General, Water Quality

Bad Drinking Water Tastes and Odors May Be Coming from Your Own Front Yard

It may seem surprising, but what you do in your front yard can affect the taste and odor of your drinking water.

How? 

Your private plumbing system begins at the end of the meter box. The plumbing in your front yard may be made of PVC, PEX, or other pipe materials that can allow some outside chemical contaminants, such as pesticides and fuels, to seep through their joints. 

Why should I care? 

Damaging your service line can be costly, often requiring thousands of dollars for replacement. Read the stories below to learn more from real-life events.

Real-Life Examples

– A customer parked their car over the grass between the meter box and their house. The car’s oil leak seeped into the service pipe. 

– A customer attempted to eliminate an underground wasp nest by pouring gasoline into the hole. The gas flowed beside the private service line, causing odor and taste issues, and had to be replaced. 

– A customer reported a chemical odor and taste that was traced to a painter washing a brush with turpentine and pouring the turpentine on the ground over the water line.

– A customer reported a plastic odor and taste, which was traced a garden hose filled with water in the heating up from the sun and creating a bad taste. 

– A customer reported a chemical soapy odor and taste that was traced to a plant fertilizer bottle attached to the hose.  A low-pressure event can cause water to be back-siphoned into the house if there is no backflow prevention device.

Tips 

  • Call NC811 before you dig.
    • Most service lines run straight from the meter box to the home. Is anything leaking above the service line, like a car?
    • Was anything sprayed or poured on the front yard between the water meter and the home?
  • Run cold water for 10 minutes to see if the problem continues. 
  • Check all faucets to see if the issue is isolated to one faucet or affects the entire house. 
  • Talk to your neighbors to see if they are experiencing similar issues. 
  • If you notice any unusual odor or taste, call 311 immediately and say or select water quality emergency.
  • Drain odors can often be mistaken for tap water odors.  Pour a glass of water and move away from the sink drain.  Smell the glass of water; if no odor, check the drain and perform cleaning. 
  • Aging water heaters can cause odors.  If your cold water has no odor but the hot water does, perform maintenance on your water heater as per the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Events, General, History, Infrastructure Improvements, Project & Construction Update, Projects

Mount Holly Pump Station Officially Commissioned

Charlotte Water and the City of Mount Holly celebrated the official commissioning of the Mount Holly Pump Station at Tuckaseege Park. This transformative moment reinforces our commitment to providing the best regional water infrastructure for our community.

Group photo of Charlotte Water and Mt. Holly attendees
Group photo of Charlotte Water and Mt. Holly attendees
Group photo of Charlotte Water and Mt. Holly attendees
photo of Mt. Holly Flag from a fire truck in the foreground and a Charlotte Water flag waving from a crane at the construction site.
City of Charlotte Councilmember Lawana Mayfield handing a plaque to Mt Holly Mayor David Moore.
CLTWater Director Angela Charles addressing the croud with screens showing Mt Holly's wastewater flowing to CLTWater long creek pump station and eventual Stowe Regional Water Recovery Facility
Photo of elected officials turning the large blue valve to open the flow and move Mt Holly's wastewater under the Catawba River to Mecklenburg County.

Connecting Communities

This commissioning ceremony represents more than just flipping a switch; it’s the culmination of extensive regional collaboration and engineering innovation. The new pump station now connects Mount Holly’s wastewater system to Charlotte Water’s regional network through specially installed pipelines running approximately 65 feet beneath the Catawba River and Long Creek.

How It Works

  • Wastewater travels from Mount Holly homes and businesses to the new Mount Holly Pump Station
  • The station then pumps wastewater through underwater pipelines to Charlotte Water’s Long Creek Pump Station
  • From there, wastewater will be treated at existing Charlotte Water facilities

Partnership for the Future

This commissioning is a huge milestone in the larger Stowe Regional Water Resource Recovery Facility project. By transitioning Mount Holly’s wastewater service to Charlotte Water, we’re creating a more resilient and sustainable system that will protect water quality in the Catawba River while preparing our communities for future growth.

We extend our gratitude to everyone who joined us for this historic celebration. This achievement represents true connection across communities, demonstrating what’s possible when we work together to protect our water resources for generations to come.

Learn more at https://stoweregionalwrrf.com/.

Behind the Scenes, Employee Spotlights

Meet Rose: An Intern for the Legal Team

This week, we’re highlighting another outstanding Legal Intern at Charlotte Water. I got to have a great conversation with Rose Soltani, who has spent her summer exploring how municipal law plays a direct role in our everyday lives. Her experience has taken her from legal research and compliance review to special tours with the City Attorney’s Office, all while staying rooted in her hometown.

Q1: What school do you go to and what do you study?

