Reliability & Quality go hand-in-hand when it comes to water. CPWS is committed to providing safe, quality drinking water to its 19,390 customers (June 30, 2006) located in the City of Columbia and parts of Maury County.

Water supply reliability depends on having sufficient water supplies to meet or exceed our customers' water demands. During fiscal year 2006, CWS pumped 3.2 billion gallons of water for our customers. Construction of an additional raw water intake with a capacity of 20 mgd (million gallons per day) was completed in 2006. With this addition, CWS is able to pump more raw water to the treatment plant, thereby improving reliability.

During fiscal year 2006, CWS residential customers in the City of Columbia used an average of 60,000 gallons per year and paid an average rate of $2.13 per thousand gallons (including customer charge)--or an annual water bill of $128. Residential customers outside the city limits of Columbia used an average of 78,300 gallons during the year and paid an average rate of $2.86 per thousand gallons (including customer charge)--or an annual water bill of $224.

State and Federal governments are responsbile for setting high standards for water quality. CWS is responsible for producing and supplying drinking water that meets or exceeds these standards.  CWS conducts an extensive water quality testing program, and your drinking water is tested literally hundreds of times each year. Water samples from various locations are analyzed each day in the CWS lab or by independent state certified labs. Additional testing is conducted each week for bacterial contamination. Results of these tests and other tests are reported regularly to state authorities. Water quality tests use ultra-sensitive measuring equipment to detect substances as small as one-half part per billion! Results of these tests show that CWS drinking water meets or exceed all state and federal standards.

CWS employees monitor the water system 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to ensure our customers receive reliable, quality drinking water.