Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Property Projects & Construction Treating pond water for residential use

I have recently had a treatment/pump house constructed to treat my pond water so I can have potable water at my house. My current setup is: pump - pressure tank with pressure switch - chlorine infusion - alum infusion - 2 120 gallon holding tanks - 5 micron sediment filter - carbon filter - polishing filter??? this is how it was described to me by the gentleman who installed this system - UV light - house

I am pulling water from a 5 acre watershed that is constantly fed by a stream, the pond is 7 foot deep for 4 out of 5 acres and the last acre is 3-4 foot deep until it reaches the bank. My pump is sat at 16 inches deep and is on a float. There is a decent amount of vegetation in the pond and I have added sterilized grass carp to help control the growth. When my water reaches the house it looks clear out of the faucet but if i plug the sink or tub when it accumulates it looks like chicken broth. I have even tried letting my frost frees around my property flush the lines to try and get dirt out of the lines if that was the issue. I cannot get my water clear. I had a water test done prior to having the system installed and it was lab tested, and they advised me that the only thing i needed for my system was chlorine to kill e coli, but I was told that my water test was surprisingly great for it to be from a pond. Does anyone have any suggestions?

First, Aquatic vegetation is a natural filter on it's own, don't let the grass carp crop it all, then you will have more problems.
I question the position of the UV sterilizer because it takes out algae. It would more likely be used in the initial treatment of incoming water but I am no expert on water treatment for drinking water.

(Not an expert!)

Did they give you any procedures to flush your filters? They may have clogged due to some significant sediment/debris in your lines initially. If they stayed clogged, then the pressurized water may have fractured through the filter media to create a new flow path. This hypothetical new flow path might then be letting through larger particles.

Any chance your filter order list is incorrect? Many polish filters screen in the 5 micron to 20 micron ranges. Perhaps they ran a 20 micron polish filter ahead of your 5 micron sediment filter? Do you know the size of particle to be permitted through your carbon filter? Some of those may go down to 0.5 microns.

Any smell or taste to the "chicken broth" water?

Can you put some of that water in a glass jar for two days and then observe the results? Settled on bottom, versus floating on top, versus still dispersed like chicken broth can help determine WHAT is making it through your system.

I really like the chlorine treatment and UV treatment combination. I think it would be very difficult for any pathogens to make it through.

Are there any purge valves in your system? Can you open a valve prior to the pressure tank and grab a water sample? Can you open a valve downstream of your pressure tank and flush it hard in case it accumulated some sediment?

Any chance your holding tanks are lined with some material? If that is shedding a little bit, then that material is downstream of all of your filters. Check with the installer or manufacturer?

I am just throwing out ideas for you to consider. We have a lot of "water pumping experts" on the forum, but I don't recall anyone that specifically comments about potable water problems. Hopefully an actual expert will drop into your thread.

Good luck on your house/cabin at your large pond. Sure want you to have the ability to have family members enjoy your pond!