Tacoma Water: filter or treat (and why should I care)?

As you may or may not know, the City of Black Diamond signed an agreement to purchase Tacoma Water in August 2003.  The City has constructed the intertie and metering station to Tacoma’s pipeline and now has available the backup water supply from Tacoma should some major problem occur with the City’s spring source.  The City continues to operate the water utility solely on its spring water. That will change if and when Black Diamond grows and the demand for water exceeds the springs’ capacity.

Tacoma Water is facing an important decision that could affect both the quality of the water the citizens of Black Diamond will eventually receive through its agreement with Tacoma Water, as well as the rates you pay. The utility is considering how to deal with Cryptosporidium, a naturally occurring organism. The organism can cause gastrointestinal problems.

As you all know, water utilities—including Black Diamond spring water—has to meet strict water quality standards. Up until recently, Tacoma did not trigger legal requirements and was not required to filter water. Today, the utility faces a major decision on how to deal with Cryptosporidium. The two leading options are to treat with ultraviolet light and the other is filtration. However, the Tacoma Water staff has undertaken a broad public input process to gather input for the Public Utility Board and Tacoma City Council on how to assess various solutions before they move forward.

If you’re interested, please view the Tacoma Water website at www.tacomawater.com/decision to learn more. You may also view Black Diamond’s most recent water quality report on the Public Works Water Page.

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