Federal Rule Will Increase Chlorine Smell in Water

If you think your public water smells too much like chlorine now, wait until next month.

During last night's Borough Authority Meeting, Utilities Manager Brent Wagner said a new federal drinking water standard will be in place by May 1.

It requires any water sample tested to have a chlorine residual level of .2 milligrams per liter.

Meeting that standard will require adding more chlorine to the water, said Wagner, particularly in the summer when the warmer water temperature dissolves the chlorine more quickly.

"The bottom line is people's water is going to smell more like chlorine, not just in Pottstown, but across the country," Wagner said.

The higher bar for chlorine infusion also means that its more likely the system will have localized "boil water" alerts Wagner said, not because contamination has been found, but because a lower chlorine makes it more possible.

"Right now, we only have an alert if some contamination is found," said Wagner. "Now, anytime a sample shows a level below .2 we'll have to have a boil water alert."

It will most likely happen at "dead ends" in the system "because we don't have a flow of water past those locations."

He told the authority board the staff will attempt to make adjustments to the system to avoid those problems," but it's going to be interesting."

With that, here are the Tweets from last night's meeting:

Love That Dirty Water