MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas — Whether you’re in your shower, or getting a glass to drink- several people in our community are wanting to know why we’re smelling chlorine in our water.
- The city uses Chlorine as the primary disinfectant, periodically switched to free chlorine to maintain water quality and prevent bacteria from becoming immune to the disinfectant.
- The conversion to free chlorine results in a different taste and smell in the water, which is a common practice in larger systems like Waco to control bacterial growth.
- The conversion process typically lasts 30 days, starting October 21st and ending November 18th. After that, the system switches back to chloramines.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
“Went to hop in the shower the other day, and when I turned it on, it smelled like a pool,” said Waco resident Quentin Clemens.
A chlorine smell has been lingering in our city’s water; 25News reporter Dominique Leh met with the Clemmons family, who just moved to Waco a few months ago.
“It assaults the senses, the chlorine smell. But honestly, the flavor is offputting,” said Clemens.
25News Reporter Dominique Leh visited Waco’s Riverside water treatment plant to find out why we’re seeing that smell. It turns out the city is using free chlorine as a disinfectant.
“It’s an excellent, effective strategy at maintaining biofilm or growth of bacteria in the system,” said Utility plant operations manager Kendall Borg
The Water Department typically uses chloramines. They make the switch at least once a year to keep our water clean and safe to drink while overall improving the water quality. But when it comes to showering, you might notice another change besides the smell, but it’s nothing you need to worry about.
“It can dry out your skin, it may dry out your eyes a little bit, dry out your fingers, so when you touch your contacts, you may feel a little dryness,” said Borg.
I asked Kendall Borg with the city’s water department if there was anything I could do to improve the chlorine-like taste. He told me a filter could help.
“Depending on the filtration media, especially carbon-based media, they may help remove some of the tastes and odors associated with free chlorine throughout the conversion period,” Borg said.
Borg said you might see more flushing through fire hydrants. The city will do that to make sure the free chlorine is pushed throughout the entire water system.
They made the switch on October 21st and will continue through November 18th
