- Departments
- Water
- Where Your Water Comes From
Where Your Water Comes From
WATCH: The Water Treatment Process, Explained
Believe it or not, it's a major undertaking to get our water from Lake Huron all the way to your tap! The videos is this series will walk you through the processes Midland's Water Treatment Plant takes to deliver safe, clean, delicious drinking water to our residents.
Watch this multi-video series above to watch our water's entire journey through the treatment process.
City Water - Where It's From & How It Reaches Midland
Midland has received its source potable water supply from Lake Huron since 1948. The source water pumping system is jointly owned and operated by the cities of Midland and Saginaw through the Saginaw-Midland Municipal Water Supply Corporation (SMMWSC).
Intake
Water from Lake Huron is drawn into the system through two intake structures located one and two miles offshore at Whitestone Point. Combined, the two intakes provide a maximum of 230 million gallons per day of available capacity.
The intake structures at Whitestone Point are screened to keep out debris and fish, and the water is chlorinated to kill harmful bacteria and zebra mussels. The water is then pumped through 65 miles of pipeline to Midland. To view the path City of Midland water follows from Whitestone Point to Midland, see the map below.
Treatment
Once at the Midland Water Treatment Plant, chemicals are added to the raw water to further purify and disinfect it. In addition, over 100,000 tests are performed each year, before, during and after treatment to assure that the water meets all Federal and State regulations for safe drinking water.
The finished water is stored in both elevated and underground facilities located throughout the water system.
The City's Water Treatment Plant is capable of providing 48 million gallons per day of treated Lake Huron water to Midland area homes and businesses. In addition, there is a 110-million gallon source water reservoir located to the north of the City of Midland Water Plant on Bay City Road that is used for flow equalization and an emergency supply in case of loss of water supply. The Water Plant also provides industrial-grade water for its local industrial customers.
Staff
The Water Plant is staffed by professional water treatment plant operators, water analysts and maintenance personnel to ensure that this large amount of water is delivered quickly and efficiently to the City's more than 17,000 water customers.