City to run free-chlorine residual in water system May 9-22 (May 6, 2005)

The City of Washington’s Regional Water Treatment Plant will be running a free-chlorine residual in the distribution system May 9-22 to comply with terms of its operating permit.

Free-chlorine is a different form of the chlorine already used in water treatment as part of the disinfecting process.

Most customers probably will not detect the difference; however, those with a keen sense of taste or smell may detect a slight chlorine smell in the water during this period. This would be due to the presence of residual chlorine rather than odorless residual chloramine, which is used at other times by the city as a disinfectant.

The city’s operating permit issued by the state Division of Environmental Health requires that the city run a free chlorine residual in its system annually for two weeks each year. This routine change provides additional assurance that the proper disinfection of water mains in the distribution system is maintained.

Water treated at the city’s water plant is distributed to city customers and sold to Beaufort County for distribution to its customers.

Please call the City of Washington at 252-975-9371 or 252-975-9310 with questions about the water treatment process.