Key Staff

Brandon Green, Water Superintendent

(316) 775-4549

(316) 775-4566

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Clarice Mullen, Public Works Administrative Assistant

 (316) 775-4510

 (316) 775-4566

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Water Services 

As your water provider, our goal is to make sure there is an adequate supply of safe water to meet your day-to-day needs and an abundant supply in the event of a fire or other catastrophe.  Potable tap water delivers fire protection, protects the public health, supports the local economy and quality of life that we enjoy.  The water department's job is to ensure that your water keeps flowing today and into the future.  The City obtains its water supply from three surface water sources: El Dorado Lake, Santa Fe Lake, and Augusta City Lake.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

Q: Where does our water supply come from?

The City of Augusta water suppply comes from three surface water sources.  El Dorado Lake is the primary source, providing roughly 2/3rd of our regular usage under normal circumstances.  The remaining 1/3rd comes from Augusta City Lake, and to a lesser extend, Santa Fe Lake.  With the recent drought conditions, however, Augusta City Lake and Santa Fe Lake have mostly dried up.  The City has been relying solely on El Dorado Lake for its water supply for many months.

Q: Why does my tap water smell and taste funny?

Smell and taste of tap water are impacted by a number of different factors.  The source of the water plays a big role.  The City typically gets its water from a mixture of three different surface water sources: Augusta City Lake, Santa Fe Lake, and El Dorado Lake.  Most of our smell and taste complaints occur when we are pulling from Augusta City Lake and Santa Fe Lake because the overall quality of El Dorado's lake water is better.  We add chemicals as part of the treatment process that significantly remove any odor or foul tastes and the water is required to pass bacterial testing and meet EPA guidelines on a daily basis, which it does.  We do not receive very many smell or taste complaints, but there could be a number of potential causes.

• Taste and smell sometimes depend on water usage at the customer's homes/business.  Low usage can cause water to sit in the water lines for longer periods of time causing the water to become more stale or stagnant and thus, negatively impact the smell and taste.
• Taste and smell are also impacted by the chemicals (i.e. chloramines) used in the treatment process as a water disinfectant.  We monitor these chemicals continuously, but there may be variations in the amount of chemicals used depending on the quality of the raw water coming into the treatment plant.
• Sense of taste and smell also vary by person, so some customers may be sensing odors or flavors that others drinking the same water may not.  Taste and smell also vary between cities so our water may taste funny if you are accustomed to water provided in other cities.

To improve the taste and smell of your water, try these following fixes:

• Fill a jug of water from your tap and place it in the refrigerator to sit until cold.  The colder temperature could make the water taste better.
• Try purchasing and installing a charcoal filter attachment for your tap.  These filters are available at your local grocery/department stores.