Background:
Iron and manganese are naturally occurring minerals in our groundwater and are typically the reason members experience discolored water. Our water mains were installed in the 70’s and 80’s and have iron and manganese built up on the inside of the pipe. Any time we change the direction of flow in our system, or do a repair at the well site or in the distribution system, the iron breaks off from the inside of the pipes and comes out of our member’s faucets as yellow/brown water. After every repair we do proactively flush, but unfortunately, it does not always prevent the member from seeing discolored water. We wish we could replace every line in our system, but due to the cost of pipe we are unable to do so. Cost of pipe in 2024 ranges from $1.80 per linear foot for 2” pipe up to $15.28 per linear foot for 8” pipe and keeps increasing. So unfortunately, with about 400 miles of pipe in the ground and with all the other major projects that we are needing to do, replacing the water mains are not feasible at this time.
Iron is not a contaminant, but more so a nuisance. We filter for iron and manganese our at our Swiss Alp Well Site, Rutersville Well Site and Walhalla Well Site. We also use chlorine at all well sites to disinfect our water. These treatment methods are approved by TCEQ.
We have a product at the office called Red-B-Gone that will help with iron stains on white clothes, toilets, sinks, tubs, dishwashers and water softeners that members are able to stop by and pick up.
Members may also look at the TCEQ Drinking Water Watch to view analytical results, schedules and violations of any water system in Texas. FWSC’s water system numbers are 0750022 (all members West of the Colorado River) and 0750034 (all members East of the Colorado River). FWSC is also required to notify members of the Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) that comes out before June of every year. This notice is mailed out on the member's monthly bill and can be viewed at https://fayettewsc.com/ccr1. Previous reports are available online as well.
Reporting:
We are unaware of issues in the system unless members call to report it. We have an operator on call 24/7/365, so please call our office number, 979-968-6475, anytime, day or night, with any issues you may be experiencing. The sooner the issue is reported, the sooner it can be addressed and corrected. Please do not submit a request through the website or Facebook as these are only monitored during normal business hours.
