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1. Why does my water seem cloudy?

Water that is cloudy is often the result of air in the water. To verify the cloudy water is caused by air, fill a clear glass with water from your faucet. Watch the glass closely. If the glass gets clear from the bottom to the top after a few minutes then there is air in the water.

While the quality of the water is not affected by the presence of air, it could be indicative of a problem in the distribution system. Excessive air in your water should be reported to the Water Utilities Division by calling 817-473-8411 or 817-477-2248.

2. Why does chilled tap water taste better than water straight from the tap?

Water that is refrigerated overnight in a sealed container does taste better because taste and odor causing compounds are usually aromatic and much more noticeable when they have not been chilled. We recommend keeping a bottle of tap water in the refrigerator. This also gives you the benefit of always having a cool drink of water.

3. Does Mansfield have hard water?

Hard water is defined by the amount of calcium and magnesium present in the water. Hard water has a relatively high level as compared to soft water which has a low level.

Actually, our water is not classified as hard or soft. It is medium (hard) and normally has a calcium carbonate hardness content ranging between 90 to 120 milligrams per liter, or in other terms about 5 to 7 grains of hardness.

See our water quality reports for more information.

4. Is my water safer with water purification devices?

Water from the City of Mansfield is safe to drink. We recognize that it is your personal choice to purchase water purification devices. They have known to cause problems in the quality of drinking water due to the lack of proper filter replacement. These devices are not tested or regulated by the state or federal government.

5. What is causing the staining of my plumbing fixtures?

Iron and manganese can cause a brownish orange staining on plumbing fixtures. The level of iron and manganese in our raw water is enough to cause staining problems. Since December of 2003, Mansfield has been using Chlorine Dioxide to reduce iron and manganese.

6. Where does our water come from?

Mansfield is a member of the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD), along with:

• Arlington
• Benbrook
• Fort Worth
• Trinity River Authority

TRWD primarily pumps water from Cedar Creek and Richland Chambers reservoirs in east Texas. The TRWD can also supply water from the Benbrook reservoir.

See the About Our Water page for more information.

7. What is the cause of taste and odor in my drinking water?

Hot South Texas summer weather results in a rapid algae growth in our surface water reservoirs. As the algae decay, they release taste and odor compounds. The Mansfield Water Treatment Plant replaced the anthracite coal filter media with Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) in the plant expansion of 1999. As a result, the tastes and odor nuisance was greatly reduced.

However, there are times of the year when the algae growths can exceed the GAC's ability to remove the tastes and odors completely. In as much as the problem of taste and odor may be apparent in the water, the water is safe to drink.

8. How are our fresh water drinking zones protected?

The Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) set the depths to protect our natural fresh water zones on interest in Texas. By law, the surface casing of a well must extend 20 feet beyond the depth of a fresh water zone as determined by the RRC. The surface casing is cemented back to the surface to protect these fresh water bearing zones.