Water Treatment Plant

Philip Walker, Water Plant Superintendent
3863 Guest Road
Valdosta, Georgia 31605
Phone: 229-333–1881
Fax: 229-333-1882

General Information

A state-of-the-art plant located north of the City of Valdosta supplies drinking water for local residents, businesses, and industries. The plant was completed in 1992 and uses ozone as the primary treatment process and was the first municipal plant in Georgia to use this technology. It has many innovative features, including computer monitoring and control of treatment processes and a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system to monitor the distribution system pressure and water levels in all elevated tanks in the system.

Water for the plant is taken from seven (7) deep wells on City property surrounding the plant. The system has an annual average daily flow capacity of 11 million gallons per day (MGD) and a maximum daily flow of 15 MGD. The water transmission and distribution system has over 300 miles of mains, with pipe sizes up to 30 inches in diameter. Water Treatment Plant Expansion Video.

Where Does Your Water Come From

The City of Valdosta obtains its water supply from seven (7) wells that are drilled into an underground layer of porous, water bearing limestone known as the Upper Floridan Aquifer. This limestone layer lies under most of South Georgia and all of Florida. Generally, the aquifer is able to provide a prolific supply of good clean water. In Valdosta, the top of the aquifer lies approximately 200 feet below ground surface and the City's wells are drilled an additional 200 feet into the limestone.

The Floridan Aquifer in the area of Valdosta and Lowndes County is known as a karst aquifer. This is an aquifer that has cracks, underground solution channels, and caverns. These cracks can provide a route to allow contaminants to enter the aquifer, move about in the aquifer and alter the water supply and can cause special challenges for the City's water system.

How is Your Water Treated

The City of Valdosta Water Treatment Plant uses the latest available technology to provide safe and good tasting water for its customers. Expansions of the facility to 22.5 million gallons per day (MGD) and upgrading of all equipment was completed in 2007. The treatment process includes:

Air stripping towers to physically remove hydrogen sulfide;
Ozone treatment to oxidize organics and sulfides and to provide primary disinfection;
Chemical addition to stabilize the pH of the treated water;
Phosphate addition to provide corrosion control;
Sodium hypochlorite addition to provide final disinfection and provide a disinfection residual until the water is used by the customer;
Treated water is stored on-site and pumped to the customer as needed.

Water Quality Report

In 1996, the U.S. Congress and the President amended the Safe Drinking Water Act. They added a provision requiring that all community water systems deliver to their customers an annual water quality report, also known as a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR). The guiding principle behind the annual CCR is that all people have the right to know what is in their drinking water and where it comes from.

Accolades

The City of Valdosta has been recognized at the local, state, and federal level on numerous occasions for our outstanding water services. Accolades include:

2013 – Georgia Association of Water Professional
Water Treatment Plant of the Year
December 2007 - American Water Works Association
Featured in an article entitled, "Finished Water" in the Opflow publication
2007 - Georgia Association of Water Professionals
Featured in the 75th Anniversary commemorative book entitled, "Celebrating Our History - Building Toward Our Future"
September 2007 - City of Valdosta
Ribbon cutting ceremony for $19 million expansion of the City's water treatment plant
July 24, 2007 - Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA)
Certificate of Completion for the replacement of 30 miles of undersized water mains to improve water quality using a low-interest loan from GEFA
2006/2007 - Keep Lowndes Valdosta Beautiful (KLVB)
Government Entity of the Year - City of Valdosta Utilities Department
2002 - Georgia Water and Pollution Control Association
Laboratory Quality Assurance in the Category of 10,000 to 100,000 Population
2000 - Georgia Water and Pollution Control Association
Laboratory Quality Assurance in the Category of 10,000 to 100,000 Population
November 4, 1998 - Georgia Water and Pollution Control Association
1st Place in Category Laboratory Quality Assurance 10,000 to 100,000 Population Served
June 3, 1997 - Georgia Water and Pollution Control Association
Valdosta WTP Laboratory Superior Performance
1996 - Environmental Protection Division
Safe Drinking Water Act Excellence Award
1996 - Environmental Protection Agency
Safe Drinking Water Act Excellence Award Region IV
August 14, 1996 - Georgia Water and Pollution Control Association
Outstanding Operation of a Groundwater System in the Category of over 10,000 Population
June 18, 1996 - Georgia Water and Pollution Control Association
Valdosta WTP Laboratory Superior Performance
August 17, 1994 - Georgia Water and Pollution Control Association
Outstanding Operation of a Groundwater System in the Category of over 10,000 Population

Request a Water Plant Tour

The Utilities Department has an active public education program and conducts tours for students of all ages at the water plant and its two wastewater plants. The water plant has frequent visits from the public and water professionals from all over the Southeast. If you wish to schedule a tour, please contact the Water Treatment Plant at 229-333-1881 between 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM. Groups of up to 100 people may be accommodated with advanced notice. After-hours visits may be arranged by special request.