Temporary Changes to Water Disinfection in Trenton

Beginning October 1, 2021, the Trenton Municipal Utilities Water Treatment Plant will begin utilizing free chlorine, or a free chlorine conversion, in its water system. This entails feeding free chlorine, instead of chloramines (chlorine combined with ammonia), as the disinfectant at the leaving the Water Treatment Plant. This will affect customers of Trenton Municipal Utilities, Grundy County PWSD #1, City of Galt, and the City of Spickard. Western Sullivan County will be affected if they are using water from TMU. This will occur for 3 to 6 weeks.
Here are some commonly asked questions about free chlorine conversion and its purpose:
• Possible Noticeable Effects: There are no associated health risks to the process. During these efforts to improve water quality, there will be times of lower water pressure, possible odor, taste, discoloration, and small particles in the water. TMU and/or your water service will attempt to flush the particles, color, and taste and odors from the mains with directional flushing, however, there is a possibility that some of the color, odor and tastes will get into your service line.
• Is my Water Safe to Drink? Yes, TMU Water Department is dedicated to making sure the water is safe to drink and will monitor disinfectant levels continually during the conversion. If you experience odor or taste in your water, it does not mean it is unsafe to drink. Odors are caused by the free chlorine disinfectant cleansing the system. Nuisance issues will go away as the work is completed.
• Why is this conversion necessary? TMU and their customer departments are tasked with ensuring that the water in all points of their systems is acceptable to their customers. Over time, minerals, and metals, which are naturally present in the water source, can increase and attach to pipe walls, and release when there are changes in pressure, resulting in discoloration and affecting taste. Other processes such as nitrification and the growth of biofilm can also occur in the water distribution system. The biofilm can cause a reduction in the effectiveness of residual disinfectants over time. This free chlorine conversion will help cleanse the pipe walls, reduce the occurrence of nitrification and biofilm, and ensure that we provide quality water for our customers.

If there are questions or concerns, please contact the Water Treatment Plant at 359-3211.