Salisbury, N.C. (Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023) – Salisbury-Rowan Utilities (SRU) recently issued a drinking water notice to customers following a drop in the removal rate of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in the untreated “raw” water from the Yadkin River. TOC has no health effects. This is not an emergency and does not require customers to use an alternative water supply (e.g. bottled).
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and State of North Carolina set standards related to water quality. One of those standards requires that SRU remove a certain amount of the naturally-occurring organic carbon. From October 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022, test results showed the treatment techniques dropped to 0.99 from the minimum of 1.0, causing SRU to receive a violation from the state.
SRU staff improved the treatment process on Sunday, Jan. 8, so that more carbon was removed. A follow-up sample was collected showing an adequate removal ratio of 1.07.
“Salisbury-Rowan Utilities tap water is safe to drink and is currently meeting all State and Federal water quality standards,” said SRU Director Jim Behmer. “SRU will continue monitoring water quality as directed by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.”
To view a list of FAQs, visit: https://salisburync.gov/Portals/0/Documents/Salisbury-Rowan Utilities/TOC Violation Residents FAQ.pdf?ver=2023-02-26-100036-340.
For more information or questions, contact Jeff Parker at (704) 638-4480.
The City of Salisbury is located in the heart of the Piedmont region of North Carolina, midway between Charlotte and Greensboro. Salisbury is the county seat of Rowan County, and provides a full range of municipal services, including law enforcement, fire protection, zoning and code enforcement and water and sewer systems. For more information regarding the City of Salisbury and its services and departments, please visit us on the web at www.salisburync.gov. To receive updates regarding local initiatives, meetings, programs and events, please follow us on Twitter at @CitySalisburyNC and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CitySalisburyNC.