Re: [APD] Re: Chemical (mis?)information -- or - Disinfect but not till it poisons me

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

I thought the requirement was solely based on compliance
with water quality standards. Whether Chlorine alone or
chloramine was used was a choice made by the water
provider.

Interestingly, the EPA says, "Chloramines are weaker
disinfectants than chlorine, but are more stable, thus
extending disinfectant benefits throughout a water
utility?s distribution system. They are not used as the
primary disinfectant for your water. Chloramines are used
for maintaining a disinfectant residual in the distribution
system so that disinfected drinking water is kept safe."
Since chloramine is less reactive with organics, less
disinfection byproducts are produced. 

Further, EPA reports that chloramine is used by about 20
percent of municipal water treatment facilities in the U.S.
While the chlorine element serves as a water disinfectant,
the ammonia serves to stabilize the chlorine. As a
consequence, the chlorine gas cannot escape, as it normally
does, from water treated with chlorine alone.


Here's a page with some nice Q and A on Chloramines -- all
answers given from the water supplier:

http://www.ccwa.com/chloramines.htm

And another good one:

http://www.mudomaha.com/water/chloramines.html#whychange

One might suspect that the EPA requirement for chloramines
is really the requirement for lower levels of
trihalomethanes (THMs), which are produced in greater
amounts with chlorine than chloriamine: "The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lowered the standard
to 80 parts per billion January 1, 2002, as the maximum
level of THMs allowed in drinking water."

And following a link fomr that page, here's a list of US
cities with chloramine (is your city onthe list):

http://www.mudomaha.com/water/citieswchloramines.html

Scott H.
--- Chuck H <grendel at usit_net> wrote:
> Scott H. wrote:
> 
> > I don't disagree with any points you made, Wright,
> except
> > for this: my municipal water supplier puts no ammonia
> or
> > ammonia related chems in the water, still just good ol'
> > tasty chlorine.
> 
> I still have chlorine in my water too.  Last time I
> checked, the EPA 
> only requires water companies with 500,000 or more
> customers to use 
> chloramine.  Smaller companies can still use plain old
> chlorine.  


=====
S. Hieber
-  -   -   -   -   -   -   -
Aquascaping by Takashi Amano and More at
the AGA 2004 Annual Convention
Nov 12, 13 & 14
Marriot Crystal Gateway, Arlington, Virginia, USA

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