seattle water distribution system which treatment

by Mr. Aurelio Koss Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago

How is Seattle water treated?

Fluoridation. Fluoride is added to the Cedar water supply, and to all of Seattle's water sources, for dental health. This is based on a vote of the public. For the Cedar supply, fluoride is added in the pipelines upstream of Lake Youngs.

What is water treatment and distribution?

Water suppliers withdraw water from lakes and rivers to be treated for human consumption and other uses. The water is treated and delivered to customers' taps through a system of pipes and storage facilities that make up the water distribution system.

Does Seattle put chlorine in water?

Our drinking water is treated with chlorine in order to protect against microbial contaminants. Because there is little else in our water that produces a taste or odor, the chlorine is often the only taste remaining.

What are the major sources of water supply in Seattle?

Seattle water comes from two large regional watersheds, Cedar and Tolt. Both are large drainage basins that collect rainwater flowing down from the Cascade mountain range.Feb 2, 2022

What are the types of water treatment?

Four Common Water Treatment Methods:

Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration. Reverse Osmosis is a process where water pressure is employed to force water through a semi-permeable membrane. ...
Ultraviolet Water Sterilization and Filtration. ...
Filtration. ...
Distillation.

What is the water treatment system?

Public drinking water systems use different water treatment methods to provide safe drinking water for their communities. Public water systems often use a series of water treatment steps that include coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection.

Does Seattle water need to be filtered?

In summary, tap water in Seattle is legally safe to drink but to be on the safe side, use an affordable active carbon filter such as TAPP.Apr 10, 2018

Why is Seattle tap water so good?

Seattle's Drinking Water is Safe From COVID-19

The City's water is chlorinated to remove microbial contaminants, such as bacteria and viruses. The water is also treated to remove and inactivate microbial contaminants such as chlorine-resistant Cryptosporidium.

What is the pH of Seattle tap water?

Between 7.5 and 8.5

pH Outlet from each clearwell (1) Between 7.5 and 8.5, as stipulated by SPU, + 0.2 pH units 95% of the time and + 0.4 pH units 100% of the time, based upon continuous monitoring. LCR Update - Where do we sample?Mar 9, 2016

How Clean Is Seattle tap water?

Yes, Seattle's tap water is generally considered safe to drink. Drinking it should not get you sick. Seattle's tap water has met the EPAâ€™s water quality mandates in its 2020 Water Quality Report. From April 1, 2018 to June 30, 2021 Seattle's Seattle Public Utilities has no violations.Dec 19, 2021

Does Seattle have hard water?

Washington water hardness is considered very low to moderately hard. The average water hardness is between 12 PPM to 218 PPM, which is considered to be hard water, by the USGS water hardness measures. Some examples of cities with very soft water are Seattle with 22 PPM and Everett with a hardness level of 12 PPM.

Is it safe to drink tap water in Seattle?

Seattle is known to have some of the cleanest tap water in the country. Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) provides the city with water from two local, protected sources - the Cedar River Watershed and the South Fork Tolt River Watershed located in the mountains around Seattle.

How many acres are there in the Cedar River watershed?

The Cedar River Municipal Watershed is 90,563 acres of land owned by the City of Seattle. The watershed is carefully managed to supply clean drinking water to 1.4 million people in the greater Seattle area as well as downstream water flows for salmon, lakes, and locks. About 99.8% of the land within the watershed's hydrographic basin, ...

Where does the Cedar River flow?

82% of the Cedar River's annual flow continues downstream past Landsburg, through Maple Valley and Renton, flowing into Lake Washington, Lake Union, and out the Chittenden Locks in Ballard to Puget Sound.

What is the Cedar River?

The Cedar River is an unfiltered surface water supply that produces some of the best water in the world.

2019 Plan Review and Adoption

SPU released the Public Review Draft of the 2019 Water System Plan on March 12, 2018. The plan, which contains changes to address the comments received on the draft plan from the public, was reviewed by Mayor Jenny Durkan and the Seattle City Council. In October 2018, it was adopted by City Ordinance 125687 (pdf).

View Final Water System Plan, August 2019

Volume 1 - 2019 Water System Plan (pdf)#N#Includes: Chapter 1 - Introduction, Chapter 2 - Water Resources, Chapter 3 - Water Quality and Treatment, Chapter 4 - Water Transmission System, Chapter 5 - Water Distribution System, Chapter 6 - Capital Improvement Budget, and Chapter 7 - Financial Program

Who built the first water system in Seattle?

Henry Yesler and other early settlers built Seattle's first water systems using open wooden flumes, and later pipes consisting of hand-bored logs, to carry water from springs in the slopes above downtown to the small settlement on Elliott Bay. In the 1880s private companies developed more extensive systems, pumping water from Lake Washington ...

When was the South Fork Dam built?

The South Fork Dam was dedicated in 1964. Soon after, Seattle's water service area expanded significantly with the addition of Bellevue and other large districts on the east side. Through the mid-1980s, water consumption rose as the population served grew, reaching an all time annual high in 1984.

Water quality and the distribution system

New pipes are added to distribution systems as development occurs. The additions result in a wide variation in:

Protecting water quality in distribution systems

The following EPA drinking water regulations pertain to distribution systems:

What is the water operations division?

The Water Operations Division installs, operates, maintains and repairs the City of Seattle water transmission and distribution systems. We perform this work 24/7/365 to protect public health and provide continuous fire flow pressure to protect public safety .

How many employees does the WO division have?

The WO Division has 135 staff. The division is divided into 4 functional areas. These areas perform the operations and maintenance (O&M) functions as well as Capital Improvements Projects (CIP) for the water system.

Treatment FAQ