QUESTION:  Why is the water so warm especially in the summer time?

 

Answer:  Our main water supply is the Trinity Aquifer and the wells have an average depth of 2,400 feet.  The water is warm because of the heat that is naturally produced by the earth's geothermal conditions at this depth.  We pump water from the wells into storage tanks that sit on top of the ground where the water is stored until the elevated storage tanks (towers) need replenishing. When this need occurs, pumps will transfer the water from the ground tanks into the elevated tanks and the distribution system.  During off-peak conditions (November-April), the water will sit in the ground tank long enough for it to cool; however, in the summer months, the time that the water sits in the ground tank is dramatically shortened so that cooling does not take place.

 

QUESTION: Why does the surface water taste and feel different.

 

Answer:  The well water that you are accustom to is extremely "soft" in nature.  The surface water that we will receive from The City of Midlothian is "hard" and will have a very different taste.  The entire water system will be affected by the additional supply regardless of whether or not that actual water reaches each tap.  By utilizing this supply and operating our Trinity wells less, the water leaving our Hunter’s Glenn plant will reach further into the system but it will not actually reach every tap system wide before being consumed. 

 

QUESTION: Is anything being done to improve the taste the water

 

Answer: Most definitely!!! We have drilled new wells into a different aquifer that will deliver water on average 26 degrees cooler than the Trinity aquifer.  The depth of this water is around 650 feet but the production is only 1/3'rd that of the Trinity.  If both wells are run at each station, the historic result is a better tasting water.  This method in itself is an improvement but we have taken it a step further.  Not only will we add a shallower wells at most of our existing pump stations, The City has improved the taste of the surface water purchased by us at a connection at our Hunter’s Glenn Pump Station.  The City of Midlothian has worked to dramatically increase the quality of the water at this station while making it our location with the greatest amount of supply. It will also help the entire system by allowing us to pump the Trinity wells less and allow for longer periods of cooling.