Water Quality Report reveals tap water safety
The results are in, and customers of the Henry County Water Authority (HCWA) can have confidence knowing their tap water is clean and safe to drink. That’s why the annual Water Quality Report the HCWA produces is also referred to as a Consumer Confidence Report – because instilling confidence in consumers over the quality of their drinking water is its primary goal.
More specifically, the 2019 Henry County Water Quality Report showed no violations of water quality supply, production, or distribution standards by the HCWA. The Authority’s drinking water again met or exceeded all industry safeguards for water quality, reflected in water samples and laboratory tests conducted from Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2018. The laboratory evidence of HCWA drinking water quality, reviewed and authenticated by the state Environmental Protection Division (EPD), informs customers of what is in their drinking water and why.
The lab data analyzed and included in the 2019 Henry County Water Quality Report include measures of regulated substances found at the source, during drinking water production at both HCWA water treatment plants, and within the HCWA distribution system. These lab results provide consumers with the assurance that the detected amounts of potential contaminants are well within the limits allowed by Georgia EPD, in accordance with federal guidelines of the Safe Drinking Water Act enforced by the U.S. EPA.
Potential contaminants for which regulatory agencies require testing include those categorized as organic, inorganic, or microbiological, or as the result of disinfectants or disinfectant by-products used in the drinking water treatment process. The Henry County Water Quality Report also outlines the treatment technologies and processes used by the HCWA in its water system operations.
In addition to the Water Quality Data featured in the 2019 Henry County Water Quality Report, the HCWA also provides an overview of its system, which includes five drinking water reservoirs owned and operated by the Authority, with 18 billion gallons of raw water. That storage is equivalent to an estimated 500 days of supply, independent of additional rainfall that supplies raw water for production at the HCWA, which is classified as a “surface water system.”
The HCWA also has approximately 1,347 miles of transmission and distribution mains, 15 storage tanks with 28.9 million gallons of finished drinking water storage capacity, and two water treatment plants with a combined permitted capacity of 40.5 million gallons per day (MGD).
“The positive results of our Water Quality Report this year reflect the hard work, dedication and professional oversight of our employees, as well as the integrity of our system,” says Lindy Farmer, HCWA General Manager. “Our mission as a water utility is to provide clean, safe drinking water for all of our customers, while assuring them that there are no threats to public health from consumption of their tap water. We’ve invested in long-term planning and the renewal and replacement of assets and infrastructure to make sure our water quality continues to be ranked among the best in the industry.”
Water Quality Reports became a regulatory requirement of public water utilities following the 1996 Amendments by Congress to the Safe Drinking Water Act, to increase the public’s “right to know” about the nature of their drinking water.
The 2019 Henry County Water Quality Report is available on the Authority’s website at http://waterqualityreport.hcwa.com/report.pdf. Hard copies also are available upon request at the HCWA Headquarters, located at 1695 Highway 20 West in McDonough. Customers also can request to receive a copy via mail by calling 770-957-6659.
Media contact:
Chris Wood, Ph.D.
Phone: 770-757-1681
Email: chris@jwapr.com