Monday, April 9, 2007

New Trinity River Authority ozone system to improve taste of North Richland Hills water

By Pegasus News wire

The Trinity River Authority of Texas (TRA), which supplies water to a portion of the City of North Richland Hills, recently implemented a new ozone system for treating water.

This new system is expected to improve the quality and taste of water delivered to some of the homes and businesses in our community, as well as the communities of Bedford, Colleyville, Euless and Grapevine. TRA has been working on the transition to ozone disinfection for the past several years.

No, Timmy, stop drinking the water!

One of the many positive results of the new ozone system will be to minimize the occurrence of the earthy/musty flavor and odor experienced in the past. Historically, water customers have experienced the more significant occurrences of taste and odor during winter months starting in December. The episodes generally coincide with changes in raw water quality due to algae decay in the raw water source and the release of compounds that produce taste and odor issues. However, the safety of the water has never been a problem.

TRA purchases raw water from the Tarrant Regional Water District which pumps raw water from Cedar Creek and Richland Chambers Lakes in east Texas and delivers it to TRA in Lake Arlington. Algae in any or all of the involved lakes can produce aesthetic problems in the finished water delivered to customers. For a period of time after the start-up of the ozone system, a difference in the aesthetic quality of the water may be noticeable to some customers.

It will take some time for the system to acclimate to changes produced by ozone disinfection. Once the acclimation occurs, an improved taste to the water is anticipated. Ozonation is the leading edge of water treatment technology, but it still remains possible for water aesthetic problems to occur. Compared to past experiences, these occurrences will be vastly minimized in the terms of frequency and severity. Questions or concerns about water quality may be directed to the North Richland Hills Public Works Department at 817-427-6440. New Treatment Process to Improve Water Taste, Odor

Source: City of North Richland Hills

See more stories in:

• News