Filtration Plant

City of Fairmont Water Filtration Plant

Boil Water Instructions

WHAT SHOULD I DO?

If your service has low water pressure, a loss of water, or discoloration of water, DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. 

Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, bathing, and food preparation UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. Boiling your water kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. 

What is being done?   Samples will be collected for bacteriological testing to determine if the Boil Water advisory will be lifted, results will be determined in 24hrs. 

For more information please call:

The Water Treatment Plant  

304-366-1461

On July 19, 2003, the City of Fairmont Utilities Water Filtration plant became the largest ultra membrane water treatment plant east of the Mississippi. This "zeeweed" process technology produces high quality treated water by drawing raw water through immersed hollow fiber membrane modules that have nominal and absolute pore size of 0.035 and 0.1 microns respectively. This ensures that particulate matter greater than 1 micron in size, including Giardia Cysts and Cryptosporidium oocycts, cannot enter the treated drinking water.

Treatment Process

At this time the plant can produce a maximum of 15 million gallons per day (MGD) using 5 zeeweed trains.

A programmable logic controller automates the operation of the process. The flow of treated water through the system is regulated according to the water level in the clear wells. The level in the clear wells are measured by a pressure-sending unit and the flow rate from the permeate pumps are adjusted using variable frequency drive units to match the water demand from the distribution system. The treated water flows from each zeeweed process tank membrane compartment through the membrane modules assisted by the VFD-controlled permeate pumps that generate a low-pressure vacuum that draws the permeate "treated water" through the membranes.

If the water level in the clear wells decreases, the pump capacities increase. And conversely, if the water levels in the clear wells increase, the pump capacities decrease.

About the Plant

The City of Fairmont’s new 15.0 MGD water treatment facility at Morris Park along Pleasant Valley Road is a new state-of-the-art facility, which features immersed ultrafiltration membrane technology. The new plant was constructed adjacent to the existing treatment plant, of which portions are in excess of 100 years old. Membrane technology provides nearly a 100% barrier against waterborne pathogens, including cryptosporidium, and it produces high quality, aesthetically pleasing, safe drinking water.

The immersed membrane operates under a low negative pressure (vacuum) system in an open-tank design. This facility is one of the largest immersed membrane potable water treatment plants in the United States.