What is Source Water Protection?
Source water protection focuses on preserving and protecting our drinking water source. Claywood Park PSD operates a surface water treatment plant, drawing water from the Little Kanawha River. As with all surface waters, our source water is susceptible to contamination. Events such as accidental spills, releases, or heavy rainfall causing runoff, can allow pollutants to enter streams or rivers and potentially contaminate our water source. Source water protection is a way to identify and prepare for these risks to ensure our drinking water remains safe and of high quality. The overall goal of source water protection is to provide clean, safe water that minimizes treatment expenses, protects public health, and sustains local economies.
Protecting Your Source
Claywood Park PSD was awarded a Source Water Protection grant by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources in May 2017. These funds were used to purchase a source water monitoring panel for the water treatment plant. An additional grant in 2018/2019 allowed for the purchase of an additional probe for this equipment. The water quality probes installed on this panel continuously test incoming water for a variety of water quality markers. These markers include pH, conductivity, ammonium level, oil-in-water detection, organic load and turbidity (cloudiness of the water). This system allows our operators to quickly detect and respond to changes in incoming water quality.
How Can I Get Involved?
We routinely update our Source Water Protection Plan. If you have questions or comments on the plan or would like to be involved in the next update cycle please contact our office at 304-422-6042 or email claywood@woodpsd.org