Water Quality

From the Source: Where does our water come from?

The Monroe Water Department purchases treated water from Butler County Water & Sewer and distributes it to Monroe water customers. See below for information about water sources and treatment from the BCWS Water Treatment website and other resources.

Natural, or source, water must be treated before it is safe for human consumption.

Source water is classified as surface water— water collecting on the ground or in a stream, river, lake, sea or ocean, or ground water—water located beneath the ground surface. An aquifer is an area of rock or soil that can yield a usable quantity of water.

BCWS receives water from the City of Hamilton and the Greater Cincinnati Water Works and distributes it to its customers. BCWS staff and its suppliers closely monitor water quality, assuring that it meets all state and federal standards.

Surface Water Treatment Process

These diagrams illustrate how BCWS' suppliers treat surface water. Diagrams courtesy of the Greater Cincinnati Water Works.

Greater Cincinnati Water Works

The Ohio River is the major source of GCWW's water. GCWW uses granular activated carbon technology, a state-of-the-art process that allows them to use substantially less chlorine in the treatment process. GCWW has one of the largest GAC facilities in the U.S.

Ground Water Treatment Process

The City of Hamilton and GCWW draw water from the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer. Their wells are in the portion of the aquifer served by the Hamilton to New Baltimore Groundwater Consortium, which has developed an award-winning program to protect this source water.

Water Distribution Treatment

After the treated water arrives in its distribution system, BCWS adds chlorine to boost the disinfection levels to meet state regulations. BCWS also adds sodium carbonate (soda ash) in some areas of its system to buffer the water.