FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
- If my water line breaks outside of my property line am I still reposnsible?
A. Responsibily for repairs belong to the customer attached to the water line, up to the water meter, regardless of which property it it may be laid through.
- How far is my responsibily of my waste-water line?
A. You are responsible for your own waste-water line until it enters a main. This is regardless of any property lines or cleanouts. This includes the seal that was made into the main.
- Can I use outdoor sprinklers during a fire?
A. No. Water resources are limited in Circle Oaks. During a fire. Local fire personelle use the water from our system to fight the fire. If customers use outdoor watering of any kind during a fire, the system may not be able to provide enough water for actual fire supression. If you leave any water running during a fire, it will be shut off until the the situation is resolved.
- Can I block off or refuse access to my water meter?
A. No. The water meters are water district property. Customers may not block, obstruct, alter, move, or refuse to allow access to the water meters. Doing so may have fines imposed upon yourself or your water shut-off altogether. When signing up for water service, you agreed to allow access, unrestrained, to the water meters.
- Where does the water come from?
A. Our water comes from deep underground (ground water). This causes a unique difference in the water compared to lake or river water (surface water). Ground water tends to have a significantly higher mineral content than surface water. This means the water may be colored from minerals. Surface water tends to be higher in organic compounds which alter order and taste of the water negatively.
- Why is my bill so high, don't you just pump the water out of the ground and send it to us?
A. The ground water that The Circle Oaks County Water District uses to provide clean drinking water is far from acceptable when it is pumped from under ground. The water is exceptionally high in iron and manganese. The "raw" water contains multiple mineral compounds and is not safe for human consumption. In order to make it potable (clean drinking water), we must take several steps.
- Pre-treatment - Sodium Hypochlorite (CL2) & Potassium Permanganate (KMNO4). The use of these two chemicals cause the minerals to oxidize as well as de-activate any harmful organisms.
- Pre-Treatment contact time - The two chemicals are given time to mix and oxidize the minerals, allowing them to fall out of suspention and either settle out now or be filtered in following steps.
- Coagulation - The water is treated with Poly-Aluminum, a coagulant that attaches to the minerals to form flock.
- Agitation - The water is quickely & violently mixed to allow the coagulant opportunity to attach to the oxidized minerals.
- Clarification - The water is forced against gravity through a multi-media filter unit to remove the flock.
- Filtration - The water is pushed through a activated carbon filter unit as a secondary filtration and to remove any tastes or odors.
- Contact time - The finished water is given many hours to sit in our clearwell (contact tank) to allow complete assurance that there is no microbial organisms remaining.
- Distribution - The water is pumped from the clearwell to the lower tank via a mile of high pressure lines that can provide up to 600 gallons of water per minute. The water is then pumped to the upper tank via a similar high pressure line to the upper tank, where is flows down via gravity to the community.