Water Management

Once water comes from different sources and can be treated in a variety of ways, the taste and quality of drinking water varies from place to place across the country. However, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandates drinking water quality standards for our safety. All public water suppliers must meet these standards. Individual states may have even more stringent standards.

The best source of specific information about your drinking water is your water supplier. Water suppliers that serve the same people year-round are required to send their customers an annual Water Quality Report. The current FSGA/HAAF Water Quality Report is included on this page. Please contact the Water Quality Program at (571) 801-0241 with any questions.

Your water supplier must notify you by newspaper, mail, radio, TV, or hand-delivery if your water does not meet U.S. EPA or state standards or if there is a waterborne disease emergency. The notice will describe any precautions you need to take. Follow the advice of your water supplier if you ever receive such a notice.

Water suppliers must deliver annual Drinking Water Quality Reports to their customers. These reports tell consumers what contaminants have been detected in their drinking water, how these detection levels compare to drinking water standards, and where their water comes from.The reports must be provided before July 1 of each year. FSGA/HAAF hand delivers these reports to housing residents, posts them in motorpools, and publishes it in the Installation’s newspaper, The Frontline. The current FSGA/HAAF Water Quality Report is included on this page.

Even when water meets the U.S. EPA’s standards, you may still object to its taste, smell, or appearance. The U.S. EPA sets secondary standards based on these aesthetic characteristics (not health effects) which water systems and states can choose to adopt. Two common complaints about water aesthetics are temporary cloudiness (typically caused by air bubbles) or chlorine taste (which can be improved by letting the water stand exposed to the air before drinking). Another complaint is the smell. Our water source is high in sulfur. You might occasionally find that it smells of sulfur (“rotten eggs”). This can typically be resolved by running the hot water until it runs cool. If you still have the rotten egg smell you may have a problem with your hot water tank.

If you are living in on-post housing, contact the Housing Manager at (571) 801-0241. For questions regarding aesthetics or health concerns regarding FSGA/HAAF's drinking water, please call the Environmental Office at (571) 801-0241 or the Environmental Health Office at (571) 801-0241.

When it comes to conserving water,small changes can have a big impact. Here are some ways that you can help conserve water.

• Turn water off while shaving and/or brushing your teeth.
• Take a shower instead of a bath.
• Reduce shower time by five minutes.
• Only run washing machine/dishwasher for full loads.
• Periodically check for toilet and faucet leaks.
• Install water-saving shower heads, faucets, and toilets.
• Irrigate in accordance with FSGA/HAAF's irrigation schedule.

When you get word that the GA Environmental Protection Division (EPD) has declared a drought, you will be required to respond in a certain way depending on the level of the drought - which will be determined by the GA EPD. To learn more about the different drought response levels, please see the Overview of Drought Response Levels document on this page.

Some of the problems associated with water drinking water availability in Coastal Georgia includes but are not limited to, Aquifer recharge and saltwater intrusion. In regard to Aquifer recharge, one would think that when we receive an excessive amount of rain, there should not be a shortage. Please keep in mind that just because it rains in our area does not mean that we have additional drinking water. The installation's drinking water is extracted from several wells that are approximately 500-feet deep. The water in these wells is protected by a confining clay layer, which prevents recharge due to local precipitation. The recharge area for our wells is approximately 100 miles away from the installation in the area of Dublin, GA.

Another area of concern is saltwater intrusion. Additional water treatment costs associated with saltwater intrusion can result in additional cost to customers. One of the main causes of saltwater intrusion in our area is overuse. The GA EPD employs measures such as withdrawal permits and drought levels to assist in the prevention of overuse.

Refer to the Frequently Asked Questions During a Boil Water Advisory document on this page.

Yes. You should take the following steps after a Boil Water Advisory is lifted.

• Flush household pipes/faucets first: run all your cold water faucets on full for at least five minutes each. If your service connection is long or complex (like in an apartment building) consider flushing for a longer period.

• Automatic ice makers: Dump existing ice and flush by making and discarding three batches of ice cubes. Wipe down the ice bin with a disinfectant. Increase to five batches if your water feed line to the machine is longer than 20 feet.

• Hot water heaters, water coolers, inline filters, and other appliances with direct water connections or water tanks: run enough water to completely replace at least one full volume of all lines and tanks. Simply run your hot water until the water becomes tepid. Similarly, run the cold water out of the water coolers. Dependent upon tank size, this could take 15-45 minutes.

• Replace any water filters.