What do you do to treat the water before I receive it?

The Poughkeepsies’ Water Treatment Facility is a conventional filtration plant. 

  1. Water taken from the Hudson River is treated with polyaluminum chloride combined with organic polymer and settled solids.  
  2. The chemicals and recycled solids cause the fine particles in the river water to combine thereby increasing their ability to settle.  
  3. After sedimentation the water is filtered.  
  4. Chlorine is added prior to the sedimentation basins and adjusted after filtration to insure organisms in the water that can cause illness are killed and chlorine residual is maintained in the distribution systems.  
  5. Orthophosphate is added to reduce the lead and copper corrosion in customers lead pipes and plumbing fixtures.

Show All Answers

1. Is the water safe to drink?
2. Where does my water come from?
3. What do you do to treat the water before I receive it?
4. Why does the water look dirty sometimes?