SWANNANOA, N.C. (WLOS) -- The City of Asheville is pumping out 20 million gallons of water a day from the North Fork Reservoir, but it is still not potable.
The goal remains: drinkable water for citizens out of their taps by mid-December.
But as anyone following the potable water saga knows, the issue remains turbidity - the clarity of the water - which ties to the level of sediment or dirt that has to be filtered out.
Residents across Asheville in the past three weeks have noticed the water coming from taps is clearer and not the previous yellowish or brownish water that hinted at the turbidity issue. This is because the water level at the North Fork Reservoir is significantly lower than where it was a month ago.
Water Resources staff took News 13 on a walk through the treatment plant at North Fork, which is located about eight miles from Swannanoa.
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The reservoir's turbidity level is 15.3 NTU, which is short for Nephelometric Turbidity units. That is down from 17 NTU last week and significantly down from 90 NTU after Helene hit over six weeks ago.
Through the treatment plant's filtering system, staff report the water going into homes is at 0.004 NTU, which staff say meets the EPA's requirement of 0.3 NTU.
However, the spool line, which allows for untreated reservoir water to flow into water pipes, remains open. Water Resources staff cite that as one of several reasons why the water quality isn't to the point of being potable.
Staff also report that the filtering system and filters in it have to be washed every 20 hours due to the ongoing high turbidity of the North Fork Reservoir water flowing into the treatment system.
Prior to Helene when the turbidity level was very low, the filters typically had to be washed every 70 hours. The curtains made of composite material installed in a large section of the reservoir go 10 feet down and are anchored into the water.
Staff said they create a cordoned off area of water, giving them the ability to pre-treat and promote sediment to drop to the bottom before the water flows into the water treatment plant.
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The North Fork Reservoir is surrounded by forest, which historically has served as a water filtering system due to the extensive roots of the lush forest. The dam has 350 acres of surface and the maximum depth is 110 feet.
Staff are continually testing the water for the turbidity level using apparatus called 'turbinators.'
Water Resources staff report that the overall turbidity has fallen significantly; the particles are much smaller than a month ago and the water is much clearer.
Staff reports that all water lines from the 36" bypass line to the redundant water pipe lines are all operational from the dam to Asheville water customers. Even with a turbidity level of 15 NTU, staff report that the system can take the higher level of sediment, but the filters have to be washed more frequently.