Photo by Tracy ClaytonSick and tired of the strong taste and smell of this year’s extra-long water chlorine treatment cycle? The Washington Aqueduct will at last be returning to chloramine instead of chlorine starting at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, May 18.
The aqueduct switches its disinfectant from chloramine to chlorine on an annual basis, usually for about a month, in order to ensure water mains are free of potentially harmful bacteria. This year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determined that the system needed a longer chlorine treatment, which ended up lasting more than three and a half months.
DC WASA officials say residents can expect it to take about a week for the strong chlorine taste and odor to go away after the switch is made.
Last month, a concentrated amount of chlorine was accidentally released into DC WASA’s Fort Reno facility, causing a temporary spike in chlorine levels across a section of Northwest D.C. The utility subsequently issued a warning to affected residents not to drink or use tap water for cooking until further notice. The water advisory lasted for less than a day.
