Why did Medford Water study corrosion?

Water quality and the protection of public health are Medford Water’s top priorities. The ongoing lead issues for customers in Flint, Michigan highlight the need for water systems across the nation to take reducing lead exposure seriously.

Medford Water conducted a two-year Water Quality and Corrosion Study to evaluate treatment options that can reduce the water’s tendency to release metals from service lines and household plumbing. Medford Water is in compliance with all  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations.

However, there may be an opportunity to create a more stable water, allowing us to deliver the highest quality water to customers’ taps.

The study started in May 2017 and was completed an independent expert team to identify a scientifically rigorous and credible solution. All work is based on the latest guidance from the EPA.

The study is part of a multi-pronged approach to lead and copper in the water system. Medford Water worked to proactively find and replace lead pipe “pigtails” installed in the early 1900s. For more information on those efforts and information you can take to reduce your exposure to lead and copper in drinking water, click here.  

What is the best way to preserve Medford Water’s water quality?

The Water Quality and Corrosion Study evaluated the best path forward to preserve Medford Water’s high quality water all the way to the tap. The thorough four-phase approach followed EPA best practices and assures that any treatment chosen will work with our two water sources and piping system. It has illustrated how much the water quality will improve and estimate how much corrosion treatment will cost. The study included four phases, described in the below graphic. 

What have we learned so far?

The results show that increasing the pH (making water less corrosive) produces a more stable water that reduce the tendency of metals to leach from pipes. That means that regardless of the type of pipes people have in their homes, with pH treatment, metals stay in the pipe instead of leaching into the water. The pH adjustment methods add naturally occurring substances that have been safely used for decades in communities across Oregon and the U.S.

These treatment methods were then tested in “pipe loops”, using real pipe from our system to assure that any treatment chosen will work with our two water sources and piping system.  

What are the next steps of the study?

Now that we have the data needed to identify the best option to preserve our community’s high-quality water right to the tap, we are working to design and build the facilities needed to implement this treatment. 

How can I learn more?

More information on the study is summarized in the project Fact Sheet. For questions, contact Water Quality at 541-774-2430.