COLUMBIA (WACH) -- H2O we all need it to survive and this week, thanks in part to the American Water Works Association, the City of Columbia Water Works department telling everyone tap water is good to the last drop.
“We have over twenty four thousand tests that we perform every year and we also provide a monthly statement to The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control,” says John Sherer, City of Columbia Water Works.
John Sherer says water for customers in the greater Columbia area flows through twenty four hundred miles of pipe underground.
He says that's why workers must be extra cautious on the job.
Recently, there was a close call.
"Just a couple of weeks ago we had a chlorine leak at this plant and all the standard protocols were followed and we were able to contain the leak," says Sherer.
To help improve the city's water flow the department is currently in the midst of a $27 million dollar construction project.
"We are replacing one of our pump stations from 1913 and we are currently building a lot more efficient structures to help us with our capacity issues in the future," says Sherer.
The city operates two water plants which treats a combined 150 million gallons per day.
Sherer says folks who prefer bottled water instead of tap maybe in for a surprise.
"A lot of bottled water companies get their water straight from a city tap and they'll run it through a system and call it their own," says Sherer.
Officials remind everyone to drink at least six glasses of water a day.
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