Quench: The Cleaner, Greener, More Affordable Water Cooler for Providence, RI

Providence Water Quality: Yesterday

As far back as the 17^th century, Providence residents have made their homes along the eastern bank of the Providence River. Originally only available from private wells, drinking water was first distributed to families in 1773 through an underground system of hollowed out wooden logs. The city’s population swelled in the 19^th century, and soon, Providence needed to decide on how water could be carried into the future.

The city’s first water pumping system, constructed in 1871, pumped water directly from the Pawtuxet River without any purification or treatment. Filtration would come later, in 1906, in the form of a slow sand system. Yet, fear of water shortage was ever present, and the need for water storage became apparent. Providence’s first reservoir, Scituate Reservoir, still a staple of the city’s water today, was built in 1915.

Providence Water Quality: Today

When Providence residents turn on their taps, they can trace their water back to the Scituate Reservoir and five other reservoirs within its network. The city’s water mains, made of cast iron, ductile iron, concrete, steel, and asbestos cement, usher more than 60 million gallons of water to consumers daily. These pipes, some more than a century old, require regular flushing, which can disrupt the color and quality of residents’ water. Once the industry standard, older cast iron pipes are prone corrosion and biofilm contamination from chemical reactions, which create clusters of bacteria along the inside of the pipe. These growths often break off and travel through your pipes, resulting in water that is cloudy, red and off-taste and odor.

Likewise, in drawing water from reservoirs, the city faces certain challenges in satisfying Providence, RI residents. As water travels through and over the land, it picks up naturally occurring minerals and animal or human pollution. This often manifests as a musty or earthy odor or taste, especially after construction or lots of rain.

Quench Water Coolers – A Better Drinking Water System for Providence, RI

No need to worry about what your workplace’s drinking water might have picked up on its journey to your glass. Quench offers a full complement of filtration and purification technologies to remove sediment, reduce chemical contaminants, including lead, and get rid of off-tastes and odors. That’s how we can guarantee that Quench office water coolers produce crisp, clean, great-tasting water – and at a fraction of the price of bottled water delivery services.