Thursday January 21, 2021 | LANGFORD, BC [Updated at 4:20 pm]
by Mary P Brooke, B.Sc., editor | Island Social Trends
More chlorine than usual in the Greater Victoria water supply happens at various times of the year, more often in summer when warmer water conditions require additional bacterial and microbial control.
Some people in Greater Victoria noticed a stronger smell of chlorine in the tap water supply in the last week of the December, which CRD Integrated Water Services explained as continuing to January 15 for system maintenance or what they called “a process adjustment”. [See Island Social Trends article of December 30, 2020]
The strong chlorine smell (content) seems to have continued past January 15 and as of January 20 is still a disincentive for some people to use the tap water as they normally would (for drinking, cooking, or watering indoor plants).
“The stronger than usual chlorine smell may be noticed until the end of January in some parts of Greater Victoria,” says Shayne Ing, P.Eng., Senior Manager, Water Infrastructure Operations, CRD. The maintenance activities related to the disinfection process were completed by January 18, 2021, according to a CRD notice on January 15.
The higher chlorine content is more noticeable in the west shore area that is closest to the location of the CRD’s Japan Gulch disinfectant facility, including Langford, Colwood and View Royal.
The treated water entering the system near the Goldstream Water Treatment Plant has had a chlorine concentration of 1.8-2.0 mg/L during the maintenance phase.
When the chlorine levels are higher, CRD recommends:
- The drinking water does not need to be boiled for safe consumption; however, boiling does accelerate the dissipation of chlorine.
- The longer the chlorinated water sits, the more chlorine will dissipate. Chlorine will dissipate more rapidly in warm water.
- To mitigate any unpleasant smell and taste, residents may choose to use regular tap filters or let the tap water stand for minimum 30 minutes prior to consumption.
