Water safety is Fort Wayne City Utilities’ top priority. We use a stringent monitoring program, testing both source water from the St. Joseph River and finished drinking water, to make sure the water arriving at our customers’ taps remains safe.

used at the plant, including chemical treatment, filtration and disinfection using ultraviolet light, remove or significantly reduce any contaminants, making the water safe to drink when it meets regulatory standards.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) sets regulations that limit the amount of certain substances in the drinking water that comes from public water systems like ours. Chemists at Fort Wayne’s Three Rivers Water Filtration Plant test the water that goes out to customers for more than 120 substances. The processes

Once a year, Fort Wayne City Utilities publishes a water quality report showing substances that are regulated by the US EPA that were detected in Fort Wayne’s finished drinking water between January  December 31 of the prior year. The results for 2022 are shown above.

As you can see, Fort Wayne’s water consistently meets or is better than US EPA standards require.

WATER BOIL DEFINITIONS

Precautionary Boil Water Advisory

Issued when the water system experiences a loss in positive water pressure (below 20 psi), typically due to a serious main break or low storage tank levels. a loss of positive water pressure indicates the existence of conditions that could allow contamination to enter the distribution system. This is the most common type of advisory, which is issued as a precaution until water samples are collected and analyzed to confirm that water quality has not been affected.

Mandatory Boil Water Order

Issued when contamination is confirmed in the water system. Customers are instructed to boil the water to kill bacteria and other organisms in the water until the issue is resolved and the notice can be lifted. Contamination from organisms, such as bacteria, viruses and parasites, can cause symptoms, including nausea, cramps, diarrhea and associated headaches.

Source: American Water Resources