This week on Wonderful Water, join 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck for a conversation with Todd Taylor — general manager of operations for OWASA — about the steps being taken to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus and contine to deliver safe drinking water and wastewater services across the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area.

In recent weeks, OWASA has implemented measures to minimize close human contact by closing its administrative office and postponing the opening of OWASA lakes for recreation season. As an additional response to the COVID-19 crisis, OWASA was one of the first utilities in our area to suspend disconnection of service for nonpayment.

“We obviously provide a vital community service and we recognize that,” said Taylor. “We also recognize that we’re the community-owned utility, and we want to be there for our neighbors when they need us. Right now, access to safe water so folks can continue to wash their hands and self-isolate is the first priority.”

According to federal regulators, standard treatment methods for water and wastewater remove any compounds that could carry the virus — as such, any worries regarding OWASA’s water supply are minimal. Any unexpected stress on the water supply from extra hand-washing and showering is not expected to have any effect. What will have an effect, however, is OWASA customers flushing anything down toilets that is not human waste or toilet paper.

“Everyone’s resorting to the Clorox wipes and everything, and we really want to make sure that folks aren’t flushing those down,” said Taylor. “Toilet paper tends to disintegrate in water. These so-called flushable wipes and things like that don’t do that, and they can cause a lot of problems for the wastewater collection system because they can create blockages, get clogged in pumps and things like that.”

OWASA will continue to take all precautionary measures it can to help slow the spread of the virus, while also continuing to provide a vital community resource.

“We’re kind of in the same boat as a lot of folks who are just watching this thing unfold and don’t have a clear expectation for when it will be over,” said Taylor. “But we are tracking the guidance from health officials and making the best decisions we can with the information that we have. The safety of our employees and the community, protecting water quality and delivering safe drinking water will always be the primary goal.”

You can listen below for the full conversation between Aaron Keck and Todd Taylor below, and visit the Wonderful Water page here for more interviews with — and stories from — the people who keep our community growing and our water flowing.

 

 

Chapel Hill and Carrboro residents use roughly 7 million gallons of water a day, and “Wonderful Water” is a monthly conversation sponsored by the Orange Water and Sewer Authority highlighting its work to keep our community growing and water flowing.

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