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28 Feb OWASA customers may notice chlorine taste and odor in March and early April due to temporary change in disinfection

Posted at 06:37h in News Archive by
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Starting in March, OWASA will temporarily use chlorine instead of chloramines to disinfect our drinking water. This change is important to maintain the safety of our drinking water, but may result in different tastes, odors, and/or coloration.

Water disinfected with chlorine is safe to drink. However, we recognize some customers may wish to remove or neutralize the taste of chlorine. To remove or neutralize chlorine in water, customers can:

  • Add a few lemon slices to a pitcher of water. The lemon has ascorbic acid, which neutralizes chlorine.
  • Let water sit for a day or so. OWASA suggests refrigerating the water in an open container.
  • Boil the water for one minute to evaporate the chlorine.
  • Filter the water with activated carbon. Water pitchers with activated carbon filters are sold locally.

After neutralizing chlorine, refrigerating the water is recommended to help prevent bacteria from growing in the water. OWASA does not recommend removing all traces of a disinfectant in drinking water.

OWASA typically disinfects drinking water with chloramines, a compound of chlorine and ammonia which minimizes chlorine taste and odor. However, chlorine is a slightly stronger disinfectant. OWASA therefore uses chlorine for disinfection one month per year to ensure a high level of disinfection in the water system in accord with recommendations from the NC Department of Environmental Quality. Several other utilities in our region, including the Town Hillsborough, also treat drinking water with chlorine during the month of March.

Water may be discolored: To circulate water with chlorine throughout our pipe system, OWASA will release water from fire hydrants in some areas. This “flushing” may cause discoloration in drinking water. The discoloration can consist of iron and manganese particles which settle in water pipes over time or discoloration may be due to air bubbles. The discoloration does not mean the water is unsafe, but for aesthetic reasons OWASA recommends not cooking or washing clothes with discolored water.

If water is discolored, please run cold water through a spigot or faucet for 5 to 10 minutes. If this does not clear up the water, please call OWASA at 919-968-4421 (24-hour number).

For more information: Visit www.owasa.org, click on What We Do and then Drinking Water and/or Water Treatment and Disinfection