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Water Treatment & Testing

Water Treatment

man at water treatment centerMost of Springfield Utility Board’s (SUB’s) water comes from groundwater, which means it passes through numerous layers of sand, silt, and rock, all of which act as a natural filter, protecting and purifying it as it travels to the aquifer below. SUB also supplements groundwater with water drawn from the Middle Fork Willamette River to allow us to meet growing demand.

Treatment Facility

Water from SUB’s Willamette wellfield and from the river is mixed together at SUB’s Slow Sand Filtration water treatment facility:

  1. Water passes through layers of sand and gravel created to mimic the water table
  2. It is treated with ultraviolet light to kill organisms sometimes found in river water
  3. Then lightly chlorinated for additional protection

Water Testing

To verify that our water is clean and pure, SUB performs more than 15,000 water quality tests each year. Additionally, water quality analyzers throughout the water system monitor the quality of SUB’s water 24/7:

  1. Trained staff collect water samples from wells, storage facilities, and various points in the distribution system
  2. Samples are then taken to a state-licensed laboratory for analysis
  3. Results are reported to the State of Oregon
  4. Test results also are compared against standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Oregon

Test results show that SUB’s water consistently meets or beats state and federal water quality standards. To view the test results, please refer to SUB’s 2023 Water Quality Report.

Visit our Lead & PFAS page to learn more about Lead and PFAS.

Well Water Testing

If you have a private well and would like to have your water tested, you can:

  • Call a local certified lab, which will charge a basic fee for the service
  • Use a student/teacher run community well testing program administered through Thurston High School and available free of charge via grant support from SUB and others. Call (541) 744-4140 for more information about testing times and procedures or go to the Well Water Testing Team page to make an appointment online.