Business & Tech

WSSC Unveils New UV Water Disinfection System

The UV disinfection system at WSSC's Potomac Water Filtration Plant is providing cleaner water to Montgomery and Prince George's counties.

Drinking water in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties may not taste any different, but a new ultraviolet disinfection system at Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission is helping make water safer and cleaner.

On Thursday, WSSC representatives visited the Potomac Water Filtration Plant to explain how the UV disinfection system is using ultraviolet light to remove pathogens from the water. The system, which is one of the largest of its kind in the country, began disinfecting water two to three months ago, said Jim Neustadt, Director of Communication and Community Relations at WSSC.

The $3.2 million UV system can disinfect up to 300 million gallons of water a day for the nearly 1.8 million residents of Montgomery and Prince George who use it. WSSC does not yet know how much it will cost to operate the UV system since it has not been running for very long, but estimates it will cost about $50,000 a year, Neustadt said.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

“This state of the art technology benefits everyone who drinks water in the region,” said WSSC General Manager Jerry Johnson. “Our water was already safe and met all of the standards before we added the UV disinfection system, but we wanted to do more as an organization.”

The UV disinfection system at the Potomac Water Filtration Plant uses light in the UV spectrum to render certain microbial pathogens harmless, Johnson said. Certain pathogens found in water, like Cryptosporidium — a one-celled parasite than can cause gastrointestinal illnesses, will be removed through UV system, he added.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

The UV disinfection system is one part of a $90 million improvement project that has been going on for the last nine years at the Potomac Plant. Other improvements include increased output from the plant and enhanced security.

There are plans to set up the UV disinfection system at WSSC’s plant in Laurel, Md. Construction on the system will begin in one to two years, Neustadt said.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here