Rochester, New York has been voted the best-tasting water in New York State twice. In this episode, I go inside the Hemlock Filtration Plant with the Rochester Water Bureau, for a complete walkthrough of how drinking water treatment actually works.

This is the most in-depth water treatment plant tour I've filmed on this show. We walk through the entire process step by step, including pH Adjustment, coagulation, filtration, disinfection, corrosion control, and fluoridation.

Beyond the treatment steps themselves, we see what it actually takes to run a plant like this day to day: how backwash filtering works to keep the filters clean and operating efficiently, how chemical storage and chemical feed systems are managed and maintained, and how the Water Bureau is approaching aging infrastructure, including an old tugboat generator still in use, for which replacement control parts can only be found on eBay.

We also get into how tap water testing compares to bottled water regulation, and why your annual water quality report is one of the most underused resources for understanding what's actually in your water.

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Bottled Water Scam: https://youtu.be/8t2hWfc-GfI?si=4L4Y5h6kXMPjlUfX
• Rochester Water Bureau on Lead Pipes: https://youtu.be/1ScftnN7g8s?si=QTJINwVLeM4vmDJr

About AquaDiary:

AquaDiary is an independent media project covering water quality, lake science, and the infrastructure most people never think about until something goes wrong. New episodes weekly.

Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheAquaDiaryPodcast

Substack (free water quality guides): https://substack.com/@aquadiarypodcast

Thanks to David Rowley and the Rochester Water Bureau for the access and the time.