2019 Water Utilities Consumer Confidence Report 2019 Water Utilities Consumer Confidence Report | Página 4

DID
YOU
KNOW?
Arlington Water Utilities produced
18,674,420,202 gallons of treated water
for use by customers in Arlington in
2019. The department reported a system
water loss percentage of 10.19 percent,
which refers to the amount of water lost
due to leaks, water line breaks or other
non-revenue water use.
For more information:
Water Quality:................................................ 817-575-8984
Laboratory services, water quality questions or water quality
problems. If you have questions concerning this brochure, ask for
the laboratory.
Customer Care:...............................................817-275-5931
Open new or transfer account, billing inquiries, water conservation,
water and sewer rates.
Emergency Water, and
Sewer Services (24 hours):...........................817-459-5900
Service interruptions, water leaks, sewer problems
Texas Commission on Environmental
Quality (TCEQ):..............................................512-239-1000
To participate in decisions concerning water:
Attend the Arlington City Council meetings
held in City Hall, 101 West Abram Street.
Meeting schedule is posted online at
www.arlingtontx.gov/city_hall/government/city_council/
meetings/schedule
To view City Council Agenda or to watch a City Council
meeting webcast, please visit
www.arlingtontx.gov/city_hall/government/city_council/
meetings/watch/city_council_meetings
In accordance with Section 13.045 of the Texas Water Code, the City
hereby provides notice that customer revenue derived from the sale
of water to wholesale customers for resale was expended for various
economic development and Capital Budget projects.
Visit our website at:
www.ArlingtonTX.gov/waterccr
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Safe Drinking Water
Hotline

Drinking water, including
bottled water, may reasonably be
expected to contain at least small
amounts of some contaminants. The
presence of these contaminants does
not necessarily indicate that water
poses a health risk. In order to ensure
that tap water is safe to drink, the EPA prescribes regulations
that limit the amount of certain substances in water provided by
public water systems.

More information about contaminants and potential health
effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection
Agency’s (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791 or
visiting the website at www.epa.gov/safewater.
The Arlington Water Utilities
laboratory staff is available to
answer your questions about
water quality at 817-575-8984.
Here are answers to common
water treatment questions.
ASK
THE
LAB
Why does my drinking water have chlorine in it? Chlorine
is used as a disinfectant to deactivate (kill) microscopic living organisms
that are typically found in surface water reservoirs like Lake Arlington. The
water from a surface water reservoir will naturally contain many biological
constituents like algae, bacteria, protozoans and viruses. Some of these
biological constituents can cause diseases and are known as pathogens.
Others are perfectly harmless. In the water treatment process, chlorine
is used specifically to deactivate the pathogens. Additionally, chlorine is
added to the water and expected to stay present in the miles of piping
before it gets to your home or business, therefore keeping the water safe
for that entire journey.
What does chlorine do? Chlorine is a very powerful oxidant, which
destroys the cell walls of microscopic algae, bacteria, protozoans and
viruses. Once the cell wall is destroyed, the contents of cell spill out and
the cell is destroyed.
Does AWU use other disinfectants? Yes, we utilize two very
powerful disinfectants in addition to chlorine. One is ozone that is created
at the water treatment facility by a machine called an ozonator which takes
oxygen and turns it into ozone. The other is hydrogen peroxide, which
you might recognize as being a home disinfectant for cuts and scrapes
or it is in toothpaste for its oxidizing, or whitening, power. Both of these
disinfectants are used in the water treatment process before the addition of
chlorine.
Are there other ways of removing small bacteria or viruses?
Yes. In addition to disinfectants, the entire water treatment process is
designed to provide multiple barriers of protection. If one system does not
completely do the job that it was expected to, another process or barrier
is in place to treat the water until it is safe to drink. Some of those other
processes or barriers are:
• Protecting the reservoir with a watershed protection plan and trying to
keep pathogens out of the water in the first place.
• Coagulation and settling using chemicals called coagulants to cause the
small items in the water to stick together and settle out of the waster for
removal.
• Filtration by passing the water through different kinds of sand and carbon
to remove extremely small particles down to the size of single bacterium.
• Biofiltration, which occurs at the same time as filtration but is different in
its mechanism of removal. Biofiltration uses live bacteria on the sand and
carbon to remove other bacteria both non-pathogenic bacteria as well
as pathogens.
How is the water in the pipes running to homes and
businesses protected? Again, chlorine comes into play with the
continued disinfection throughout the water distribution (or piping) system.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency requires a measurable
amount of chlorine to be present at the farthest reaches of the distribution
system. If chlorine is measured at those locations, it will be found at higher
levels in other parts of the distribution system. In addition, the level of chlorine
is tested throughout the water distribution system every day to ensure it is at
the correct level.
Want to learn more? Visit us at www.arlingtontx.gov/water
or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/arlingtonwater)
or Twitter (@arlingtonwater). You can also find useful information
about efficient water use at www.SaveArlingtonWater.com.
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