Chapel Hill's Water is Contaminant-Free
By Julia Meyer

Water. It’s an important part of so many of our daily activities. But how sure are you that the water that comes from your faucet is safe?

On August 11, representatives from the North Carolina Division of Public Health warned Durham residents that their tap water might contain harmful amounts of lead.
Less than two weeks later, a routine water test in Cary found traces of E.Coli in its water.

Freshman Emily Rozet says that the recent water scares have concerned her.

“I live in Cary, so when my mom told me that, I did get kind of concerned,” Rozet said.

What’s happening to water in the Triangle?

Could Chapel Hill be next?

To answer that question, let’s track our water back to its source.

Orange County’s raw water comes from two major sources: University Lake and the Cane Creek Reservoir which holds more than 3 billion gallons of water.

The raw water is pumped to the Jones Ferry Road Water Treatment Plant where it’s processed into drinking water and distributed to the area’s more than 70,000 residents. In some cases, chemicals used to treat the water can corrode the leaded solder that fuses the pipes in the treatment plant.

Orange County Water and Sewage Authority spokesman Greg Feller says routine tests find that the number of contaminants in Chapel Hill water is well below federal standards.

In 2005, the OWASA treatment plant was one of only nine in the country to receive an award for excellence in drinking water treatment.

So for now, Chapel Hill, Rest assured that the water that flows from the Old Well is contaminant free.