Taste and Odor of City Water Will Change in June

SAN ANGELO, TX – The City of San Angelo announced the Water Utilities Department will be modifying how it disinfects the public water supply for June. These changes may require temporary changes to certain daily activities.

The normal procedure uses a mix of chloramine, ammonia, and chlorine to disinfect water. During June the Water Department will only be using chlorine, also known as “free chlorine” to disinfect.

“The yearly temporary conversion from chloramines to free chlorine – a common practice for municipal water systems – ensures water safety in pipelines by ridding mains of residual microscopic organic particles,” said the city in a statement. “That yields the highest quality of drinking water.”

Free chlorine is a stronger disinfectant than chloramine so water users may notice a change in the smell, taste, and look of their water. Including a “chlorine odor” and slight discoloration and should lessen after a couple of weeks. According to the city, these “symptoms” do not affect the safety of the water.

Even as the safety of the water won’t be affected according to the city, they are advising certain changes be made to ensure the safety of all during June.

Kidney dialysis patients are encouraged to contact their equipment suppliers to ensure the temporary change is compatible with the equipment. Local hospitals have been advised of the temporary change.

Certain reverse osmosis systems are not designed to work with water that has free chlorine and owners are encouraged to consult their operation manuals or system manufacturers to ensure they will not be adversely affected by the change.

Fish tanks should not be affected by the change as most fish tanks have the capability of removing chloramines from water, but fish tanks owners are encouraged to consult with manufacturers. 

Additionally, next month citizens may see more flushing of fire hydrants as water lines with low flow must be flushed more often to keep free chlorinated water moving through the system.

The Water Department will monitor chlorine levels and water-quality standards in the distribution system daily to ensure all regulatory standards are met.