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| Drinking Water Quality & Monitoring |
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Columbus has been a leader in water quality since the 1900s
when the Hoover brothers researched water treatment methods
to reduce typhoid which was prevalent during that time. As a
result of their research, Columbus gained national
prominence in the water industry.
Water quality monitoring has always been a part of the
treatment
process at the Columbus Water Treatment Plants,
but up until the 1970s, there were few federal standards.
After the establishment of the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was enacted
by Congress. In the late 1970s, the Division of Water
initiated plans for a water quality research laboratory.
This new laboratory would permit the Division to conduct
appropriate applied research, maintain high monitoring
standards for raw and treated water quality and greatly
improve our ability to comply with future federal and state
EPA water regulations. In 1984, the Water Research
Laboratory was completed.
With the addition of the Research Lab, the Columbus Division
of Water had the ability to perform independent monitoring,
research of new treatment methods, and provide water
analyses of the watershed, distribution system and respond
to the customer's water quality concerns. In 1989, the name
was changed to the Water Quality Assurance Laboratory (WQAL).
In one of the most modern water quality research
laboratories in the water supply industry, certified
personnel perform thousands of tests each year and provide
data regarding water quality, treatment, and microbiological
testing. This ongoing testing and research assures that
Columbus drinking water will be of the highest quality,
currently meeting all SDWA standards. More info...
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