Why did our water provider change from chlorine to chloramine disinfectant in 2000?
A regulation called the Stage 1 Disinfection Byproduct Rule requires water producers to limit chemical compounds known as Disinfection Byproducts (DBP’s), which include trihalomethanes (THMs). There is some concern that THMs may be potential carcinogens. The addition of chloramine to the disinfection process will quench the production of the chlorine byproducts (THMs). The water leaving the treatment plants and entering the distribution systems will have had the bacteria killed or inactivated, but the reaction that produces THMs will have been arrested and the level of those chemicals in the water delivered to the customers will be substantially reduced. Additionally, there will be less of a chlorine taste and odor in the water.
Related Questions
- Why does our water provider change back to chlorine as the disinfectant every spring while the water mains are flushed?
- Why is the Washington Aqueduct (our water supplier) changing the water disinfectant from Chloramines to Free Chlorine?
- Why did our water provider change from chlorine to chloramine disinfectant in 2000?
