NTMWD undergoes annual winter maintenance period

MURPHY (December 22, 2010) Water delivered from Jan. 6 through Feb. 3 to Murphy homes by the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) may have an altered taste and a slight smell, but will not change in quality or purity, as the district undergoes a free chlorine maintenance of its distribution systems, according to Candy McQuiston, Customer Service Manager.
Chlorine in water may be present in two forms, free and combined. Free chlorine does the hard work of killing bacteria and oxidizing contaminants. When the free chlorine is combined with ammonia to treat drinking water, it becomes combined chlorine, or chloramines. The typical purpose of chloramines is to provide longer-lasting water treatment as the water moves through pipes to consumers.
Chloramines have been used by water utilities for almost 90 years, and their use is closely regulated. More than one in five Americans uses drinking water treated with chloramines, certified safe to use for drinking, cooking, bathing and other household uses by the EPA. Free chlorine maintenance helps reduce the need for water suppliers like the City of Murphy to flush systems in order to maintain chloramine residual during the warm weather periods. The reduced flushing conserves water. Free
chlorine maintenance lasts about 28 days and is performed when the water temperature is cooler.
At the end of NTMWD’s free chlorine maintenance period, the addition of chloramines to the water will be resumed.
“The water supply will be constantly monitored during the maintenance period,” said McQuiston. “Some consumers might detect a change in taste and odor of the water during the maintenance period, but they can rest
assured that their water will be safe,” she added.