MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Water travels through filters, tanks and pipes before it reaches household faucets. Recently, area residents had the opportunity to learn about how water is treated during its journey to the tap.

The East Lansing-Meridian Water & Sewer Authority welcomed the public to its water treatment plant on Burcham Drive for its second annual open house.

Through guided tours, attendees were given a close look at the process of treating, softening and monitoring the water of Meridian Township and East Lansing.

Clyde Dugan, Operations Manager for the East Lansing-Meridian Water & Sewer Authority said the water treatment plant is a facility that often goes unnoticed.

"There’s a lot that goes into providing softened drinking water to the community, and to provide adequate, safe and sufficient water for public safety and public health. If the public gets a chance to come and see the facilities, it gives them a little better perspective on what they actually are investing in and what they’re paying for to get that great product at their tap," Dugan said.

The water in Meridian Township and East Lansing is of high quality, according to Dugan, because it comes from relatively uncontaminated groundwater. Even so, all area water is collected and sent to the treatment plant before it flows out to customers.