From the Tap
s umm e r
In This Issue:
Your Fairfax Water 1
Only Rain Down
the Drain2
Holiday Schedule2
2 0 1 0
Your Fairfax Water
This is an ongoing series about Fairfax Water - its structure, services, planning, and
resources.
Have you ever wondered what happens to the water before it comes out of your tap? How
do we treat the water you use for drinking, cooking, cleaning, watering your lawn, and so
much more? Treating the high-quality water that is delivered to your home is done
by our Production Division. This is a BIG job for the 81 employees in this division
who produced an average of 145 million gallons of water per day in 2009.
The Production Division
Frederick P. Griffith, Jr.
Treatment Plant
Customer Comments
I work for Washington Gas, and I
know what an asset a competent
and personable service person is
to organizations like ours. I just
wanted to let you know that you
have a good one in the person
of Jerry . On Saturday, Feb. 2, I
needed an emergency service call.
I discovered two pin-hole leaks
in the body of my water meter actually, I discovered water on the
basement floor first. I called your
after-hours number at noon, the
dispatcher took my info, and Jerry
responded within two hours. He
was in and out with a meter swap
within 10 minutes, and it was a
pleasure to watch him work and
get to talk with him a little bit as
he was doing so. I have lived at
this address for 23 year, and he
made my first customer service
experience with Fairfax Water a
very positive one.
Home for our Production Division is our two water treatment plants, the largest in
Virginia. The James J. Corbalis, Jr. Treatment Plant is in Herndon and draws water
from the Potomac River. The Frederick P. Griffith, Jr. Treatment Plant is in Lorton
and draws water from the Occoquan Reservoir. The Corbalis plant can produce a
total of 225 million gallons per day and the Griffith plant can produce 120 million
gallons per day, giving us the ability to treat up to 345 million gallons per day.
But what is the story behind the story – who actually treats the water? Well, the
answer is it takes a variety of highly trained people to produce the average 145
million gallons of water each day that is delivered to the taps of more than 1.5 million
people in the northern Virginia area. Licensed waterworks operators, electricians, mechanics, planners, industrial painters, and technicians – each with specialized training in treating
water or maintaining the equipment necessary to treat water – work together to bring highquality drinking water to each of our customers. Our operators bear the the tremendous
responsibility of protecting public health and are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week
and 365 days a year. Support trades are always on call to respond quickly when needed.
Fairfax Water uses a ‘multiple-barrier-approach’ to treating water. This means that we want
to apply as many different treatments as we can to clean the water. In total, we apply six
different treatment techniques:
1. Coagulation – In the first step of the process, chemicals called coagulants are added
to the raw water, which causes small particles to adhere to one another. This process is
called coagulation.
2. Flocculation - As the particles continue to coagulate, they create larger particles called
floc. As the water is slowly mixed, the floc particles continue to group together becoming heavier and heavier.
3. Sedimentation – During the next step, the heavy floc settles to the bottom of the sedimentation basins. Once the floc has settled, paddles gently sweep the basins to clean
away this settled material. (cont. on page 2)
Water
is life
2010 al
Annu
Water y
Qualit t
repor
2010 Annual Water Quality Report
The Fairfax Water 2010 Annual Water Quality Report was distributed in the Washington Post on Sunday, June 6 and by mail
to customers who do not subscribe to the Post. If you did not
receive a copy or would like an additional copy, visit
www.fairfaxwater.org and click on News to Know or call 703289-6019, TTY 711.
A Fairfax Water Customer
You can learn more about Fairfax Water’s operations on our Web site at
www.fairfaxwater.org. The fall issue of “From the Tap,” appearing in bills from September
through November, will introduce another Fairfax Water division.
F or m or e i n for m atio n , v isit u s o n l i n e at www. fa irfa x wat e r . org .
Editor’s Note
If you have comments or
suggestions about this publication,
please e-mail us at
[email protected], call us at
703-698-5600, or write to the
address below.
