Town Of Salem: Chlorine Conversion Public Notice

Press release from the Town of Salem:

At its Dec. 19, 2022 meeting, the Board of Selectmen approved the Chlorine Conversion Plan as presented to take effect on Jan. 1, 2023, and remain in place until Feb. 28, 2023, or shortly thereafter, for purposes of performing additional water quality assurances.

The Town of Salem NH, currently uses chloramine disinfection, which consists of combining chlorinated water with small amounts of ammonia, for treatment of its water supply. It is commonly used for disinfection in public water systems in New Hampshire, the United States, and worldwide, and is preferred for reduced formation of disinfection byproducts and its long-lasting residual.

Periodic chlorine conversions are a common maintenance practice by many public water systems using chloramines to reduce free ammonia and associated nitrifying bacteria (known as nitrification). Chlorine conversions can be used as a preventative strategy or to control nitrification that can diminish water quality.

According to a 2016 EPA survey, 25%-40% of the utilities that use chloramine reported using free chlorine conversions to control nitrification. The free chlorine conversions can cause the water to temporarily have a slightly different taste and/or odor as compared to chloramines. Customers may notice these aesthetic differences depending on where they draw water from the system, but there are no health effects associated with this change. Once the water system returns to using chloramine as the disinfectant, the taste and odor will return to normal.

For more information, please contact the Canobie Lake Water Treatment Plant at (603) 890-2171 Drinking Water Chlorine Conversion - BOS Meet 12/19/22 (sctv-17.com)

This press release was produced by the Town of Salem. The views expressed here are the author’s own.