Something in Your Water is About to Change!

To improve drinking water quality and meet more stringent state and federal drinking water regulations, Poughkeepsies’ Water Treatment Facility is changing the way it disinfects your drinking water.  These changes may affect you!

Improvements have already been made at the water treatment facility.  In Early 2005, the water facility started using ultraviolet light disinfection to kill bacteria and pathogens and lowered the amount of chlorine to continue to kill viruses.  On October 23, 2006, Poughkeepsies’ Water Treatment Facility will convert from chlorine to chloramine disinfection for the distribution system to ensure that the water remains disinfected in pipes to homes and businesses.

Chloramines are a combination of chlorine and ammonia that is regarded as a more reliable disinfectant in distribution systems, than chlorine alone because it lasts longer.  Chloramines also produce lower levels of disinfection byproducts than chlorine.

Water containing chloramines is completely safe for all people to use for drinking, bathing, watering plants, and gardens, and other household uses.  However, some water uses who currently remove chlorine from their water for other uses will also have to remove chloramines.  These water uses include: renal centers and home dialysis patients, owners of tropical aquariums, and business that use chlorine-free water in their processes.

To prepare for the chloramine conversion, the Town of Poughkeepsie will be flushing their pipelines from mid-June to the end of September.  This work effort will clean the pipelines so that the high quality water produced at the treatment plant can reach your tap at the same high quality.  Flushing is done on a street-by-street basis, and will only affect your neighborhood for a day or two.  Flushing may cause temporary impacts such as discoloration of the water, a change in water pressure and street runoff.  If at all possible you should avoid doing laundry on the days that we are flushing in your neighborhood. 

In order to let you know when we will be in your neighborhood we will place a door hanger on your door a day or two before the flushing crew arrives.  Also look for notices in the Poughkeepsie Journal.

For additional information about the flushing process or when we will be in your neighborhood, please call Tina, the Public Information Manager at 845-729-3945.

IN SUMMARY:

What’s Happening?
On October 23rd, the Poughkeepsies’ Water Treatment Facility will begin to disinfect drinking water with CHLORAMINES, rather than the chlorine used now. Chloramine, a combination of chlorine and ammonia, is a more reliable disinfectant in distribution systems. By changing to chloramine disinfection, the water treatment facility will be improving drinking water quality and meeting more stringent new federal and state regulations.

How Will That Affect Me?
Water containing chloramines is completely safe for all people to use for drinking, bathing, watering plants and gardens, and for other household uses. However, CERTAIN WATER USERS WHO CURRENTLY REMOVE CHLORINE FROM THEIR WATER WILL ALSO HAVE TO REMOVE CHLORAMINES.

Dialysis Patients
• Chloramines must be removed from the water used in kidney dialysis machines before the water enters the bloodstream.
• Home dialysis patients should work with their home dialysis facility and physician to make necessary adjustments to their equipment
• Local dialysis centers and hospitals will modify their equipment or processes as necessary.

Aquarium Owners
• Like chlorine, chloramines are toxic to saltwater and freshwater fish, reptiles, turtles, and amphibians. Therefore, chloramines must be removed from any water to be used for fish tanks or ponds.
• You may not have had to remove chlorine from your aquarium water because chlorine dissipates rapidly on its own. This is not the case with chloramines and steps need to be taken to remove chloramines.
• Chloramines can be removed from the water by using a water conditioner specifically designed to remove chloramines or by using a granular activated carbon filter. Your pet supplier can provide you with guidance on available products.

Industrial Water Users
• Industries that use chlorine-free water in their treatment processes will need to remove chloramines from the water prior to use.
• Businesses should contact their water treatment equipment supplier.

For More Information….
Visit our website http://www.pokwater.com or call the public information manager at 845-729-3945.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 23rd
City of Poughkeepsie
Town of Poughkeepsie
Village of Wappingers Falls