Catching Up with Columbia Water

Salute to Essential Workers: 

This year has come with many challenges. Many people are still adjusting as the world continues to adapt to restrictions and modified operations due to COVID-19. Columbia Water is always thankful to have the support of our customers and dedicated employees. Like medical and food service professionals, utility providers must work year round to provide communities with necessities that keep people safe and offer the essentials needed to thrive. 

Columbia Water’s essential crews include the staff at the City of Columbia Customer Care Center, Columbia Canal Drinking Water Treatment Plant, Lake Murray Drinking Water Treatment Plant, Wastewater Maintenance and Management, and our Wastewater Treatment Plant. In an effort to provide our customers with best in class water utility services, these facilities operate 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

Columbia Water is grateful to all professions that have helped to sustain life and well-being in the Midlands during these tough times.    

Over 50,000 New Meters with FREE Smartphone App:

Columbia Water is excited to announce over 50,000 new digital water meter installations! With the new automated meter infrastructure (AMI) project, Columbia Water customers have access to the free EYE ON WATER app. EYE ON WATER provides real-time updates on water usage and potential leaks.

“The 50,000-meter benchmark is a great indicator that our project is working to serve the needs of our customers,” notes Assistant City Manager of Columbia Water Clint Shealy. 

AMI and EYE ON WATER align with the city of Columbia and its goal to provide high-quality municipal services as outlined by Envision Columbia, set by the City Council in 2017. Columbia Water strives to offer optimal customer service. 

• AMI meters are expected to provide: 
• More accurate meter readings
• Real-time alerts with the EYE ON WATER app about possible water leaks 
• The ability to better manage water use—with online and smartphone visibility

AMI started to address water utility customer concerns about effective billing practices with municipal services. The technology utilizes cell towers to transmit information from a digital water meter to billing centers. New meter installations for all 150,000 metered accounts are expected to be complete in March 2022.

Columbia Water customers can find out when AMI digital meters will be available in their neighborhood and learn more about the AMI project at ColumbiaSCWater.net/meterupgrade. 

Going Back to School:

As summer winds down, many children around the country are preparing to go back to school. For parents looking to enrich environmental education at home, here is a list of websites that have great educational supplements for K-12 students:

• MyAmericanFarm.org
• Birds.Cornell.edu/k12
• WaterEducation.org/water-kids

Planting in the Fall:

Are you thinking about planting a fall garden? It’s important to know your plant hardiness zone. A plant hardiness zone helps to determine the viability of your crops based on winter weather patterns in your area. According to the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, the Midlands area falls in Zone 8. 

If you’re planning to plant this fall, leafy greens, like collards or kale, are noted to sustain well through autumn, and winter pansies and chrysanthemums are said to bloom well in the fall season. 

Be sure check out these water-saving tips when maintaining your yard through the fall: 

• Consider installing a rain barrel to save water and decrease rain water runoff

• Be sure to only water your lawn to about 1 inch of water

• Limit the amount of fertilizers and additives to your garden, as these items can impact local water quality in lakes and rivers

For Columbia Water updates and news, be sure to follow us on Twitter (@ColumbiaSCWater), Facebook and Instagram.