What do you know about your H2O?
There's so much to know about your H2O! Were does it come from and how does it get into
our homes? How is it cleaned before we drink it? Which laws protect it? What other benefits does it
offer besides public health and fire protection?
Water plays a critical role in our daily lives and the quality of life we enjoy. Every day, millions of people turn on their faucets, but give little thought to the water that streams out.
The Southwest and Northwest regions of Onslow County receive their water from the Black
Creek Aquifer. ONWASA adds chlorine as an disinfectant and Zinc Orthophosphate is added as a
corrosion inhibitor. These are added right into the Well since the water does not need to go through
our treatment plants.
The Hubert and Dixon Water Treatment Plants both treat the water from the Castle Hayne Aquifer. The Hubert Plant provides water to the Piney Green, Hubert, Swansboro, and Ramsey Road.
The Dixon Water Treatment Plant provides water to Holly Ridge, North Topsail Beach, Sneads Ferry,
and parts of the Southwest region up to Hwy 53. Castle Hayne water is treated at the plants for iron,
hardness, and manganese to make it more like the Black Creek water which is more pure and does
not require those treatments.
All of ONWASA’s water is pumped through pumps out of the
plants and into elevated tanks which then provides pressure to push it
thru the pipes, also called the Distribution system. The water is pushed
through the distribution system to your water meter, which is usually located out by the street. ONWASA is responsible for all pipes leading up
to the water meter. Pipes from the meter to the house and inside the
house are the homeowners responsibility to care for and maintain.
Laws for the treatment of public water are set by the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA. The Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, or DENR,
which is the State level must adopt the EPA’s laws but can choose to be more strict with the laws.
ONWASA pulls samples of the water per the State regulations which dictates the level of treatments used and what constituents are allowed in the water supply.
ONWASA is very fortunate that many of the EPA regulated constituents are not even found in
the water and therefore ONWASA is only required to sample for those constituents every three years
while other constituents are sampled daily to ensure a safe supply of drinking water.
Every employee at ONWASA plays a key role in making sure quality water is provided to your
home from our Water Treatment Plant Operators, Distribution team, Meter readers, to our Customer
Service Representatives.
Next time your turn on your faucet, stop and think a minute about where your water comes
from and all of the people who take the time to ensure that quality water is delivered to your tap.
For more information about H2O, you can visit www.drinktap.org or the ONWASA website
228 Georgetown Road  Jacksonville, NC 28540  (910) 455-0722  www.onwasa.com