Tag Archives: 2019

My Water, Water Quality

Another Year of High Quality Drinking Water: 2019 Report

At Charlotte Water, we know no matter what is going on in the world we need reliable access to safe drinking water because we are customers too. We rely on the same thing we work hard every day to consistently and safely provide to over one million people. We want to be confident in its quality because our families use it.

With this in mind, Charlotte Water is happy to report that for another year, Charlotte’s drinking water quality goes above and beyond state and federal standards. We’ve released our annual Consumer Confidence Report on our website.

Also, keep an eye out because every residence in Mecklenburg County will be receiving their very own Water Quality Report in their mailbox during the first part of May.

When reviewing the report you may notice that in addition to required testing, Charlotte Water has been participating in the EPA’s Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. Charlotte Water is also working with an outside certified laboratory to analyze drinking water samples for over 740 unregulated compounds. These compounds do not have a maximum contaminant limit (MCL) set by the EPA, which means they are not regulated, but Charlotte Water is monitoring them regardless.

The results are very good, for the few contaminants that we did find in the water, they were at very low levels. We will continue to monitor them for any changes in concentration.

The thing to keep in mind is that even if there is the presence of something in your water, that doesn’t mean that it will cause harm. For example, our water has lots of different types of minerals in it like calcium, iron, and sodium but at levels that are not harmful to your health.

Our water quality experts have analyzed the results and we are confident that the quality of your tap water is good. Visit our website and click on the “Water Quality” tab to view the test results.

My Water, Wastewater

Annual Wastewater Report Released

Did you know that there is an annual report for wastewater? If you answered “no” then here is all you need to know about the people who make sure your flush doesn’t become a mess.

When you flush, shower, or wash dishes, the wastewater flows from your plumbing to our public wastewater network of pipes. The wastewater then flows by gravity to one of our wastewater treatment plants so that it can be treated and safely discharged back into the creeks.

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So how did we do?

Even as the population grows, Charlotte Water continues to reduce the number of wastewater spills.

Yearly SSOs vs 5 Year Moving Average

Charlotte Water successfully collected and treated 99.9 percent of the more than 33 billion gallons of wastewater that the community produced in the past fiscal year. Charlotte Water’s annual report includes all incidents where wastewater escaped out of a public manhole or public collection system pipe before reaching proper treatment and reportable spills, which are any spills that equal or exceed 1,000 gallons or more reaching creeks.

Fiscal year 2018 2019
All spills 164 162
Reportable spills 107 90

How To Help:

Toss in the trash: paper towels, wipes, hair, cotton swabs, feminine products, dental floss, coffee grounds, and excess food.

Toss in the toilet: only toilet paper.

Kitchen sink: soap suds, small amounts of foods from plate, and liquids (no fats, oils, or grease).

Take to a full-service recycling center: used and expired oils and grease.

Suspect A Sewage Spill?
Call 311 or 704-336-7600. We respond 24 hours-a-day.

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Links To Learn More:

Wastewater report

Videos about our excellent water professionals.

Construction, Infrastructure Improvements

Updates to Capacity and Development Fees for FY 2019

Some Charlotte Water Capacity Fees Drop In July

At their June 11, 2018 meeting, the Charlotte City Council approved the Fiscal Year 2019 Budget. Along with that budget, the FY 2019 Charlotte Water fee schedule was approved. Due to legislated revisions to the methodology, some Capacity and Connection Fees are decreasing in FY 2019. The Charlotte Water fee schedule for FY 2019, which will become effective July 1, 2018, can be found on the Charlotte Water website.

Water Main Extensions Required for New Service Requests on Larger Pipes

Also effective July 1, 2018, customers requesting any new water service tap requests that have immediate access to a 30-inch transmission main AND larger will be required to complete a water main extension application. For those service taps on a 20- or 24-inch water line, Charlotte Water reserves the right to connect to a local smaller main. New service requests will not change for taps on 16-inch or smaller mains. Though additional construction delivery time may be needed for new service tap requests on extensions 30-inch or larger, these changes in system design will enhance distribution system water quality and customer serviceability.

FY 2019 Plan Review & Inspection Fees

Two years ago Charlotte Water introduced plan review and inspection fees for the first time to recover employee time costs.  Since the utility had never recouped review and inspection costs previously, percentages of the fees were received on an escalating basis for three years.

  • From 7-1-16 through 6-30-17 – 50% of the fees recovered
  • From 7-1-17 through 6-30-18 – 75% of the fees recovered
  • From 7-1-18 onward – 100% of fees recovered.

The schedule of plan review and inspection fees effective July 1, 2018 can be found on Charlotte Water’s website.

Visit charlottewater.org and click on Development for more information.