Special to Iredell Free News
The City of Statesville has released its 2022 Water Quality Report, and the results show the City’s drinking water meets or exceeds every health standard developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the North Carolina Department of Environmental 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 resources, the testing methodology, the substances detected in the water, and the levels of those substances.
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. The report can be viewed online at www.statesvillenc.net/water_report and hard copies can be obtained by calling 704-878-3441.
“We are very proud of our success in providing Statesville with a reliable supply of safe and affordable drinking water,” said Harry Hull, Statesville’s Water Resources Plant supervisor. “Our mission is to support public safety and public health and to enhance regional economic development. That means ensuring our water continues to be a good value.”
The Water Resources Department received the N.C. Area Wide Optimization Award by the N.C. Division of Water Resources for the fourth consecutive year. Each year the awards are given to water systems that demonstrate outstanding turbidity removal, which is a key test of drinking water quality. 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. All drinking water systems must meet strict state and federal drinking water standards, but these systems met performance goals that are significantly more stringent than state and federal standards.
Protection of drinking water 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 resources. Residents can also help by keeping debris away from the drains and reporting any issues with storm drains to 1-866-4-1-STORM.
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 the South Yadkin River. The City also has a few interconnects with other close municipalities for emergency or regular use if needed.