Originally from Charlotte, Rose is a rising second-year law student at American University’s Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. Before law school, she earned her undergraduate degree with a major in Business Administration and a Marketing concentration from NC State. When discussing being in Charlotte again for the internship, Rose commented, “I love Charlotte, and being able to give back to the community while doing an internship is amazing.”

Rose, Ben, and Beatriz standing in a large pipe model that is at least double their height.
Rose Soltani, Benjamin Vitenson, and Beatriz Romero Santiago at the Catawba River Pump Station
Q2: What has surprised you the most?

One of Rose’s biggest takeaways is realizing how much happens at the local level. “People usually think about the federal government when they think about law,” she shared, “but local government decisions are the ones that impact people’s daily lives the most. I didn’t realize how much goes into municipal law until I saw it up close.” She also added that this experience has shown her that she could work in the public sector right out of law school or later in her career.

Rose, Beatriz, and Connor in the car taking a selfie wearing PPE.
Q3: Do you have any mentors or coworkers who have helped shape your experience?

Rose has enjoyed every one of her coworkers, always taking pictures of their adventures and checking in on each other. She credits her colleague Ann Allen with making her experience especially impactful, stating, “Ann has been the best mentor; she has done private sector work in the past, and it’s great to see her perspective shifting to the public sector. She’s smart, kind, and really knows what she’s doing.”

Rose and Beatriz taking a selfie while at the stream restoration tour, they're standing next to a stream infographic.
Rose and Beatriz at the stream restoration tour
Q4: What has been your favorite Summer Intern Exploration activity so far?

One of Rose’s favorite activities has been touring the Stowe Regional Water Resource Recovery Facility, a massive project currently under construction. “Working in legal, we’ve heard a lot about Stowe behind the scenes, so it was cool to see it in action,” she said. She also loved touring the courthouse with the City Attorney’s Office, where she got a firsthand look at the legal process and even observed a plea deal.

As she heads into her second year of law school, Rose is taking with her a deeper understanding and appreciation of local government’s role in our everyday life, as well as a newfound interest in public sector work. In the future, whether her path leads to business law, real estate, or something entirely unexpected, one thing is clear: she’s leaving this summer with valuable experience, meaningful connections, and a strong connection to the city she calls home!

Behind the Scenes, Employee Spotlights

Meet Beatriz: An Intern for the Legal Team

So far, you’ve met interns from GIS and the Planning department. Let’s go behind the scenes and learn about someone from the team who ensures Charlotte Water operates within legal frameworks and navigates complex regulatory requirements. Today, I talked with Beatriz Romero Santiago, a law student from Houston, Texas, who’s gaining hands-on legal experience through her internship with Charlotte Water.

Q1: What school do you go to and what do you study?

Beatriz is pursuing her Juris Doctor at Regent University after earning her Economics and International Affairs undergraduate degree from Gordon College in Massachusetts. “I’ve been really lucky to have amazing professors at all of my schools,” she shared. Her academic background makes her a great candidate for interning at Charlotte Water due to her strong foundation in policy and law.

Beatriz and her team standing outside of 131 Main Restaurant
Beatriz and her team outside of 131 Main Restaurant
Q2: What kind of projects have you worked on during your internship?

During her internship, Beatriz has contributed to writing memos for various cases, assisted with legal research, and even participated in department meetings to help troubleshoot real-world issues. Her team also reviews contracts before they’re signed to ensure they’re up to par. “We get called in when there’s a problem,” she explained. From there, she will help by researching and working with her team to determine the best way forward.  

Q3: What’s something you didn’t expect to learn?

One thing that stood out to Beatriz during her time at Charlotte Water was the sheer scale and complexity of the utility. “I didn’t know how big a water department could be or how it works as a business, and especially how they’re still expanding while helping out smaller cities around us,” she says. She found it particularly interesting to learn how public utilities operate compared to private sector businesses.

Beatriz posing to take a photo with Tappy, the Charlotte Water Mascot that is a water drop.
Beatriz and Tappy at an internship orientation
Q4: How do you see this internship helping you in your future career?

Beatriz says the hands-on nature of the internship has been a valuable contrast to the theory-heavy approach of law school. “In school, we don’t really see how cases get filed or how lawyers interact with clients and other attorneys,” she noted. “This gave me a glimpse into how everything works.” The experience has helped solidify her goal of becoming a lawyer, though she’s still exploring whether that path will lead her to immigration law or estate planning.

From reviewing contracts to exploring behind-the-scenes legal processes, Beatriz’s summer at Charlotte Water has been both eye-opening and inspiring. Her experience shows how internships can bridge the gap between classroom theory and real-world application, which benefits both the intern and the organization. With her thoughtful approach and strong academic background, there’s no doubt she’ll make a meaningful impact, wherever her law degree takes her!

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