Operations » Field Operations » Water Distribution

Water Distribution

The water distribution system is the link that connects the residents of Macon and Bibb County to their local water supply.  This intricate network – of reservoir, treatment plant, pipes, and storage facilities – works to deliver safe, potable drinking water to approximately 51,000 MWA customers.  The Authority provides its customers with an average of 25.7 million gallons of finished drinking water every day, 24 hours a day, and seven days a week.

The finished drinking water leaving the Frank C. Amerson, Jr. Water Treatment Plant is delivered to customers through a system of approximately 1,664 miles of water main.  The MWA has mains ranging in size from 1½ inch up to 54 inches.

Not all water that is treated is delivered straight to customers — some is stored in the Authority’s nine elevated storage tanks, 10 ground storage tanks, or four clear wells at the Amerson Plant.  These collectively hold approximately 36.9 million gallons of water in storage.

An advanced SCADA system, which is located within the Amerson Plant Administration Building, is utilized to monitor and control all re-pump and lift stations, as well as MWA elevated and ground storage tanks across Macon and Bibb County.  The Amerson Plant Administration Building also houses an onsite MWA water quality lab for testing and monitoring the quality of water 24 hours per day and during all phases of the drinking water production process -- from raw water intake to potable water leaving the plant and passing through the distribution system.