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By Paula Pyzik Scott

The “Made in Ada” water tower emblazoned with the Wilson Sporting Goods logo makes most folks think of NFL football. But from the nearby environs of the Village of Ada water treatment plant, it also serves as a reminder that our tap water is a “Made in Ada” product, too. 

On April 16 I joined a group of Ada Community Improvement Corporation members for a tour of the plant led by operator in training Alex Fields. The event was a sort of exam review for Fields, who passed his state certification test last year and will be granted his certificate when he has a full year of plant experience in May.

Have any idea what goes into making water from Ada’s wells safe to drink? I didn’t. Turning on a faucet and making payments are the extent of my personal water experience.

From attending council meetings, I know that the EPA is a regular visitor and that maintenance and upgrades can be big ticket items resulting in grants and loans.

Council member Bob Simmons jokes that getting into the Ada Water Plant is like getting into Fort Knox. He likes to check in with Fields and plant manager John Bowers, as well as drop off the occasional treat for the folks who make sure the plant is running smoothly day and night.

Fields showed us the equipment and process that takes “raw” water from several local wells and purifies it for use by Ada residents and businesses. Among the steps involved are screening, aeration, flocculation, filtration and disinfection. In one aside, Field notes that he’s glad to be working with well water rather than surface water, because that avoids a host of potential problems.

But I won’t attempt to explain the science of water purification. What is more interesting to me as someone who turns the tap and expects to drink, cook, bathe, and clean with what comes out, is how these two Village employees have the expertise and resources to run the plant and deal with the curve balls that come with producing municipal water.

Fields walks us through the plant and explains how chemical and gravitational forces are used to remove sediment. He comments in a location covered with white lime, “it’s impossible to keep this room clean.” We view tanks open to the sky and others deep within the plant. Within the plant are huge lines that ultimately feed the water tower and small color coded lines (e.g. yellow is for chlorine.)

In the plant’s testing room, we learn that Fields and Bowers are always ready to respond to emergency situations. Bowers has even spent the night at the plant in order to do repeated testing of water. Does he have a cot for such nights? No. Following up on our questions, Fields explains that the water is tested here in the plant and at the Marathon gas station and Community Markets daily.

Our last stop is in a room occupied by two large pumps. To protect our hearing, they have been temporarily shut off. Fields explains that like other parts of the plant, there are two pumps so that if one fails, there is always a backup.

In the plant’s lobby are two bronze plaques. One commemorates the Ada Municipal Water Works “purchased October 13, 1954.” The other lists those involved in 1993-1996 Water Treatment Plant Improvements. Like the plant’s operations, these signs are hidden from general view, but they reflect the size of the investment the Village makes to provide ample and safe water.

I left the tour with a better appreciation of what it takes to turn raw well water into the product that comes from Ada taps. And I’m glad that I don’t have to take a test on how it’s done.

Village of Ada water by the numbers

5,334 population

1,848 service connections (1,684 residential, 164 commercial)

464,000 gallons average daily production

1,000,000 gallons total design/emergency capacity