Special to Iredell Free News
The City of Statesville has released its 2021 Water Quality Report, and results show the city’s drinking water meets or exceeds every health standard developed by both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Statesville’s Water Quality Report is prepared by the City’s Water Resources Department to meet the EPA’s National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR). It details drinking water sources, the testing methodology, the substances detected in the water and the levels of those substances.
The report can be viewed online HERE. Hard copies can be obtained by calling 704-878-3441.
The report gives the background on Statesville’s water system, explains the testing and many of the terms used in the information, and provides a variety of useful charts.
Harry Hull, Statesville’s Water Treatment Plant supervisor, is extremely pleased that the turbidity levels continue to decrease. These low levels resulted in Statesville receiving the prestigious N.C. Area Wide Optimization Award by the N.C. Division of Water Resources for three years in a row and indicate that the treatment process is being optimized.
Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness or haziness of water caused by individual particles that can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. Microbes are microscopic particles that occur naturally but can include harmful bacteria and viruses.
“We are very proud of our success in providing Statesville with a reliable supply of safe and affordable drinking water,” said Hull.
The city’s priority, Hull explained, is to keep up with the latest technology in water treatment and will continue to upgrade equipment each year.
Protection of drinking water, however, is everyone’s responsibility. Simple ways to protect our drinking water sources is to dispose of chemicals properly and take used motor oil to a recycling center.
Protecting our storm drains is a very beneficial way to protect our water sources. Resident can also help by keeping debris away from the drains and reporting any issues with storm drains to 866-4-1-STORM.
The City of Statesville has been serving water to the community for many decades and is committed to providing its customers with water that meets more than 150 state and federal drinking water standards. The city draws its source water from the Catawba River Basin on Lookout Shoals Lake and has a backup source from South Yadkin River. The city also has a few interconnects with other close municipalities for emergency or regular use if needed.