To ensure harmful bacteria does not grow during the sometimes very long trip from the treatment plant to your home,  we add a very small amount of chlorine to keep the water disinfected and safe to drink.

Your water averages about 1.3 parts per million (ppm) of chlorine when it leaves the treatment plant and about 1.16 ppm in the distribution system. The EPA maximum contaminant level is four ppm.

For scale, one ppm is equal to a single penny in $10,000 or one drop of water in a ten gallon tank. Still can’t imagine it? Check out this cool TedEd video about how to visualize one ppm.

Our field staff use chlorine as an indicator of good water quality. When they are out in the field taking samples and the chlorine levels are good, they can be sure that there is no bacteria in the line or in your drinking water.

Below are the results from testing in 2022 and are shown in our annually produced Consumer Confidence Report.

Taste can differ and those that live closer to a drinking water treatment plant may taste more chlorine in their water than those that live farther away. Remember, 1.3 ppm of chlorine disinfects the water but is not harmful. If you don’t like the taste we suggest filling a pitcher up with tap water up and letting it sit overnight. If you use a filter please make sure to replace it regularly!