Drink your fill, Macon’s water is safe and delicious

In response to the letter to the editor on July 29, by Patricia A. Holoyda of Macon, Ms. Holoyda inaccurately attributes the “crud” within her shower head and Jacuzzi tub jets to the lack of quality water being delivered by the Macon Water Authority. But what is more troubling is Ms. Holoyda’s suggestion that families with infants and small children not use MWA water until the utility addresses its water quality issues.

I strongly disagree with these unsubstantiated and unscientific opinions.

We are fortunate to have great tasting water here in Macon-Bibb County, evident in the American Water Works Association proclaiming MWA tap water as the Best Tasting Drinking Water in North America in 2009. While such an award can be viewed as subjective, there are more scientific measures that provide empirical proof that our water quality is clean and safe to drink.

As a former MWA employee, Ms. Holoyda should be aware that our drinking water undergoes thousands of regulatory water quality tests specifically designed to measure the presence of potential contaminants in our drinking water. In fact, the MWA released those test results last month in the 2018 Water Quality Report — also referred to as our Consumer Confidence Report — which revealed that the MWA met or exceeded all measures for drinking water quality and safety standards. The Water Quality Report can be found at www.maconwater.org.

In addition, the MWA conducts nearly 10 times the number of tests required by regulatory agencies for drinking water quality and safety. The data included in our Water Quality Report are the results of a multitude of samples taken at points across our drinking water production and distribution system, which were then tested in our award-winning water quality lab and then verified by regulatory officials at the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.

According to the EPA, the intent and goal of our Water Quality Report is to increase the public’s “right to know” about the nature of their drinking water, while providing consumers with local water quality information that allows people to make informed public health choices.

If someone states that MWA tap water is not for them, because of taste or a preference for bottled water, that’s certainly his or her choice as a consumer. But to state that MWA tap water is unsafe to drink and could jeopardize the health of infants and children is inaccurate and inflammatory. If Ms. Holoyda or any MWA customer has a concern about the quality of water delivered by the MWA, they can contact us for proper testing.

The MWA has drinking water quality standards that we must follow to assure our tap water is clean and safe to drink, and we take no shortcuts when it comes to water quality.

Tony Rojas is executive director/president of the Macon Water Authority.