Welcome to the Water Division

The Water Division is made up of a Class IV Water Treatment Plant and a Class II Water Distribution system. The Water Plant is staffed 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

2008 Spring Hydrant Flushing Schedule

Normal office hours for the Water Division are from 7:30 to 4:00 M-F.

• For general water quality questions call the Water Treatment Plant at 419-782-1886 during normal office hours. You may also contact the Water Superintendent, Richard Kipp, by email.
• For question regarding your water bill or meter, contact the Utility Billing Office at 419-782-1946. Their office hours are 8:00 to 4:30, M-F.
• For water emergencies anytime day or night, call the Water Treatment Plant at (419) 782-1886.

The Water Plant laboratory is certified by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA). All plant operators are also certified for chemical analyses. Two employees are also certified for bacteriological analysis.

The City of Defiance Water Treatment Plant draws water from the Maumee River and uses lime softening and filtration to treat the flow. The City of Defiance Water Treatment Plant is designed to treat water by the following general process:

1. Raw river water enters the intake system where large debris, leaves, sticks, fish, etc. are removed.
2. The raw river water is pumped to the rapid mix chamber where it is aggressively mixed with carbon and potassium permanganate (for taste and odor control), and ferric chloride (for sedimentation).
3. The water flows to the flocculation basins where paddle mixers gently mix the water and chemicals to form particles (floc) which are large and heavy enough to settle out of the water stream.
4. The water and floc then flow to the sedimentation basins where the floc settles out of the water stream. Settled sludge is removed and pumped to sludge lagoons southwest of the plant.
5. The settled water flows to four clarifiers where lime (for softening) and ferric chloride (for sedimentation) are added. After mixing in the center of the clarifier, the clear water exits from the outer portion of the clarifier and the sludge settles to the bottom. This sludge also goes to the sludge lagoons.
6. The settled water then flows to the recarbonation basin where carbon dioxide gas is added to the water to adjust the pH to a neutral level.
7. From the recarbonation basin, the water flows to six filters which filter out the particles which were too small and light to settle out in the sedimentation basins. When the filters become dirty they are backwashed. The dirty backwash water is wasted to the backwash holding tank, and is recycled or pumped to the lagoons.
8. The filtered water then flows to the clearwells where chlorine is added for disinfection. The water remains in the clearwells for a period of several hours to provide enough contact time for complete disinfection. Phosphate and fluoride are also added to the water as it enters the clearwells. The phosphate is added to prevent scaling and corrosion in the distribution system pipes. Fluoride is added to prevent tooth decay.
9. From the clearwells the finished water flows to the high service pump station where it is pumped to the distribution system.

Depending on the rate of flow thru the plant, this treatment process can take from 12 to 25 hours. At our average daily flow of 4.0 million gallons per day (MGD), the treatment process takes 19 hours. The plant is capable of treating 8.0 MGD.

The Distribution system consists of over 110 miles of waterlines ranging in size from 16” to 2” with the majority being 6”. There are three elevated water towers with a combined capacity of 2,100,000 gallons. There are approximately 997 fire hydrants. Defiance also supplies water to Brunersburg, Ayersville and Christi Meadows.