Hot Water
By Clay Duffie
"It's All About Clean Water" is a recurring column exploring issues tied to water quality in our community.
In Bill Walker’s recent column “ Just How Hot Is It?” one of the responses was, “ Hot water comes out of both taps.” True statement here in Mount Pleasant but actually the ambient temperature has little to do with the hot water coming from your cold water tap.
Our main source of water in Mount Pleasant comes from the Middendorf Aquifer. This aquifer lies 2000 feet below ground in this area and the water temperature in this aquifer is consistently 95 degrees F or about 35 degrees C.
After we pump this Middendorf water out of the ground, our reverse osmosis treatment process cools the water very little as it quickly moves through our plant and out into the distribution system. In summer when our demands are high, the retention time of this water is less than 24 hours. What does impact the temperature of the water slightly in the wintertime is the demand for water is lower so it sits in the pipes a little longer. The ground temperature where our pipes lay is about 55 to 58 degrees F. So more contact time in the pipes lowers the temperature slightly. This theory applies as well if you live further away from our water treatment plants. But generally the water in Mount Pleasant is going to be warm coming out of the cold water tap all of the time.
We evaluated recovering some of the thermal energy of the water to lower the temperature but have yet to find a cost effective way to do so. Just think of the hot water heating cost you save and how you might get a warm shower while saving your heated water.
So if you want a cool drink of water in Mount Pleasant, you’re going to have to put it in the refrigerator or throw some ice in it. Actually putting tap water in a wide mouthed container in the refrigerator will improve the taste as some of the chlorine dissipates.
Drinking cool water is one of the best ways to stay hydrated and healthy in this extreme heat, so take a long drink and try to stay cool everybody.
Clay Duffie is General Manger of Mount Pleasant Waterworks and has more than 30 years of experience in water and wastewater management practice. He is a past President of the South Carolina Water Pollution Control Association and the SC Section of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and has led numerous national seminars on environmental, leadership and utility management issues.
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--Press Room
