Beginning September 30, 2019, the Trenton Municipal Utilities Water Treatment Plant will begin utilizing free chlorine, or a free chlorine conversion, in its water system.
This procedure entails feeding free chlorine, instead of chloramines (chlorine combined with ammonia), as the disinfectant into the water leaving the Water Treatment Plant. This will affect customers of Trenton Municipal Utilities, Grundy County PWSD #1, City of Galt, Western Sullivan County and the City of Spickard. This will occur for 3 to 6 weeks.
Commonly asked questions about free chlorine conversion and their purpose include:
Possible Noticeable Effects: There are no associated health risks to the process. During these efforts to improve water quality, there will be times of lower water pressure, possible odor, taste, discoloration and small particles in the water. TMU and/or your water service will attempt to flush the particles, color, and taste and odors from the mains with directional flushing, however, there is a possibility that some of the color, odor, and tastes will get into your service line.
Is my Water Safe to Drink? Yes, the TMU Water Department is dedicated to making sure the water is safe to drink and will monitor disinfectant levels continually during the conversion. If you experience odor or taste in your water, it does not mean it is unsafe to drink. Odors are caused by the free chlorine disinfectant cleansing the system. Nuisance issues will go away as the work is completed.
Why is this burn out necessary? TMU and their customer departments are tasked with ensuring that the water in all points of the systems are acceptable to their customers. Over time, minerals and metals, which are naturally present in the water source, can increase and attach to pipe walls, and release when there are changes in pressure, resulting in discoloration and affecting the taste. Other processes such as nitrification and the growth of biofilm can also occur in the water distribution system. The biofilm can cause a reduction in the effectiveness of residual disinfectants over time. This free chlorine burnout will help cleanse the pipe walls, reduce the occurrence of nitrification and biofilm, and ensure that quality water is available for customers.
Those with questions or concerns may contact the Water Treatment Plant at 359-3211
