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Raw water is pumped from Lake Eucha through 5 miles
of 12” pipe to the JWW treatment facility located at 2329 S. Main St. in
Jay, OK. It can take 2 hours for a certain gallon of water to reach the facility.
Once the water reaches the treatment facility, chlorine and polymer (used
to coagulate suspended particles out of the water) are added. Then the water enters
two 120,000 gallon sedimentation tanks to allow the suspended particles to
settle out of the water. Sedimentation tanks usually remove about 90% of the particles
from the water. After approximately one hour the water flows from the
tanks into the mixed media filters which remove the particles too small for the
sedimentation tanks. After filtration the water passes into a 90,000 gallon clearwell
below the plant where chlorine is added before the water is pumped to the
500,000 gallon standpipe behind the plant and to the customer. Fluoride is added
while pumping from the clearwell.
The process may seem simple but requires constant monitoring and control of
the equipment and chemicals being added. Tests are performed on samples from the
raw water, clearwell water, and tapwater from homes and businesses in Jay
and Oakhill. Turbidity and chlorine are monitored constantly while fluoride,
pH, alkalinity, and hardness are measured at least twice a day. The JWW lab also
tests for iron, manganese, copper, and water stability. Other tests are
performed monthly and yearly by Tulsa and
Oklahoma City labs. Jay Water
Works (JWW) is currently in the planning stages for an upgrade of existing facilities
to aid in compliance with future Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality
(DEQ) regulations. JWW supplies potable water to Jay, Oakhill, and
RWD 1.
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