Drinking water from Two Rivers Utilities continues to meet or exceed health, safety and quality standards set by state and federal agencies in all categories. The annual Drinking Water Quality Report for Two Rivers Utilities was issued today by the Gastonia-based utility. The federal Environmental Protection Agency requires all utilities to provide a detailed report each year to help customers learn more about their drinking water supply.
“Two Rivers Utilities takes its responsibility to provide high-quality, safe drinking water very seriously,” said Ed Cross, division manager at TRU. “This report confirms that customers should continue to have an extremely high level of confidence in their water.”
During 2017, TRU’s drinking water was routinely monitored for more than 150 contaminants. Water plant employees analyze data from more than 27 million tests and readings annually as part of the treatment and quality-assurance process. The testing takes place during every stage of the water treatment process.
The 2017 Drinking Water Quality Report provides a table that lists nearly 90 substances, whether any trace of that contaminant was found in TRU’s drinking water, and the highest level allowed for each contaminant. Contaminant levels were non-detectable for most substances, and the safety of TRU drinking water significantly surpassed federal and state standards in all cases.
In addition, Two Rivers Utilities continues to be a recognized leader in environmental stewardship. TRU complies with internationally agreed-upon standards related to environmental management, known as ISO 14001, and maintains its ISO 14001 certification through reviews by accrediting organizations. And TRU continues to be honored as a member of the North Carolina Environmental Stewardship Initiative.
Each year, Two Rivers Utilities takes 5 billion gallons of water from Mountain Island Lake, filters it and distributes it to 100,000 people eight cities, including Gastonia. About 60 percent of the treated water is used by area industries and businesses.
Later this year, the City is scheduled to complete a $65 million expansion and upgrade of the water treatment plant on Long Avenue. The modernized equipment will use a high-tech system, called membrane filtration, to remove microscopic contaminants and provide even higher levels of safety and quality. Gastonia’s is the first municipal water plant in North Carolina to use the membrane filtration system in a one-step process to turn lake water into drinking water.
“Water is one of the few things everyone uses every day,” Cross said. “Whether it’s for drinking, cooking, showering, laundry – you can have peace of mind knowing TRU water is rigorously treated and tested to ensure it is safe.”