From the Tap Editor
Fairfax Water
8570 Executive Park Avenue
Fairfax, VA 22031
Important Numbers
Fairfax Water Services
Questions about water service:
703-698-5800
After-hours water emergencies:
703-698-5613
To report a water main break:
703-698-5613 or e-mail
[email protected]
Questions about billing:
703-698-5800
All other Fairfax Water
departments: 703-698-5600
Fairfax County Services
24-hour trouble response center
for sewer back-ups or sluggish
flow in a sink, toilet, or tub:
703-323-1211
Sanitary sewer billing
information: 703-324-5015
Sanitary sewer back-ups and line
maintenance: 703-250-2003
Dig with C.A.R.E.
Miss Utility at 1-800-552-7001
or 811
Use TTY 711 (Virginia Relay)
for all numbers unless otherwise
stated.
4. Ozonation – At this point, Fairfax Water adds an extra step in the process – ozonation.
This step infuses the water with ozone, a gas produced by subjecting oxygen molecules to
high electrical voltages. This step destroys bacteria and other microorganisms. In 2000, the
Corbalis treatment plant became the first in Virginia and one of a few in the nation to treat
water with ozone – a powerful disinfectant.
This treatment is now used at both Fairfax
Water treatment plants.
5. Filtration – The next step is filtering the
water using granular activated carbon
(GAC) filters to remove remaining fine particles. Research has shown that GAC is one
of the most effective filter materials. When
used in combination with ozone, it is very
effective in removing broad categories of
personal care products and pharmaceuticals.
James J. Corbalis, Jr. Treatment Plant
6. Disinfection – The final step in the process
is to add chlorine to provide protection for the
water as it travels through the distribution system to your tap and fluoride to protect teeth.
Although Fairfax Water has no lead in its distribution system, a corrosion inhibitor is added
to help prevent lead from leaching into your water from household plumbing. The pH is
also adjusted to minimize corrosion in household plumbing.
Protecting the health of our customers through the delivery of high-quality drinking water is
an awesome responsibility. The Production Division plays a key role in assuring that the water
your family uses surpasses not only state and federal standards, but measures up to Fairfax Water’s superior standards. To learn more about the water treatment process, read our e-book “The
Full Treatment” at www.fairfaxwater.org - just click on Educational Resources - or call
703-698-5600, TTY 711 for more information.
Only Rain Down the Drain
Did you know that the water that goes down the storm drain
on your street flows right into your local stream? Polluted
rain water is the nation’s number one water quality problem.
Nonpoint source pollution, often called stormwater runoff
pollution, comes from many sources, including parking lots,
lawns, driveways, golf courses, and roads. Rainwater that
runs off these surfaces picks up contaminants like motor oil, fertilizer, pesticides,
and bacteria from pet waste. This stormwater runoff flows into storm drains and
eventually ends up in the Occoquan Reservoir and the Potomac River, Fairfax
Water’s raw water sources. So what can you do to prevent water pollution?
Follow these simple tips:
• Dispose of used motor oil and household hazardous waste properly. Don’t
pour it on the driveway or into the storm drain;
• Avoid excess fertilizer or pesticide use, especially before rain is predicted;
• Wash your car at a commercial car wash, or in a location where the soapy
water will not run into the storm drain;
• Sweep up dirt, grass clippings, and other yard waste instead of washing them down the
driveway and into the gutter; and
• Always pick up pet waste from your yard, sidewalk, or park area.
For more information about preventing water pollution, visit www.onlyrain.org or call
703-324-1460, TTY 711.
Water-Saving
Tip
If water runs off your lawn easily, split
your watering time into shorter periods
to allow for better absorption.
For more information and other watersaving tips, visit www.wateruseitwisely.
com.
Holiday Schedule
Fairfax Water offices will be closed for the
following holidays:
Independence Day – Monday, July 5
Labor Day - Monday, Sept. 6
Columbus Day - Monday, Oct. 11
Veteran’s Day - Thursday, Nov. 11
Thanksgiving - Thursday, Nov. 25 and
Friday, Nov. 26
To report an emergency outside of Fairfax
Water’s normal business hours, please call
703-698-5613, TTY 711.
F or m or e i n for m atio n , v isit u s o n l i n e at www. fa irfa x wat e r . org .