As part of the FYE 2012 budget, the City made significant improvements to the Water Treatment Plant.  This is Phase One of the automation and efficiency upgrades the City has undertaken.  One of these improvements was to replace the filter media originally installed in 1989, with a new filter media.  Filter media is the rocks and sand particles utilized to filter out iron from the well water before the water is transported throughout the Rochester water system.  Over time, the effectiveness of the media deteriorates and becomes less effective.

The City consistently measures the iron content within the water.  Raw ground water with no filtration averages about 2.0 milligrams per liter of iron.  Treated water with the old filter media, just before it was changed, averaged 0.35 milligrams per liter of iron.  Water treated with the new filter media is currently averaging 0.09 milligrams per liter of iron.  This nearly 75% reduction in iron content will result in clearer water for our consumers with less “rust” color in it.  It should be noted that many of our older City water mains and the internal plumbing of properties have iron deposits build-up on them, which also significantly affects the clarity of water realized by the consumer.

As part of the treatment process, the City backwashes the filter media three times a week.  When the plant is backwashing, it cannot produce water for the system.  Before the improvements, the backwash process took about 40 minutes.  After the improvements, the backwash time is 20 minutes.  During peak water use time (mid-summer), it is important to keep the plant running as often as possible.  This 20 minute process improvement allows for additional production and reduces the amount of time an employee must spend backwashing.

The Administration believes it is important for our consumers to understand the impact of the budget allocation and effects of the media change-out on the clarity of its water and efficiency of operation.

The City of Rochester utilizes the City of Detroit sewer system for all sewerage. The City of Rochester utilizes a municipal well to serve water to the western part of the City and the City of Detroit water system to serve water to the eastern part of the City.

The Department of Public Works is responsible for the maintenance of the water and sewer system within the City limits, and the Finance and Treasury Department produces bills and collects payments for water and sewer accounts.