BC water system to be in place late-June

Pipes and equipment are on site near City Hall in Bridge City for new $1.4 million water filtration system. Once the final reclamation tank is fabricated and delivered sometime in June, work will begin on installing the remainder of the system. The system is expected to be in operation by late-June.Photo by Tommy Mann Jr.

A much needed and anticipated water system could be in place later this month for Bridge City residents.

The City of Bridge City is awaiting delivery of key components of its $1.4 million water filtration system in the coming weeks and, once delivered, will begin installing the final pieces of the filtration system.

"Work is continuing on the filtration system, as we speak," said Jerry Jones, city manager of Bridge City. "We are just waiting on the three reclamation tanks to arrive and then we will place them at the three well sites in the city. Once those tanks are in place, we are hoping to have the system on by the end of June."

Residents of city have become accustomed to the issues with the city's current water system and its intermittent problems, most notably the water quality and its reports of brown water, which seemed to peak in 2014 and 2015, spurring the city to purchase the new water filtration system.

According to Jones, the source of the brown water was excessive iron and manganese, which he stated is "inherent in all deep well applications."

According to the Penn State University Extension website, iron and manganese are metals which occur frequently in private water systems.

Natural sources of iron and manganese are more common in deeper wells, where the water has been in contact with rock for a longer time.

Both iron and manganese are readily apparent in drinking water supplies and both impart a strong metallica taste and can cause staining. The orange-brown color from iron can stain sinks and laundry.

Iron and manganese are not health concerns in drinking water, according to the website. The minerals are effectively removed from water using a number of treatment processes, which the City of Bridge City currently utilizes. However, the new water filtration system will take care of that.

"Once the system is in place, we will no longer need to treat the water with chemicals to remove the iron and manganese. It will be treated," Jones added.

Although the new water system is expected to be in place by the end of June, there is still work to be done.

"Once everything is in place, we will have to flush the entire water system to eliminate the iron and manganese," Jones explained. "We will probably have to flush it three times and it may be three or four months before everything is ready. When you have 30 to 40 years worth of iron and manganese in the system, it takes a while to get it all removed."

The new system will also aid the city in eliminating water waste as the reclamation tanks keep everything contained and re-use the water already in the system.

And there is an even better benefit of have the new water filtration system online very soon, according to Jones.

"This water system is going to be really impressive and people will absolutely notice the difference," Jones said. "It will be like drinking bottled water."