Why a water research analyst said Columbus' water supply is safe
Columbus has over 900,000 residents who depend on a reliable and safe water supply.
The city's water system has evolved over time, going back to the early 1900s when it faced a water supply crisis. Since then, Columbus has constructed several dams and reservoirs which provide 85% of the city's daily water usage, with the remaining 15% drawn from wells in southern Franklin County.
Despite recent concerns from residents following a train derailment in East Palestine, which caused toxic chemicals to be released into the environment, Columbus' water supply is deemed safe.
But where does that water come from?
Water supply concerns:Is the Ohio River contaminated? East Palestine train derailment sparks concerns over water
A history of water sources in Columbus
According to a history on the City of Columbus' website, in the early 1900s as the city faced a water supply crisis, it began constructing a dam on the Scioto River, just north of the city.
The Griggs Dam, built using a plan developed by engineer Samuel Gray, was dedicated in 1908. In 1925, the O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed, providing water to a population twice the size of Columbus at the time. And by 1945, the city had reached the limits of its water supply, and plans were made for a dam on Big Walnut Creek, The Hoover Dam, which was dedicated in 1955 in memory of two brothers who had served the Columbus Waterworks.
In the late 1960s, an additional water supply was needed. After a study found a large underground water supply between the Scioto River and Big Walnut Creek, the city began constructing four large Ranney Collector Wells that supply an average of 20 million gallons of water a day to residents in southern Franklin County.
Where Columbus' water supply comes from
The Scioto River is the main water source for the city of Columbus, as well as Big Walnut Creek and Alum Creek. Three reservoirs—Griggs Dam and O'Shaughnessy Dam on the Scioto River, and Hoover Dam on Big Walnut Creek—provide 85% of the more than 130 million gallons of water used daily. The remaining 15 percent is drawn from the wells in southern Franklin County.
The Griggs and O'Shaughnessy reservoirs provide water for Downtown, west and northwest Franklin County. The Hoover reservoir supplies water for the entire northeast portion of Franklin County.
The reservoirs also offer recreational opportunities, including fishing, boating and waterskiing.
Is Columbus' drinking water safe?
Following the East Palestine train derailment, Columbus residents voiced concerns over local water supplies.
The derailment site is far from Columbus' nearby watersheds and poses no risk to local water supplies, a spokesperson for the city's department of public utilities told The Dispatch last month.
Dwayne Stokes, a water research analyst at the city of Columbus' Water Quality Assurance Lab, said in an interview that city employees regularly monitor the three watersheds that the city draws from and notify his lab if they detect anything out of the ordinary.
Additional testing on local water sources is done when the Ohio EPA notifies Columbus' Division of Water that a spill has occurred in a watershed, Stokes said. "Say a gasoline truck overturns on I-270. That might run into our watershed, and we would do testing around that area, along with the Ohio EPA," he added.
Should toxic chemicals infiltrate a water supply, most, if not all, municipal water utilities have the ability to remove them using methods like oxidation and powder-activated carbon. Columbus' three water plants also have the ability to limit their intake if the concentration of something in a water supply is high enough to warrant concern, Stokes said.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Where does Columbus' water supply come from?
