How do I know my water is safe to drink?

Everett Water Utility follows regulatory standards and practices and conducts a comprehensive water quality testing program to ensure our water is safe to drink. Our water quality staff are engaged throughout the entire shutdown process until service is restored.

To begin with, our water is treated and safe when it leaves the filtration plant; a small, safe-to-drink level of chlorine remains in the water as a result of the treatment process, keeping the water clean. Once the new pipe is in place, the integrity of the pipe is tested (to make sure nothing can enter the pipe from the outside), and the inside of the pipe is disinfected. Before the pipe is put in service, staff flush the pipe to replace water that was used in the disinfection process with fresh water. Water quality staff take bacteriological samples from the refilled pipe to ensure no foreign material was introduced into the pipe. Once testing is complete, the water is considered safe to drink, and Everett can give customers an “all clear” notification via our website or AlertSense. 

Show All Answers

1. How will I know if my water system will be affected?
2. When is my water going to be back on?
3. How do I know my water is safe to drink?
4. Our water system is connected to multiple households. Should we shut off the water at the meter?
5. If City of Everett crews are shutting off the city-owned meters, should we still close our valves in the house?
6. I’ve seen a recommendation to turn off the water to our toilets. What is the purpose of this?
7. Will the City/Utility pay for impacted customers to stay in a hotel/rental property during the shutdown?
8. How do we go about transferring our water service from the Everett’s water transmission line to the PUD water distribution system?