Monroe, North Carolina
Annual Drinking Water Treatment Change
In order to meet stricter Federal and State drinking water regulations, the City of Monroe recently upgraded the water treatment process at its treatment plant located on Lake Twitty from using only chlorine for water disinfection, to using a combination of chlorine and ammonia. This practice, “chloramination,” was implemented in April 2002. The chloramination process has been used for years by many water utilities across the country including the cities of Raleigh, Cary, and Fayetteville in North Carolina.
As part of the operating permit issued by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, municipal systems using chloramines for water disinfection must revert to using only chlorine once per year to ensure good overall water quality in their distribution piping systems.
For the past three weeks, the City of Monroe has operated their water system using only chlorine disinfection to comply with this State requirement. Beginning October 31, the city will return to using chloramines in the water treatment process. While most customers will not notice the change, some may notice a slight change in the taste of their water.
There are special groups of customers, including kidney dialysis patients, fish aquarium owners, and certain industries, which will need to be aware of the change and may need to make adjustments in the way they remove chlorine from their water. Monroe’s Water Resources Department is notifying all local medical facilities and fish stores of the upcoming change to ensure they are prepared.
Any customers or citizens needing additional information about this program can call the City of Monroe Water Resources Department at (704) 282-4600.
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