Ever wonder where your water comes from and how safe it is to use? Forsyth County is no stranger to water quality being top notch. For more than 20 years, the county has met or surpassed all water quality standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency. Whether you’ve got dry humor or not, we’re here to sprinkle a bit of water-ful knowledge.
How our water is treated
Forsyth County water is drawn from the Yadkin River and Salem Lake, which is subsequently treated at a water treatment plant. It is then distributed through pipelines into each household — it flows through the utility’s water meter to your sink. From there, once you’ve used the water, it is sent back to the wastewater treatment plant where it is released back to local creeks that flow to the Yadkin River. And the cycle continues.
Where is our water treated?
Our drinking water is treated at the Neilson, Thomas, and Swann water treatment plants in Forsyth County. The treatment facilities provide up to 91 million gallons of drinking water per day.
“Our facilities are staffed around-the-clock by state-certified operators who run more than 850 water quality tests every day and closely monitor every step of the production process,” Alan Fowler, water treatment superintendent for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities says.
What’s next?
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities department launched a water meter upgrade program called WaterSavvy in 2020 and is planning to upgrade all 130,000 residential and commercial meters in the service area.
Additionally, residents will soon have access to an online portal where they can pay their bills, see how much water they use, and select important notification alerts on the app. The new system will monitor flow and help the department detect leaks earlier to help customers avoid paying high water bills. The online portal is anticipated to launch in 2024.
