Dave Epperson, director of operations at KPUD, spent half an hour on the phone with me (Becky) this morning answering questions about the progress of the water filter.
Short story: the water filter went online on time on Monday, July 17. Water mains are being flushed today, Tuesday, July 18, and individual home lines will be flushed by six KPUD crew members tomorrow, Wednesday, July 19. This is the planned and communicated timeline on the door hanger we received.
More notes on this topic are below.
Why does it seem like there is a part near the well that isn’t hooked up yet? That’s true. Part of the new filter process is a backwash water tank that lives outside the filter. The filter vessels trap iron and manganese in their core materials. On a schedule, the filter automatically reverses 10% of the flow of water into the backwater tank for storage so these minerals are flushed out of the filter. Water must be discharged from this backwash tank at intervals. In most systems the water is dumped into a wastewater pond constructed near the tanks. Our system will recycle the water instead, which is the most up-to-date way to conserve resources. The backwash tank was delayed in delivery and is not yet plumbed in. The work for that is scheduled for next week. Meanwhile, the filter system is completely online.
What is flushing the mains supposed to do? KPUD will use a higher flush pressure than usual in an attempt to proactively dislodge mineral build up in the main line and house lines. This should break free excessive inorganic materials that accumulate inside the pipes. Removing this material allows for a higher flow rate and helps speed up the process of cleaner water flowing to the homes. KPUD recommends homeowners run an outdoor hose for 5-10 minutes (at a water cost of about 50 cents) after the lines have been flushed to aid in the cleaning process.
What’s with the chlorine comment? Previous to the water filter, our chlorine level was 0.1 parts per million (ppm). After the water filter came online, our chlorine level is 0.5 ppm. While this is higher, it is still one half of one part chlorine per million parts water and the iron and manganese levels will be much lower at only 0.2 ppm. Yes, there is a possibility some more sensitive palates will notice the change in taste due to the reduction of minerals and increase in chlorine. This is uncommon. Adding lemon slices to a pitcher of water will neutralize any chlorine and is recommended for people who are highly sensitive.
What are the next steps? After the backwash tank is complete next week, KPUD will continue monitoring the levels in the filter monthly and will flush water mains quarterly for approximately one year. Water main flushing will reduce to semi-yearly, yearly, and then biyearly after that. The surcharge for the filter system has not yet been distributed to our water bills because the work is not officially complete. Mr. Epperson will continue to communicate with the officers on that point.
Further questions can be sent to officers@strawberryhillhoa.org or left as comments on this blog post. We’ll do our best to get your questions answered.
Strawberry Hill HOA 