Feature

Upcoming Water Quality Improvements: Disinfectant Change from Chlorine to Chloramine

by Lillian Brown

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), which supplies drinking water to all San Francisco residents, encourages building owners and managers to display a poster (found at the center-spread of this magazine) in a common area to inform tenants about an upcoming change in the use of drinking water disinfectant. The water quality improvement may require fish and amphibian owners/guardians to change the way they prepare water for fish tanks and aquariums.

In November 2003, the SFPUC will switch from chlorine to chloramine disinfection for drinking water. Chloramine, a combination of chlorine and ammonia, is a proven disinfectant and is considered more effective than chlorine alone. It lasts longer in water and more effectively removes pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. It also substantially reduces disinfection byproducts, such as trihalomethanes, which are possible carcinogens.

With the conversion to chloramine, San Francisco residents will continue to receive the highest quality water. "The Chloramine Conversion Project strengthens our efforts to provide the highest quality drinking water to our customers," General Manager Patricia E. Martel explains. "The conversion to chloramine will help us meet new and future water quality regulations, enhance water quality, and will probably improve taste and odor based on reports from other water agencies" Martel adds.

Chloraminated water is safe for people and animals to drink, and for all other general uses. However, as with chlorine, chloramine must be removed for fish and amphibian use; for businesses requiring highly treated water such as laboratories and microchip manufacturers; and for the kidney dialysis treatment process.

Unlike chlorine, chloramine cannot be removed from water by boiling or by letting an open container of water stand to dissipate chlorine gas. It can only be neutralized or removed with specific treatment methods. Inexpensive products for removing chloramine for fish and amphibian tanks are readily available at pet and aquarium supply stores.

Most Bay Area utilities and many communities nationwide have already switched to chloramine for drinking water disinfection. Local water providers that have switched to chloramine include: Alameda County Water District, East Bay Municipal Utility District, Marin Municipal Water District and Santa Clara Valley Water District. It has been used nationally for over 80 years.

For more information on how to prepare for the upcoming conversion, visit the SFPUC web site, or call the Chloramine Information Line at (415) 351-4200 to request a brochure or speak to a representative. Chloramine literature is available in English, Spanish and Chinese.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reject the viewpoint of the SFAA or the San Francisco Apartment Magazine. Lillian Brown is the Public Relations Officer for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.