Tag Archives: Water Quality

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.

General, Wastewater, Water Quality

Unlocking a New Level of Progress with a Plant: Nuvoda Pilot

Are small plant pieces key to a new level of greatness in the Queen City’s wastewater treatment process? Charlotte Water’s Sugar Creek Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) has set out on a 12-month mission to learn.

Kenaf sample in an Imhoff Cone, the tool used to check how much kenaf is currently in Sugar Creek WRRF’s basins.

Nuvoda, a wastewater solutions company in Raleigh, NC, created the Mobile Organic Biofilm (MOB™) Process. The star of the show called kenaf is a fast-growing plant that can get rid of up to 10 tons of carbon dioxide per acre while growing. That’s eight times as much as evergreen trees! 

So, how does it work? Small pieces of kenaf are in all stages of Sugar Creek’s secondary treatment process. Its job is to help make space for helpful biofilms to grow.

Biofilms, a slime-like layer found in nature, grow on surfaces to eat the “waste” in wastewater and help solids settle faster.  This leads to treated water that can be safely returned to the environment.

The kenaf material is also reusable! A giant sift-like tool separates kenaf from the water. Screens inside of the filter are small enough to catch and make sure no kenaf is wasted or left to come out in your kitchen sink. Sugar Creek’s maintenance team even added some helpful features, like a ramp for it to fall out of the sift, into the bin below.

Muriel Steele, Water Process Engineer, guiding kenaf down a custom-made ramp through the final stages of the MOB cycle.

MOB and kenaf have other perks, too.

Chemicals like ammonia have to be controlled carefully while treating wastewater. The microorganisms needed to treat ammonia can be hard to grow in cold temperatures, but biofilms can provide a cozy space for these specialists to grow. Kenaf boosts the amount of space for the biofilms.

Treatment facilities need to run as smoothly as possible during storms. Improved settling thanks to the kenaf can help with higher water flows during rainy days. So, as the extra water comes into the plant from bad weather, solids settle faster and there is a lower chance of anything unwanted continuing to the next treatment stage.

Kenaf is grown in Cameron, NC, and Charlotte Water is working to include these fields in our biosolids program. Biosolids are a nutrient-rich material made from treated wastewater, used to help plant growth and keep a healthy environment.

The Nuvoda MOB pilot is a chance for Charlotte Water to improve for the future by lowering costs and getting ready for the city to grow. By exploring this new process, Sugar Creek WRRF is gathering useful data to help make decisions for improvements. All thanks to a plant! 

To learn more about MOB and kenaf, visit Nuvoda’s website.

Video | Nuvoda: The MOB™ Process

Video | Nuvoda: Natural Ballasted Media for the MOB™ Process

General, My Water, Water Quality

Mountain Island Lake Lyngbya Management For Water Quality

Our excellent drinking water starts with protecting the source, The Catawba River. Charlotte Water (CLTWater) is part of the Catawba-Wateree Water Management Group (CWWMG), which manages the river and lake system.

A new program by the CWWMG will ensure algae and other bacteria do not negatively affect our source water.

Lyngbya, a thick blue-green algae grows year-round at the bottom of freshwater lakes throughout the southeastern US. Currently, Lyngbya infestation levels are low in Mountain Island Lake. We want to keep it low. Thanks to the efforts of the CWWMG, a treatment program was developed, funding 21 acres of Lyngbya treatment throughout Mountain Island Lake. This program will reduce the spread of Lyngbya.

The treatment program will span from April to September, using EPA-approved chelated copper-based algaecides. This proactive approach to environmental management is a testament to the community’s commitment to safeguarding the lake.

Resources:

Lyngbya Management Program Fact Sheet.

CLTWater Water Quality Information

My Water, Water Quality

Current Fire Hydrant Permit Decal

Any company using a fire hydrant to draw water must have a 2026-2028 Blue Fire Hydrant Permit Decal affixed to the back or side of its equipment.

The Charlotte Water fire hydrant program provides temporary service for customers in Mecklenburg County for authorized use of public fire hydrants. Hydrants are part of the water distribution system and are essential to public safety, public health, and customer service to our community. Charlotte Fire Department (CFD) and Charlotte Water (CLTWater) are the only two organizations authorized to access the fire hydrants without a special permit.

You play a crucial role in the Hydrant Permit Program.
If you notice a company using a fire hydrant without the proper Fire Hydrant Permit Decal, immediately report it to Charlotte Water by calling 311 or 704-336-7600.

Please provide the following information:

  • Time and Location of Occurrence, including any address or cross streets.
  • Description of Vehicle or Assembly, including Company Name.
  • License Plate Number, Name of Operator, or description of individuals.

For more information about the Charlotte Water Hydrant Program and to obtain a permit, please go to https://www.charlottenc.gov/water/DevelopmentBusiness/Fire-Hydrant-Use-Program