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The Norwood City Health Department conducts routine testing of
drinking water 365 days a year for free and total chlorine in order to
assure the quality of our drinking water.
In addition, personnel from the health department test 20 sites each
month throughout the city for bacterial as required by the Ohio
Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA). These sites must include a
variety of users including homes, businesses and government buildings
located throughout the city. Each week, we collect five samples for
bacteria and then take them to the Cincinnati Health Department
Central Laboratory for testing. As long as the samples are negative,
citizens are not even aware that this testing takes place. If any of
the samples are positive for bacteria, we conduct further testing to
determine the source of the contamination. At this time, the public
would be notified to boil their water until further notice.
We also test for by-products of chlorination every other month (total
trihalomethanes and 5 different haloacetic acids) at 8 sites in
strategic locations within the city as required by the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). These very specialized tests
assure that as chlorine degrades or breaks down when not used, they do
not accumulate in large amounts.
Every three years the Norwood City Health Department collects water
samples and tests for the presence of lead and copper in our water.
Because of the age of our infrastructure, many of the pipes that run
underground bringing water to our homes are made of lead. Once inside
our homes, the water flows through copper pipes. There is a potential
for lead and copper to be absorbed into our drinking water, especially
if water sits in pipes for long periods of time.
Each year, every water consumer receives a printed report on the
quality of our water and the results of testing. Entitled the
“Consumer Confidence
Report,” this document is mailed in June each year to each
person who receives a water bill on file with the Norwood Water
Department. To view the latest version of the report, click on the
link above. |
