UNREGULATED CONTAMINANTS

ARE YOU IN THE KNOW?

The City of Southlake Public Works Department updated every water meter in Southlake with cellular technology that allows you to view your daily water use right on your phone, tablet, or computer.

You can even set leak alerts so you can address any problems immediately and not be surprised by a large bill at the end of the month.

Sign up for your EyeOnWater account!

https://southlaketx. eyeonwater.com

Ask The Wastewater Supervisor

Jason Arellano, City of Southlake Wastewater Supervisor, has worked for the City of Southlake for 12 years and has been the Wastewater Supervisor for three years. Overall, Jason has 22 years of Public Works experience total. He’s here to answer some common questions we received from the Southlake community.

WHAT MAKES YOU PROUD TO WORK IN THE WASTEWATER INDUSTRY?

Helping customers get through situations that can be stressful and unpleasant at times; along with teaching and passing on knowledge that I have learned through the years to co-workers.

HOW CAN I LOWER MY WASTEWATER BILL?

Your wastewater bill is included on your water bill and is derived from the water usage that is collected from your water meter each month. So, being mindful of unnecessary water usage is critical in lowering your wastewater bill.

WHERE DOES THE CITY’S RESPONSIBILITY BEGIN AND END WITH RESPECT TO WASTEWATER UTILITIES?

The City’s responsibility is to manage, repair, and clean the sewer mains and lift stations within the City. The customer has the responsibility to repair and clean their services from the house to the tap. If in the case a plumber notifies the customer a break is under the street, the City wastewater crew will come out and televise the sewer and verify if the break is under the road; if it is, the City will make the repair to help ensure the road is properly restored.

WHY SHOULDN’T CUSTOMERS FLUSH WIPES? AREN’T THEY FLUSHABLE?

While wipes are labeled flushable, this term is used loosely as the wipes easily flush from toilets not causing many issues for homeowners or business owners. However, these items do not break down like normal toilet paper, causing lift station pumps and equipment at the treatment plant to clog, causing unnecessary backups or costly repairs to the equipment.

Ask The Wastewater Supervisor

Jason Arellano | City of Southlake Wastewater Supervisor

WHERE DOES THE WASTEWATER COME FROM AND FLOW TO?

Wastewater is the by-product that is collected in the sewer system from residential and commercial water usage. After wastewater hits the collection system, its flows by gravity to either a lift station or directly to the Trinity River Authority (TRA), where it is collected and treated.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I NOTICE SEWAGE IS OVERFLOWING FROM THE SEWER INFRASTRUCTURE ONTO THE GROUND?

As soon as possible, contact the Public Works Wastewater department at (817) 748-8082 during normal working hours (M-F, 7:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.) or if after-hours call (817) 743-4524.

Fire Hydrant Flushing

Water is a vital and important commodity to a community and requires the utmost preservation efforts to keep it safe and clean for drinking. In any public water system, there are processes in place to preserve the quality, reliability, and drinkability of water. Water tends to get stale and develop unwanted materials after some time, because of the duration it spends in pipelines from the water treatment plant to your faucet. One of the solutions to combat this issue is fire hydrant flushing.

Fire hydrant flushing occurs when water in public fire hydrants gets rapidly expelled to remove sediment, deposits, and biofilm buildup. By using unidirectional flushing, we’re ensuring fresh drinking water is coming through with sufficient oxygen and disinfectant levels at a high enough velocity to properly scour the pipe walls. During this process, water that comes out may be noticeably brown or murky but that’s normal! That’s all the bad stuff being pushed out. But why does this bad stuff form in the first place? What is biofilm and is it harmful?

Biofilm is a formation of microorganisms that adhere to the walls of water mains and can potentially cause adverse effects on public health if not dealt with. Biofilm can even cause corrosion to the pipes themselves. Luckily, with flushing, biofilm is forcibly removed from the pipe walls and pushed out, thus eliminating the risk of microbial contamination. Other materials, such as sediment, are naturally occurring and therefore have no health hazard, but nonetheless gets flushed out and removed as well.

Perhaps the most important aspect of fire hydrant flushing is the ability to maintain adequate residual levels of monochloramine and total chlorine.

Chlorine-based disinfectants are vital to ensure that water is safe for public consumption across the entire City of Southlake. Water that’s been stagnant has lower levels of chlorine residual which means it’s no longer acting as a strong disinfecting agent. Without proper disinfection, water can become susceptible to waterborne diseases such as cholera.These chlorine residuals also help to reduce that biofilm that develops on the water main walls.

To the untrained eye, fire hydrant flushing may seem like hundreds of gallons of water are going to waste on the street but assuredly, this water (which is dechlorinated) will eventually reach our creeks and lakes again. Additionally, in the long run, fire hydrant flushing is a necessary step in maintaining our public water system. If fire hydrant flushing was not performed for long periods of time, the stagnant water would cause a domino effect on our water system and create unfavorable issues for both public health and public infrastructure.

Many residents may witness water being flushed out at high speed and wonder if the water pressure in their homes may be affected. The good news is, it’s not! Residents will only experience a very slight drop in their water pressure. However, if discoloration is noticed after fire hydrant flushing has been performed nearby, it is generally recommended that residents run their tap for a couple minutes until the water runs clear. The discoloration in water is normal and does not pose any health hazard.

Fire hydrant flushing is a necessary step in maintaining our public water systems and maintaining an excellent standard in the City of Southlake and keep our drinking water safe and clean. Without flushing, water would remain stagnant, and buildup would run rampant. Although it might seem like water is being wasted, ultimately the pros of flushing outweigh the consequences of what might happen if the City of Southlake didn’t flush periodically or at all.

Save up to $200 on your water bill!

Wonder if your sprinkler system could be more efficient to save you both water and money? Most sprinkler systems need some special attention to make sure they are working the way they are supposed to. Did you know that one broken sprinkler head on your property could waste 25,000 gallons in just six months?! Your free W.I.S.E. Guys evaluation will provide great recommendations on the condition of your sprinkler system. Don’t wait until a high summer water bill to get it fixed! Check out www.cityofsouthlake.com/wiseguys to learn how to sign up!