Manassas Park touts water quality
Manassas Park’s water continues to be safe and drinkable, according to a recent consumer confidence report released by the city’s public works department.
“We have very good quality water. And we’re very proud of it,” said William Weakley, director of public works.
The Environmental Protection Agency requires jurisdictions throughout the country to produce such reports annually. In Virginia, the reports are sent to the state’s Department of Health, which then forwards the information to the EPA.
Weakley said he is proud of the fact that the city, which tests its water monthly, has never found contamination of any kind during his tenure as director.
Only a few minor problems are listed in EPA files.
In 2001, Weakley’s department found that water samples for bacteria tests were being taken from the garden hose spouts of local residents unreliable sources from which to base tests.
“We can’t control what happens to water after it enters a person’s house,” he said.
Since then, public works employees have taken samples from the intake lines going into houses.
Another minor difficulty occurred in 2000, when a water sample sent to a state lab for nitrate testing was lost in transit.
“Subsequent to that, I’ve used a private courier,” Weakley said.
A little more than half of Manassas Park’s water comes from the city of Manassas, which has a water treatment plant on Lake Manassas.
The rest of the Manassas Park’s water comes from three 900-foot-deep wells located in the east side of the city.
“Wells generally have more minerals than surface water. But our water quality has always been good,” Weakley said.