Water Quality Sustainability

Have you ever wondered how we can just turn on faucet and have crystal clear water, healthy enough for drinking? Lincoln hasn’t always had this luxury… and it just doesn’t happen by magic. There is actually a very complex system behind it that has been developed over many years.

The sources of our drinking water come from surface water, including lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. This water needs to be filtered and treated. Nature has done a lot of the work for us by filtering the water by perculating through the soil, down into the aquifer; however, iron and manganese content are still high. To remove these elements our water is treated at treatment plants, before being sent to our homes. The old process that has been used in the 1930’s is still used today. This includes: aeration, chlorination, detention and filtration. An exact of amount of chlorine is added to reservoirs and held for up to two hours. The undesired particles then get filtered through the sand and gravel, which gets cleaned every 5 days. Another process uses the strong oxidizer and disinfectant known as ozone. After the water undergoes these processes, the disinfectant called chloramine is added to prevent bacteria growth in the city’s pipes. Fluoride is also added to prevent tooth decay. In order to prevent other contaminants, Lincoln has a cross connection control program. This employs backflow prevention devices in case of a main break that causes a sudden drop in pressure, or caused by heavy usage. Plumbing systems need to be inspected every five years as preventative maintenance. Water services are owned and maintained by the property owner. In order to deliver water to these owners, $1.7 million is spent for electricity. Another $1.35 million is spent on the electricity and diesel fuel to pump that water to Lincoln. The city covers more than 90 square miles, and has 1,243 miles of water mains, 10,562 fire hydrants and 24,993 valves. 105 broken mains were repaired in 2011. The water delivered to our homes can vary from 41 degrees to 77 degrees. The average use per person came out to be 124 gallons every day in 2011.

The Safe Drinking Water act requires that Lincoln Water System issues a report, describing the quality of our drinking water. This report helps us understand and raise awareness about the quality and conservation of our water. All of this information can be found on InterLinc. By going to www.lincoln.ne.gov/city/pworks/water, you find fun facts, general information, informative videos, water distribution information, water system master plans, and water quality data. All of this is managed by public works, and when it comes to the conservation of our water it is monitored and decided by the mayor. All of Lincoln Water Systems operators and state certified, and must be documented to comply with state and federal laws. Their hours are around the clock, same as any repair man that works on the mains.