At OUC—The Reliable One, our employees are committed to delivering clean, safe, great-tasting water to our customers for not only today, but for generations to come. The 2022 OUC Water Quality Report supports this commitment with a compilation of test results and other important information about the quality of the water you drink and our efforts to conserve it. 

The source of your drinking water is the Lower Floridan aquifer, a well-protected reservoir located hundreds of feet below ground level. OUC treats this high-quality water with ozone, the strongest disinfectant available, and other agents that fight bacteria in water and corrosion in pipes. Additionally, our statecertified water lab conducts thousands of chemical and bacteriological water-quality tests each year, including tests for more than 135 regulated and unregulated substances like lead and copper. Summaries of those test results are included in this report.

Water is our most precious – yet limited – natural resource. Therefore, we understand that fostering a water-wise culture is crucial to ensuring an adequate water supply well into the future.

One way we achieve this is by conducting educational initiatives with students in our service territory. Since 2006, more than 125,000 students have participated in our award-winning Project AWESOME (Alternative Water & Energy Supply, Observation, Methods and Education) and Water Color Project. Both programs seek to make students aware of the importance of water conservation and adopt what they learn in their own homes.

OUC also helps residential and business customers become more water-wise by offering programs and rebates that support water conservation. Customers can request a free in-home conservation audit to identify ways to reduce their water consumption. And significant investments in innovative technologies, such as smart water meters and leak detection monitoring, allow us to proactively alert customers and identify areas for improvement regarding consumption and our water infrastructure.

I hope the 2022 Water Quality Report reassures you that we are a responsible steward of the public’s water supply. If you have questions or concerns about water quality or conservation, please don’t hesitate to contact OUC’s Water Quality Lab at 407-434-2549.

OUC General Manager & CEO

Through water-conservation-themed classroom programs, OUC is teaching public school students about the importance of preserving and protecting Florida’s water supply. Since 2006, more than 125,000 local students have participated in OUC’s Water Color Project and Project AWESOME (Alternative Water & Energy Supply, Observation, Methods and Education). The Water Color Project encourages Orange County students to use their artistic talents to promote conservation. Fourth- and fifth-graders compete to have their artwork featured in OUC’s annual Water Conservation Calendar while middle and high school students paint water-themed rain barrels for judging.

Project AWESOME delivers an interactive lab to fifth-graders in Orange and Osceola counties. Students make an aquifer, build solar-powered cars and validate the efficiency of low-flow showerheads and compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).

OUC’s efforts to spread the word on water conservation go beyond the classroom. Everyone can help save water by following a few simple tips:

• Water just once per week in cooler months and twice per week in warmer months in accordance with the SJRWMD watering restrictions at  www.sjrwmd.com/wateringrestrictions.      
• Water your lawn before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. to minimize the amount lost to evaporation.
• Water your lawn for just 35-45 minutes per session. Turn off your irrigation system if it has rained.
• Repair leaking faucets and toilets.
• Install water-saver shower heads and take shorter showers.

For more ways to save water, visit OUC.com/waterconservation.

Well pumps at OUC’s water treatment plants draw water from a natural underground reservoir called the Lower Floridan aquifer. After being sent through ozone contact basins, the water is treated with chlorine and fluoride. The water is then pumped into a finished water storage tank and distributed to residential, commercial and industrial customers. OUC pumps about 31.5 billion gallons of water per year to customers across a 200-square-mile service area.

The foundation for what would eventually become the Orlando Utilities Commission was laid even before the 20th century began. Through much of the 1800s, the community’s only source of water was a town well located next to the Orange County Court House at the corner of Central and Main.

The Orlando Water Company was formed in 1886 and consisted of a plant and distribution system, which used Lake Highland as its source. In 1889, additional water mains – including about 13.5 miles of pipe – were laid to serve many areas of Orlando with a safe domestic supply and fire protection.

Four years later, a foreclosure resulted in a new corporation, the Orlando Water and Sewerage Company, which was purchased within a year to form the Orlando Water & Light Company (OWLC). Using an additional water supply, Lake Concord, OWLC boosted the system to 23 miles of mains and pipes, covering every part of the City and more than 100 fire hydrants. In 1917, the first filtrated treatment facilities were built to begin treating lake water before passing it into the city mains.

In 1922, the City of Orlando purchased OWLC to form the Orlando Utilities Commission. OUC—The Reliable One, as you know us today, pumps water from the pristine Lower Floridan aquifer to provide safe, clean, great-tasting water to the residents of Orlando and parts of unincorporated Orange County.

OUC’s water pumping equipment from the 1930s.

Sources of drinking water (both tap and bottled) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells. As water travels over the surface of land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring, and, in some cases, radioactive materials. But it also picks up substances related to animals or human activity. Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

• Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations and wildlife.
• Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining or farming.
• Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff and residential uses.
• Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production and can come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff and septic systems.
• Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or the result of oil and gas production, and mining activities.

In order to ensure that tap water provided by public water systems is safe to drink, the EPA prescribes regulations that limit the amounts of certain contaminants in water. Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health.

All drinking water, including bottled water, may be reasonably expected to contain minute amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants in water does not necessarily pose health risks. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

What The EPA Says About MCLs And Health Effects

The Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) established by the EPA are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated constituents, a person would have to drink two liters of water every day at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effect.

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised people, such as those with cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy, those who have undergone organ transplants, those with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, and some elderly and infants, can be particularly at risk for infections. These people should consult with their healthcare providers about drinking water. EPA and Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

MCL: Maximum Contaminant Level.
The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

MCLG: Maximum Contaminant Level Goal.
The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.

AL: Action Level.
The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow.

ppm: Parts Per Million.
One part by weight of analyte to 1 million parts by weight of the water sample.

ppb: Parts Per Billion.
One part by weight of analyte to 1 billion parts by weight of the water sample.

LRAA: Locational Running Annual Average.
The average of sample analytical results for samples taken at a particular monitoring location during the previous four calendar quarters.

RAA: Running Annual Average.
The average of results computed quarterly, of monthly averages of all samples collected during the previous four calendar quarters.

N/A: Not Applicable.

ND: Not Detected.
Indicates that the substance was not found by laboratory analysis.

MRDLG: Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal.
The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.

MRDL: Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level.
The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.

MFL: Million Fibers Per Liter.
Measure of the presence of asbestos fibers that are longer than 10 micrometers.

The primary source of lead and copper in tap water is customer's plumbing. These elements can possibly leach into the water from a building’s plumbing through corrosion if the water has been standing in the pipes for several hours. To prevent corrosion from occurring, OUC has effectively implemented system-wide corrosion-control treatment. At the treatment plants, sodium hydroxide is added to the water to increase the water’s pH and thus prevent corrosion. Buildings at risk for lead or copper in the water are those that have lead services or that have lead solder in copper pipes.

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. OUC is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or online at www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.