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What chemicals are used in treating Greensboro’s water? You may be wondering what chemicals are used in treating Greensboro’s water. There are several different things the city uses to make the water safe for drinking.   Sodium Permanganate: The first chemical is sodium permanganate. This is used to remove iron, manganese and other particles from water that could affect tastes and odors of the water.  Ferric Sulfate: Another chemical used is ferric sulfate. This is used to remove natural substances from raw water. Lime/Caustic: Lime/Caustic are also added to the water to balance pH and alkalinity. Sodium Hypochlorite: Sodium hypochlorite is added to water to help disinfect it. Orthophosphate: Orthophosphate is added to the water to prevent pipe corrosion. Fluoride: Fluoride is added to the water to help reduce tooth decay. The city complies with EPA regulations about how much fluoride is present in our drinking water. Ammonium Sulfate: The last thing is liquid ammonium sulfate which […]

Greensboro water sources Greensboro gets its water from Lake Townsend, Lake Brandt, and Lake Higgins. Lake Higgins is used as a backup water source to refill the other lakes when needed. Water from Lake Brandt is set to Mitchell Water Plant for treatment and water from Lake Townsend is sent to Townsend Water Plant.   The treatment process includes the following steps: First the water is pretreated. For Lake Brandt water this means that they use Liquid Sodium Permanganate to help get rid of Manganese, Iron and other things from the water. Then this water is taken to the treatment plant. At Lake Townsend pretreatment is done by using hypochlorite. Next the water goes through coagulation and flocculation. These terms sound intimidating but let’s break them down a little. Coagulation means that they add Ferric Sulfate to the water and then mix it. This causes the smaller particles in the […]

What is a well? A well is a hole drilled in the ground in order to access water. It uses a pump and pipes to pull the water into your house. The well also screens out dirt/sand and other unwanted particles that could clog your pipes.    TYPES OF WELLS There are two basic types of wells that you see, including: Shallow wells: These are normally bored wells and are less than 100 feet deep. Deep wells: These wells are normally 250 feet deep on average and sometimes have to go through rock to get to water.   Well Construction  The first step in constructing a well is to find the right location for it. You will need to look at the size of the area, the proximity to property lines, and the proximity to things that could contaminate the water in the well. Next comes the actual drilling of […]

4 Common Water Well Repairs Maintaining your well is important so that you can have safe drinking water for your family and home. Sometimes though, things break or wear out and need to be repaired or replaced. There are several different parts of your water well that could need replacing or repairing. We are going to share the most common water well repairs.   1 . Pump The most common repair for water wells is the pump. Over time pumps can wear out or break. You may notice a drop in water pressure which could mean your pump isn’t working properly. Your pump could just need replacing or your could need a bigger pump. The size of the pump depends on the amount of water the house is using, whether that be in appliances, bathrooms or outdoors. If you have added more water usage to your home then you may just […]