What We Do
The City of Lancaster provides drinking water to 120,000 people through over 48,000 hook ups in the City and nine surrounding municipalities, including East Hempfield Township, East Lampeter Township, Lancaster Township, Manheim Township, Manor Township, Millersville Borough, Pequea Township, West Hempfield Township, and West Lampeter Township. The system also serves four bulk customers including West Earl Township, East Petersburg Township, Upper Leacock Township, and Penn Township. Approximately 60% of the drinking water comes from the Susquehanna River and 40% comes from the Conestoga River.
The City of Lancaster upgraded how it treated water back in 2009-2010 from conventional to membrane filtration. With conventional filtration the filters use a combination of layered media usually consisting of stone, sand and a carbon heavy layer on top. With Membrane filtration the water is vacuumed through very small pores that physically block particles, bacteria and viruses from getting through. After filtration, a chlorine based disinfectant in the form of sodium hypochlorite is added to ensure deactivation of anything such as bacteria or viruses. The City also adjusts water pH, adds corrosion inhibitors (to prevent breakdown of water infrastructure from naturally occurring charged particles in water) and adds fluoride. he City is always analyzing and evaluating new water technology to stay ahead of the curve and to optimize water treatment. Know that 24/7 operations are constantly monitored to ensure that all customers have access to quality drinking water.
