MONROE, N.C. — The city of Monroe is wrapping up its annual drinking water treatment process this week.
Throughout much of the year, Monroe's water treatment facility, which is located on Lake Twitty, adds chlorine and ammonia to the water to disinfect the drinking water, according to the city. In March, to comply with North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources permitting requirements, Monroe resorts to using only chlorine. By Friday, the ammonia is expected to be mixed back into the water supply.
Water comes from a variety of sources, such as lakes and wells, which can be contaminated with germs that may make people sick, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Germs can also contaminate water as it travels through miles of piping to get to a community, according to the CDC. To prevent contamination with germs, water companies add a disinfectant—usually either chlorine or chloramine—that kills disease-causing germs such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, and norovirus.
During the last few weeks, the City of Monroe has also flushed its water supply system by running fire hydrants.
"This is a normal component of the process and customers should be reassured that water quality is not affected and remains safe for drinking, bathing, cooking and other general uses," the city of Monroe said in a released statement. "There are groups of customers, including kidney dialysis patients, fish aquarium owners, and certain industries, which will need to be aware of the change and possibly, make adjustments in the way they remove chlorine from their water."
In response to the recent change, some have responded on the city's Facebook page denoting changes in the smell or taste of the water.
Chlorinated water can taste and smell different than untreated water, the CDC explains on their website. Taste and smell problems may arise depending upon the water quality and amount of chlorine in the water.
Safe chlorine levels in drinking water is up to 4 milligrams per liter, according to the CDC.