Oxford Township’s first ever water treatment plant is up and running, but don’t expect that orange water to disappear overnight.
The $1.6 million treatment plant located in the Oxford Woods subdivision on Queens Drive is currently removing the iron and arsenic from about 2,000 gallons of well water per minute.
Shannon Parry, of the township’s engineering firm Rowe, Inc., said the plant is removing 80 percent of the iron from 60 percent of the municipality’s water supply.
That’s how much water is supplied by the Oxford Woods well site.
Besides iron, the treatment plant is also removing arsenic from the water to help the township comply with the new federal standard which took effect in January.
The maximum amount of arsenic allowed in a municipal water supply was previously 50 parts per billion (ppb). New regulations lowered it to 10 ppb.
Prior to the treatment plant, Parry noted the township well system was ‘well below? the old 50 ppb standard with arsenic levels ranging from 17 to 21 ppb.
With the new plant in operation, Parry said the arsenic levels ‘will be well below the required limit of 10 (ppb).?
As for the orange-colored water which results from the iron content and generates numerous complaints, Parry said users ‘might see a little bit better? quality, but the real change won’t happen for another two or three years.
‘People won’t notice a big difference right away,? she said.
Two things need to happen before residents can say goodbye to the orange water, according to Parry.
One is construction of the $3.5 million water treat ment plant on the township’s 28-acre property at Seymour Lake and Granger roads, expected to be completed and operational in June 2007.
This plant will remove iron and arsenic from 3,600 gallons of well water per minute from the Mickelson Shores and Granger well sites.
The other thing that needs to happen is another few years of system flushes by the Oakland County Drain Commission. Twice a year ? spring and fall ? all the pipes in the system are flushed.
Once both plants are operating, the system’s pipes will be flushed with 100 percent treated water which should remove the iron buildup on the pipes? interior walls. ‘It going to take a few flushings to clean and scour the walls of those pipes to get off that iron buildup,? Parry said.
After two or three years (four to six flushes), she said, ‘You shouldn’t see the orange water complaints like we have in the past.?
Actually, with both plants up and running next year, Parry said residents ‘should see an improvement next fall.? As for this summer, expect the orange water complaints to continue as the water demand rises.