Treatment Process

In the main distribution system, approximately twenty (20) percent of the water that North Penn Water Authority (NPWA) delivers to its customers is treated groundwater. The remaining eighty (80) percent of the water is treated surface water from the Forest Park Water Treatment Plant located in Chalfont.

The Forest Park Treatment Plant was formed through a joint partnership with the North Penn and North Wales Water Authorities to meet the demands of a growing population for high-quality drinking water for our customers in the Montgomery and Bucks Counties.

Forest Park Water (FPW) is one of the most advanced water treatment facilities combining conventional treatment processes with advanced techniques, including ozone disinfection. This combination of traditional and innovative water treatment allows Forest Park to produce the safest, highest quality water possible.

The treatment plant uses conventional treatment processes such as coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, disinfection and pumping. What makes FPW unique is the use of ozone as a disinfectant along with conventional treatment processes. Forest Park was the first surface water ozone water treatment facility in Pennsylvania and one of the few plants in the country that utilizes ozone which is generated on site. Using ozone allows us to minimize the use of chlorine thus limiting the amount of chlorinated byproducts.

In May of 2002, Forest Park Water received the Phase III Award of the Partnership for Safe Water sponsored by the American Water Works Association (AWWA). The Partnership is a voluntary effort that exemplifies a dedication to optimizing treatment processes and providing the highest quality drinking water.

All compliance testing is done by a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) certified laboratory owned and operated by NPWA. Water quality is monitored in NPWA’s source waters, at various stages of treatment at the Forest Park Water Treatment Plant as well as points throughout the NPWA distribution system.