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The Water Treatment Plant is actually two separate water plants. Plant one was built in 1938 and 1949 and can process 22 million gallons of water per day (MGD). Plant two, built in 1966 and 1975, can process 28 MGD. Each plant has two stages, primary and secondary. The water is softened in the primary stage and the water is recarbonated (pH adjustment) in the secondary stage.
Primary and secondary stage each have three steps: rapid mixing, flocculation and settling. Rapid mixing is for quick dispersion of the chemicals being added. Flocculation or slow mixing gives the chemical reaction the time it needs to go to completion. Settling is the removal of solids from the water by gravity. After the settling stages the water is then sent to the primary disinfection stage. After that the water is filtered and disinfected once again.
Making high quality drinking water takes a team of licensed, educated, caring personnel: operators, lab technicians, mechanics, engineers, scientists, account clerks and administrators.
The Water Treatment Plant also manages the City’s water distribution system, which is comprised of five pressure districts within the city. The main reservoir, three outlying reservoirs, four remote pump stations and two elevated tanks supply these districts. |