Tag Archives: Updates

Construction, Infrastructure Improvements

Making Water Outages at Critical Care Facilities a Thing of the Past

In order to repair a broken water main, the location of the break has to be isolated by using pre-installed valves. There are 85,547 water main valves throughout our system. In most cases, this process requires us to turn off water access to nearby customers before working on a pressurized main. An inconvenience for some, but for others like critical care facilities, can be a matter of life or death. That is where a new insertion valve comes in.

The valve can be installed on an existing in-service main and allows us to perform maintenance or repairs without shutting down nearby blocks of the water distribution system.

Staff are currently being trained to install these special valves, and have already installed four in critical areas.

3 men in hard hats are in a hole in the road installing a valve
a group of men wearing hard hats and safety vests standing around a valve in the street
Crew 422 with Crew Chief Travis Cutherbertson and Delmond Cummings installing an insertion valve in Cornelius.

The goal is that at least one crew in every one of our four zones is trained on this specialized valve insertion process so that when a repair is needed near a critical facility, we can install the valve and eliminate the need for a water outage.

Labor Crew Chief and insertion valve project manager Delmond Cummings says, “These valves use fewer fittings, meaning less chance of leaks to the distribution system. The hydraulic integrity of this equipment helps reduce turning off residents or community water for extended periods of time for repair. With this training, employees learn new methods and technologies that upgrade/enhance their knowledge and skill level.“

Though we can’t guarantee that a water outage won’t occur during a repair or routine maintenance of our distribution system, we hope that with the addition of these types of valves in our toolkit, we can minimize disruption to our customers.

This is just one of the many ways that our staff are working to improve the resiliency of a system that protects public health and the environment.

My Water, Water Quality

Water Quality Report 2017

“We are the one product every person in Charlotte uses every day,” Barry Gullet, Director for Charlotte Water, said a bright Monday morning on the news segment Wilson’s World. The community of Charlotte uses 100 million gallons of water per day. Charlotte Water has made it their mission to continually provide and develop drinkable water to at every point of the day as well as top notch customer service to its customers 24/7.

Water is in  every aspect of our lives from showering, cooking, drinking and many more activities. We rely on the safety and knowledge the water we are using is safe. Charlotte’s water is safe to consume on both the federal and the state level regulations, providing you with a guarantee that what you use, will continue to give you a piece of mind.

Tap water is a wonderful way to cut down on waste of plastic and other energy sources. This inexpensive product is easily accessible and clean. Charlotte Water collectively does more than 150,000 tests each year to evaluate the quality of the water you receive. Those who test the water have a combined experience of over 400 plus hours. They take pride in their work and the quality of the water they maintain. They work hard to make sure that each citizen of the city receives water that they too want to use.

Each year Charlotte Water assembles the Water Quality Report (WQR) that summarizes the water testing results for the calendar year (2016). This report is required of all public water utilities, and Charlotte Water is pleased to announce another year where excellence in you water is being provided. The Water Quality Report highlights contaminants found, treatment process. among other information.

As a resident it is important for you to know and understand the WQR so you can be informed about the water you consume. All residents in Mecklenburg County will receive a copy of this report in their mailboxes highlighting some of the important information you need to know. This report can also be found on the Charlotte water website at http://charlottewater.org.

Charlotte Water may have a big task when serving over a million people, but the WQR shows the dedication and passion Charlotte Water has in providing you with excellent service. From our family to yours, we are here to give you with what you need most.

Construction, Project & Construction Update

Lancaster Hwy Pipe Repair Updates

Update: Crews successfully replaced the leaking drinking water valve and kept customers in service throughout the difficult repair. The northbound lane reopened Sunday afternoon. The southbound lane reopened Wednesday (December 21st) evening. Additional work will be needed to rebuild road at a later time. CLTWater will update when lanes close/reopen. Continue reading Lancaster Hwy Pipe Repair Updates →