for our projected growth while maintaining the financial integrity of our budget," said City Manager Steve Whitlock.